Category Component 25.2
Category Component Help

# Use a Field Process to Boost Relevance

You can set up a field process that identifies specific fields in documents and manipulates the weight of terms in these fields if they match the query terms.

For example, use the following procedure to boost the weight of results that contain query terms in their `DRETITLE` and `SUMMARIES` fields.

1. For each field whose content you want to use to determine whether to boost result weights, list a process in the `[FieldProcessing]` section of the Content component configuration file that indexes the field and manipulates its term weights. You can use one field process to boost terms in several fields by the same factor.

   For example:

       [FieldProcessing]
       0=IndexAndWeightHigher1
       1=IndexAndWeightHigher2

2. Create a section for each of the processes that you listed, in which you create a property for the process (you define the property later by setting one or more applicable configuration parameters). Identify the fields that you want to associate with the processes.

   NOTE: The properties that you create must not have the same name as the processes.

   For example:

       [IndexAndWeightHigher1]
       Property=IndexHigherWeight1
       PropertyFieldCSVs=*/DRETITLE

       [IndexAndWeightHigher2]
       Property=IndexHigherWeight2
       PropertyFieldCSVs=*/SUMMARY

3. Create a section for each of the properties and specify configuration settings for each. The `Index` parameter ensures that Content indexes the fields that you associate with the field process. The `Weight` parameter determines the factor by which to boost terms in the associated `PropertyFieldCSVs` fields if they match query terms.

   For example:

       [IndexHigherWeight1]
       Index=True
       Weight=4

       [IndexHigherWeight2]
       Index=True
       Weight=2

4. Save and close the configuration file.

5. Restart the Content component for your changes to take effect.

In future queries, Content boosts the relevance of the result to the query according to how many times the terms in the result `SUMMARY` and `DRETITLE` fields match the query terms.

For example, the following query boosts results whose `SUMMARY` and `DRETITLE` field matches the query terms cat and dog:

    http://ContentHost:port/action=Query&Text=cat and dog

This means that these results return in the following order:

- Result 1:

  Title = Cats & Dogs

  Summary = Cats and dogs duke it out in this live action feature about a professor on the brink of discovering a cure for dog allergies. The dogs assign an agent to protect the professor and his family from a feline invasion.

  Content = Unbeknownst to humans, dogs have fought for thousands of years to keep mankind from falling under the rule of cats. Using combinations of live animals, animatronic puppets, and digital wizardry, this film has just enough imagination to match its effects, climaxing with a feline global-domination scheme involving mice sprayed with chemicals that will make all humans allergic to their canine friends.

- Result 2:

  Title = Garfield

  Summary = Garfield comes to life in an all new live action major motion picture.

  Content = Garfield is a fat cat. A cat that eats lots of Lasagne. A cat that is lazy and sleeps as much as possible. Nevertheless, Garfield is a clever cat, always able to outwit his owner, Jon and the neighbor's dog, Odie. Garfield is a cool and sarcastic cat but he is also a cat with a heart as is shown when he comes to the rescue of Odie the dog, in the movie that is coming out this year. The hapless pup disappears and is kidnapped by a nasty dog trainer, and Garfield feels responsible. Pulling himself away from the TV, Garfield springs into action. Maybe it's friendship for cat and dog after all.

- Result 3:

  Title = Tom and Jerry: The movie

  Summary = The celebrated cat and mouse team meets a young runaway who desperately needs their help to find her missing father. Along the way they run into her evil Aunt who tosses them into a pet prison. Bonding together, Tom & Jerry outwit the Aunt and mastermind a great escape to set off on the wildest adventures of their cat and mouse careers.

  Content = The popular animated duo team up again to appear this time on the big screen. Homeless, the 'toons end up helping out a young girl who stays with a nasty auntie while she is separated from her father. Will the young Robyn be reunited with her loving father? Will the odd pair make it on the streets? Will they find a home? Those are some of the burning questions that may plague the minds of young viewers of this fun adventure.

Without the boosting to the weight of the `SUMMARY` and `DRETITLE` field, Result 2 is the top result, with Result 1 following in second place.

Result 3 does not rank higher than Result 2 in either case. Although its weight is slightly boosted because its `SUMMARY` field contains one of the query terms, this boost is not sufficient to outrank Result 2.

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Version 25.2 | Last updated April 2025

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Product: Knowledge Discovery Category Component 25.2

Topic Title: Use a Field Process to Boost Relevance