Help on Query Manager

DESCRIPTION:

The query manager window allows you to work with predefined queries from a central location.  In the query manager window, there is a listing of these predefined queries.  A number next to each query name in the list indicates the number of documents retrieved for the query during the current session.  If you are running TOPIC REAL-TIME, the retrieved indicator increases as newly-arrived documents are retrieved for the query.

The queries that appear in the query manager window typically are selected by your TOPIC database administrator and controlled by an entry in your preferences file.  The query manager window can list both profile queries, which are queries processed by the TOPIC REAL-TIME Central Profiler or the TOPIC Batch Profiler, and local queries, which are queries created from the user's desktop such as simple, form, and topic queries.     

To scroll this window to see more text, use the Arrow keys.

To close this window, use the Esc key.

OPENING A QUERY WINDOW:

To open a query window for a query listed in the query manager window, use the Arrow keys to position the cursor over the desired query, then use the Space bar to select it.  To open the selected query, press the Enter/Return key.  The selected query is displayed within a query window, which can be scrolled up or down.  You can open a query window for each query listed in the query manager window by using the Arrow keys and Space bar to select each query, then using the Enter/Return key to open each selected query. 

You will notice that when you open the query manager window for the first time during a TOPIC session, the icons next to the query names listed in the window appear as a pound sign (#).  Once you open a query window for a query, the icon becomes a lowercase o (o) until new documents are retrieved for the query.  Thus, the icon next to a query named in a query manager window indicates whether newly-retrieved documents are ready for viewing.
 
USING A QUERY WINDOW:

Each query window consists of two panes.  The upper pane is used to display the query definition, in the case of a simple, form, or topic query, or the query name, in the case of a profile query.  The lower pane contains the Results List, which displays a list of retrieved documents associated with the query.  A control panel separates the upper and lower panes, and contains the Retrieved indicator, the Merge indicator, and the Processed bar. 

When you open a query from the query manager, TOPIC displays the retrieval results for the query.  If the query opened is a profile query, TOPIC displays the results as they become available from the TOPIC Central Profiler or the TOPIC Batch Profiler.  If the query is a local query and you are running TOPIC REAL-TIME, TOPIC displays the results as they become available. 

For a local query (i.e. simple, form, or topic query), you can alter the query definition by entering text in the simple query edit box, form query template, or the topic query editor, as appropriate.  For a profile query, the query definition, known as a profile, is defined by your TOPIC database administrator and cannot be maintained from within the profile query window. 

The next few sections describe these activities you can perform using a query window:  merging results, viewing results, sorting results, deleting a document, saving a local query (note that you cannot save a profile query).

MERGING RESULTS:
If you select the Auto-merge Partitioned Retrievals option for your query, TOPICautomatically merges partitioned retrievals as they become available.  If this query option is not selected for your query, you must merge partitioned retrievals on demand as they become available.  To merge partitioned retrievals on demand, you can select the "Merge Results" option from the Query menu.

For more information on using query options and merging partitioned retrievals, refer to the TOPIC User's Guide for PCs and Terminals.

VIEWING RESULTS:
To view a retrieved document which appears in the Results List, use the Arrow keys to position the pointer over the desired document then use the Space bar to select it.  To open the selected document, press the Enter/Return key. The document is then displayed within a document window, which can be scrolled up or down.  You can display several documents at a time in separate document windows by using the Window menu to return to the original simple query, then selecting another document to be opened.

SORTING RESULTS:
When your retrieved documents appear in the Results List, usually they are ranked by their score (their relevance to your query definition).  The ranking appears in descending sequence, meaning that the retrieved documents which are most relevant to your query definition appear at the top of the list, and those which are less relevant appear farther down the list.  The score appears as a numeric field, and is included with each retrieved document.

You can specify that your retrieved documents are sorted against a field other than the score field.  To specify another sorting order, select the "Sort" option from the View menu to display the Sort dialog box.  The Sort dialog box lists the current sort order by field in the Available Fields list.  To change the sort order in effect, use the Tab key and Arrow keys to position the cursor on a listed field, then use the Space bar to select it.  To move the selected field to the Sort By list, use the Tab key to position the cursor on the Move >> indicator, then use the Space bar.  You can also change the sort order from descending sequence to ascending sequence.

To store your preferred sort order for the active query's future retrievals, press the Enter/Return key.  To re-sort the retrieval results and store the preferred sort order for the active query's future retrievals, use the Tab key to position the cursor on the Re-sort option, then press the Enter/Return key.

DELETING A DOCUMENT:
As you review documents in the Results List after performing a retrieval, you may want to selectively remove some from the Results List to make it more manageable.  TOPIC provides two options for deleting documents:  Clear and Delete.  These options perform two different functions, as described below.

Clear: The "Clear" option is used to clear one or more documents from the Results List.  When documents are cleared, they will not appear again for the query you are currently using, but they remain in the TOPIC database so they can be searched over using another query definition.   To clear a document, use the Arrow keys and Space bar to highlight the desired document in the Results List to be cleared, then select the "Clear" option from the Edit menu.
 
Delete:  The "Delete" option is used to delete one or more documents from the Results List as well as from your TOPIC database.  When documents are deleted, they will not be included in retrieval results for any other query definition.  Note that when you delete a document, it cannot be viewed by any other TOPIC user.
 To delete a document, use the Arrow keys and Space bar to highlight the desired document in the Results List to be cleared, then select the "Delete" option from the Edit menu.

SAVING A LOCAL QUERY:
To save a local query for future use, select the "Save Query" option of the File menu.  The query is saved using the name that appears in the upper portion of the query window, and is automatically appended with a .qry suffix.

TOPIC assumes that you want to save the revised query under the same name, and will overwrite the existing query.  To save a revised query under another name, use the "Save As ..." option of the File menu, then complete the information specified within the dialog box.