Google Search Appliance Creating the Search Experience - Manual (Page 14)

Google Search Appliance: Creating the Search Experience Introduction 14
• The arrangement of the search results
A default front end is built into the search appliance. You can use the default front end to deploy a single
search experience for end users. The examples in “Starting with a Basic Search Experience” on page 9
illustrate this approach. Another approach that uses a single front end is to deploy a single, customized
search experience for end users. The examples in “Customizing the Basic Search Experience” on page 11
illustrate this approach.
There is no limit to the number of front ends that a single search appliance can have. You can create
multiple front ends to deploy multiple search experiences for end users. The examples in “Creating
Multiple Search Experiences” on page 11 illustrate this approach.
There are several search appliance features associated with a front end, including features that give end
users feedback on their searches and features that refine search results. You create and manage search
experiences using anywhere from a few to all front end features. For descriptions of these features,
refer to:
• “Improving Searches” on page 15
• “Enhancing Search Results” on page 19
• “Changing the User Interface” on page 24
For a summary of all front end features, refer to “Elements Defined in the Front End” on page 26.
To create a front end, use the Serving > Front Ends page. For complete information about the Front
Ends page, click Help Center > Serving > Front Ends in the Admin Console.
Using Collections with Front Ends
A collection is a subset of the complete search index. A collection lets end users:
• Search over a specific part of the index
• Narrow a search
• Get relevant results more quickly
A collection is analogous to a playlist in media player software. To create a playlist, you define it, add
songs in it, and store it. If you have more than one playlist, one song can appear in multiple playlists. You
can create a playlist for a specific group of listeners, such as your family.
To create a collection, you define it, add entries to it from the search index, and store it. If you define
more than one collection, the same entry can appear in multiple collections. You can define collections
for specific end users.
Suppose you define a collection to support end users in Human Resources (HR). This collection contains
information that is related only to HR.
You define a collection by URL patterns. All content that matches the URL pattern belongs to the
collection. The same content can appear in multiple collections. Search results from a collection have
the same relevance ranking as full index searches. Only the content searched differs because it is
restricted to the individual collection's content.
You can search multiple collections by using the site parameter, as described in the Search Protocol
Reference. When the search appliance displays results for a query against multiple collections, it does
not group the results by collection.