Title: Dynamic hierarchies for business intelligence information retrieval

Authors: Ryan C. LaBrie, Robert D. St. Louis

Addresses: School of Business and Economics, Seattle Pacific University, 3307 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119-1950, USA, ' W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Mail Stop 874606, Tempe, AZ 85287-4606, USA

Abstract: Information retrieval is a critical function in Business Intelligence (BI) applications. Most business intelligence applications today rely on traditional keyword searching for their primary retrieval mechanism. Keyword searching has been improved over the years via various advancements including indexing, storage optimisation, improved query processing, and advances in hardware. Nevertheless, it still has significant limitations. This paper presents an alternative mechanism for information retrieval, dubbed ||dynamic hierarchies||, and describes how to develop such a system. Cognitive psychologists have found that recognition is typically superior to recall in information retrieval. The dynamic hierarchies that we develop: are based upon a recognition paradigm rather than a recall paradigm; can be constructed using low-cost hardware and software; overcome many of the limitations inherent in keyword searching and traditional static hierarchies.

Keywords: business intelligence; classification; cognition; document management; dynamic hierarchies; information retrieval; keywords; recall; recognition; information searching; document retrieval.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIEM.2005.007228

International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management, 2005 Vol.3 No.1, pp.3 - 23

Published online: 25 Jun 2005 *

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