There are two ways to query a Concordance Desktop database: full-text and relational. Each method has a distinct purpose in locating information efficiently. But both methods can be combined and used in the Quick Search bar and the Advanced Search panel.
Full-text searching is the faster search method in Concordance Desktop, enabling you to examine the contents of free-text paragraph fields using words and phrases with various search operators and parameters narrowing the query results. Relational searching is used to query fixed fields, most commonly defined as numeric, date, or fixed-length text. One of Concordance’s most powerful features is its ability to combine these search methods, allowing you to search both field types at once — saving critical review process time by maximizing your query potential.
Searching Benefits: Full-Text versus Relational
Full-text |
Relational |
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Searches the dictionary, uses index to display words from dictionary search |
Searches the database in real time |
Very fast |
Slower (depending on size of database) |
Highlights hits in red |
Does not highlight hits |
Can only be used to search indexed fields |
Can search any field, indexed or not |
Easy to search multiple fields at once |
Searches one field at a time (Unless fields groups are established in the .INI file) |
Used more often to find words |
Used more often to find dates, numbers, ranges, comparisons |
Cannot be used on date fields |
Can find specific dates or a range of dates within limits or outside limits |
Often used on paragraph fields |
Normally used on paragraph fields only to find empty/not empty fields OCR1 EQ "" finds empty fields OCR1 NE "" finds populated fields |
Cannot be used until the database has been indexed. Will not find new data until database has been reindexed. |
Can be used whether or not the database has been indexed |
Cannot be used to find stopwords, since they are not in the dictionary |
Can be used to find stopwords |
Uses the * wildcard character. Can be used before or after the word. |
Uses the * wildcard character only at the end of a word. Use the ? wildcard character, to replace a single character in the middle of a word and in data searches. |
Always searches the complete contents of paragraph fields |
Only searches the complete contents of paragraph fields when using CO and NC operators |
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In the Browse view, you can distinguish between the different fields: •Non-paragraph fields are preceded with an equal sign = •Paragraph fields are preceded with a colon : |
