Setting up synonyms

Users can search for groups of words known as synonyms, that is words that have the same or very similar meanings. You can define synonyms to help users with their analysis.

Synonyms can be useful in these types of situation:

Searched text

Example

Is from different sources

Text might use a mixture of spellings from US and UK English and users might want to treat 'color' and 'colour' or 'fender' and 'bumper' as synonyms.

Might have variations or errors in data entry

Many drugs have various names in formal and casual usage. Also, a name that uses accented characters might be presented in a different order or be spelled in different ways when converted to a form without accented characters: Müller and Mueller.

Is too precise for the search

Color names specified by the paint manufacturer's names, such as crimson, scarlet, and flame, where the search term that is derived from a witness statement is red.

When you set up synonyms, users can choose whether to use those synonyms each time their search term includes one of the synonyms.

You must add synonyms in groups, even if you create only one group. Each group contains words that users can consider as being the same for the purposes of their search.

You can export synonyms that are defined in one database for external editing or transfer to other databases.

Editing synonyms

To edit synonyms:

  1. Select Tools > Search > Full-Text Search Administration.

  2. In the Groups area, click Add.

  3. Type a name for the group and click OK.

  4. In the Synonyms area, click Add.

  5. Type a synonym for addition to the group and click OK.

    Note: If the name you chose for the group is one of the words to be considered as synonyms, you must explicitly add that word to the group.

  6. Repeat this procedure from step 4 to add more words to the same group.

  7. Repeat this procedure from step 2 to add another group and its member synonyms.

  8. Click OK to save the synonyms.

Exporting synonyms

To export all synonyms to a text file:

  1. Select Tools > Search > Full-Text Search Administration.

  2. Click Export.

  3. Either:

    • In the File box, type the path and file name.

    • Browse to the location of a file, which you must be willing to replace with the exported synonyms. Select the file and click Save.

  4. Click Export.

    A message is displayed indicating whether the export was successful.

You can inspect the exported file with Notepad or any other text editing application.

Importing synonyms

To import a synonym list, you require a text file of the correct format. This example defines a synonym list with one group that is named Firearm and the values: Firearm, Shotgun, Rifle, Hand gun, Revolver, Pistol.

[Firearm]
Firearm
Shotgun
Rifle
Hand gun
Revolver
Pistol

To import synonyms from a text file:

  1. Select Tools > Search > Full-Text Search Administration.

  2. Either:

    • In the File box, type the path and file name.

    • Browse to the file, and click Open.

  3. Inspect the Preview window carefully to see that the file contains the expected data. If iBase Designer reports that the file is missing or contains an error, you can choose another file or edit the file to remove the error. Click Refresh to preview the new contents if you change the file. Click Close if you want to abandon the import.

  4. Decide whether you want to keep any synonyms already defined for this database.

    • To keep existing synonyms, turn on the option Merge with existing data. Use this option only if you are certain that all existing synonyms are as you want them.

    • To clear all synonyms and use only the synonyms defined in the file you are importing, turn off the option Merge with existing data.

  5. Click Import, and then click OK to dismiss the message saying that the import was successful.

  6. Click Close. You should now be able to see the groups and synonyms.

  7. Click OK.