Claims
- 1. A method of selecting data records in a computer readable database, each data record having at least one classification, the method comprising the steps of:
designating a plurality of subsets of data records in a database; designating at least a first and a second search strategy, wherein each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match; forming a search hierarchy comprised of the first search strategy followed by the second search strategy; inputting a search string, comprising at least one search term, to a user interface; executing the search hierarchy, wherein said search string is applied by a succession of said search strategies; terminating said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match; displaying said at least one match.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of subsets is a vendor catalog.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a logic search.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a soundex search.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said search methodology is a stem search.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least the first search strategy, when executed, fails to yield a matching result, and wherein the second search strategy, when executed, yields a matching result.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein a first subset represents items available in-stock, and a second subset represents items not available in-stock.
- 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reordering said search hierarchy.
- 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying a classification of said at least one match.
- 10. A system for selecting data records in a computer readable database, each data record having a classification, the database accessible to a computer, the system comprising:
a plurality of subsets of data records in the database; at least a first and a second search strategy encoded within said computer, wherein each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match; an algorithm within said computer, said algorithm comprising a search hierarchy comprised of said first search strategy followed by said second search strategy; a user interface connected to said computer, said user interface having an input for a search string, said input comprising at least one search term; wherein executing the search hierarchy causes said search string to be applied by a succession of said search strategies, and wherein said algorithm terminates said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match, and displays said at least one match on said user interface.
- 11. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of subsets is a vendor catalog.
- 12. The system of claim 10, wherein at least the first search strategy, when executed, fails to yield a matching result, and wherein the second search strategy, when executed, yields a matching result.
- 13. A method of selecting items in a computer readable electronic catalog, each item having a classification, the method comprising the steps of:
designating a plurality of subsets of data records in a database, wherein each subset corresponds to a different supplier; designating at least a first and a second search strategy, wherein- each search strategy comprises a search methodology preselected to operate upon at least one of the plurality of subsets to search for at least one match; forming a search hierarchy comprised of the first search strategy followed by the second search strategy; inputting a search string, comprising at least one search term, to a user interface; executing the search hierarchy, wherein said search string is applied by a succession of said search strategies according to a preselected order of said suppliers; terminating said search hierarchy upon finding said at least one match; displaying said at least one match.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This divisional application claims the priority of application Ser. No. 09/393,994, filed on Sep. 10, 1999.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09393994 |
Sep 1999 |
US |
Child |
09963228 |
Sep 2001 |
US |