MCMS Search Options

There are quite a few ways to implement searching on an MCMS website, each with varying costs, implementation complexity, and limitations. As usual, each option has its advantages and disadvantages. Google ( http://www.google.com ) provides a Web Service API for you to submit queries against at no cost, but you are limited to 1,000 searches per day, and there are some licensing requirements regarding logo placement. Coveo ( http://www.coveo.com ) provides a free, no-expiration license for its Enterprise Search product, but it’s limited to searching 5,000 documents (searching more than 5,000 requires a license to be purchased from Coveo). Mondosoft’s ( http://www.mondosoft.com ) MondoSearch seamlessly integrates into MCMS and offers up a robust feature set, but it’s not free.

Microsoft’s enterprise portal solution, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 (SPS), contains a powerful and customizable search engine. The indexes SPS creates are accessible for...