DatabasesIntermediate
Full-Text Search
PronunciationFULL-tekst SURCH
Definition
Full-Text Search is a technique for searching documents or text-heavy columns by analyzing the linguistic content rather than performing a simple pattern match. It allows for advanced queries like searching for word variations, synonyms, or relevance-based ranking.
Where you hear it
When discussing database performance, search functionality implementation, or choosing a search engine for an application.
Examples
We need to implement Full-Text Search to allow users to find articles by keywords.
The database index for Full-Text Search is significantly larger than a standard B-tree index.
Common mistake
Confusing it with the LIKE operator in SQL, which performs a character-by-character pattern match and is often too slow and limited for large text datasets.