NET SEARCH EXTENDER

[Stanley Sinclair]

Bear with me. I am being very calm; took a Valium. I have waited two
weeks to write this, because every time I wrote it before the message
was, at best, nasty.

I need to use the services of NET SEARCH EXTENDER. This is the first
time in over five years of IBM (DB2) developing that I need this.

I don't know how to do it. (Db2 v8.1.2, Windows) I see that I must
deal with indexes, with cache, with other stuff.

The information files tell me worse than nothing -- they are
misleading. I tried through the wizard in control panel. That always
ends with "SQL syntax error" -- strange, since I didn't write the SQL!

I tried through the command window. I set the variable DB2DBDFT with
the -g switch, with the -i switch, with the -all switch and I entered
via Control Panel. Every time I try to execute a command, the error
message is "Varaible DB2DBDFT is not set." I rebooted, reset,
rebooted ... same error.

I have searched every where I know, in my installed help files and on
the web. The typical search on NET SEARCH EXTENDER returns about 60
files: one of them praises the virtues of the subject, 30 are on the
subject of XML extender, and the rest are irrelevent.

What I need is step-by-step instructions on how to create the proper
index on a column, how to create a cache of the column, and how to do
a search using those indices.

There is no place which I can find that gives me that information,
although there are dozens which tell me how wonderful is this product.

OK -- this is a long message, but I hope that my extreme anger does
not come through, that I have not insulted anyone, and that someone
can help me.

Stan

[Mark Yudkin]

You have my sympathy. We never got any of the text search technologies to
work correctly. When the database got large we got spurious hits or internal
errors. Word stemming failed horribly (German, but we got a partial fix for
plural recognition). We even had somebody from the IBM Böbligen labs
on-site. We opened PMRs, some got fixed, most "permanent restrictions" or
similar. After over a year of messing around, we finally did the job using
Oracle.

The documentation (318 pages) is on line at
http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/h1267402.pdf.

"Stanley Sinclair" <st************ *@bellsouth.net > wrote in message
news:6f******** *************** ***@posting.goo gle.com...

Bear with me. I am being very calm; took a Valium. I have waited two
weeks to write this, because every time I wrote it before the message
was, at best, nasty.

I need to use the services of NET SEARCH EXTENDER. This is the first
time in over five years of IBM (DB2) developing that I need this.

I don't know how to do it. (Db2 v8.1.2, Windows) I see that I must
deal with indexes, with cache, with other stuff.

The information files tell me worse than nothing -- they are
misleading. I tried through the wizard in control panel. That always
ends with "SQL syntax error" -- strange, since I didn't write the SQL!

I tried through the command window. I set the variable DB2DBDFT with
the -g switch, with the -i switch, with the -all switch and I entered
via Control Panel. Every time I try to execute a command, the error
message is "Varaible DB2DBDFT is not set." I rebooted, reset,
rebooted ... same error.

I have searched every where I know, in my installed help files and on
the web. The typical search on NET SEARCH EXTENDER returns about 60
files: one of them praises the virtues of the subject, 30 are on the
subject of XML extender, and the rest are irrelevent.

What I need is step-by-step instructions on how to create the proper
index on a column, how to create a cache of the column, and how to do
a search using those indices.

There is no place which I can find that gives me that information,
although there are dozens which tell me how wonderful is this product.

OK -- this is a long message, but I hope that my extreme anger does
not come through, that I have not insulted anyone, and that someone
can help me.

Stan

[Sabine Perathoner]

Hi Stan,

I'd like to point you to the documentation:

Net Search Extender v8.1:
http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/h1267401.pdf

'Chapter 3. User scenarios' gives you two simple examples how to use Net
Search Extender.

In addition please look at the sample in .../sqllib/samples/db2ext
To create text indexes etc. run:
nsesample <databasename >
To perform full text search:
connect to the database and then run:
db2 -tvf search

As for your problem with DB2DBDFT:
try to add following clause to your commands instead of using DB2DBDFT:
' ... connect to <databasename >'
For example:
db2text "CREATE INDEX db2ext.myTextIn dex FOR TEXT ON books (story)
CONNECT TO sample"

When you are using the control center and the action fails with "SQL
syntax error", could you klick on 'Show SQL' to see which command is
generated?

I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Regards,
Sabine
Stanley Sinclair wrote:

Bear with me. I am being very calm; took a Valium. I have waited two
weeks to write this, because every time I wrote it before the message
was, at best, nasty.

I need to use the services of NET SEARCH EXTENDER. This is the first
time in over five years of IBM (DB2) developing that I need this.

I don't know how to do it. (Db2 v8.1.2, Windows) I see that I must
deal with indexes, with cache, with other stuff.

The information files tell me worse than nothing -- they are
misleading. I tried through the wizard in control panel. That always
ends with "SQL syntax error" -- strange, since I didn't write the SQL!

I tried through the command window. I set the variable DB2DBDFT with
the -g switch, with the -i switch, with the -all switch and I entered
via Control Panel. Every time I try to execute a command, the error
message is "Varaible DB2DBDFT is not set." I rebooted, reset,
rebooted ... same error.

I have searched every where I know, in my installed help files and on
the web. The typical search on NET SEARCH EXTENDER returns about 60
files: one of them praises the virtues of the subject, 30 are on the
subject of XML extender, and the rest are irrelevent.

What I need is step-by-step instructions on how to create the proper
index on a column, how to create a cache of the column, and how to do
a search using those indices.

There is no place which I can find that gives me that information,
although there are dozens which tell me how wonderful is this product.

OK -- this is a long message, but I hope that my extreme anger does
not come through, that I have not insulted anyone, and that someone
can help me.

Stan

[Jürgen Metter]

The best way to start with Net Search Extender after installation is
to run the supplied samples. The samples are installed in the DB2
installation directory .../sqllib/samples/db2ext on Unix or
....\sqllib\sam ples\db2ext on Windows.
There are two samples. The administration sample creates a database,
two tables db2ext.texttab and db2ext.htmltab within the database and
loads some data.
The db2ext.htmltab table is used to demonstrate structured search on
HTML documents. The database is enabled for Net search Extender.
The next step creates Net Search Extender indexes on selected text
columns.
The following command runs the administration sample :
nsesample your_database_n ame
On Windows switch to a DB2 command window with "db2cmd" first.
A second sample can be used to run a set of Net Search Extender
searches on the created indexes.
The following command runs the search sample :
db2 -tvf search
It is recommended to run the latest Fix Pack level. Currently Fix Pack
2 is the latest level which requires DB2 V8.1 Fix Pack 2. Use db2level
to find out the latest DB2 level and db2text level to check the Net
Search Extender level.
For Net Search Extender information see :
http://gwareview.software.ibm.com/so...rch/index.html
Via Support and Download you get to the Fix Pack 2 download site.

[Mark Yudkin]

I assume you're actually answering Stanley and not me (our problems were all
reported to, and were reproduced by, IBM support).

"Jürgen Metter" <me*@de.ibm.com > wrote in message
news:f0******** *************** ***@posting.goo gle.com...

The best way to start with Net Search Extender after installation is
to run the supplied samples. The samples are installed in the DB2
installation directory .../sqllib/samples/db2ext on Unix or
...\sqllib\samp les\db2ext on Windows.
There are two samples. The administration sample creates a database,
two tables db2ext.texttab and db2ext.htmltab within the database and
loads some data.
The db2ext.htmltab table is used to demonstrate structured search on
HTML documents. The database is enabled for Net search Extender.
The next step creates Net Search Extender indexes on selected text
columns.
The following command runs the administration sample :
nsesample your_database_n ame
On Windows switch to a DB2 command window with "db2cmd" first.
A second sample can be used to run a set of Net Search Extender
searches on the created indexes.
The following command runs the search sample :
db2 -tvf search
It is recommended to run the latest Fix Pack level. Currently Fix Pack
2 is the latest level which requires DB2 V8.1 Fix Pack 2. Use db2level
to find out the latest DB2 level and db2text level to check the Net
Search Extender level.
For Net Search Extender information see :
http://gwareview.software.ibm.com/so...rch/index.html Via Support and Download you get to the Fix Pack 2 download site.

[Stanley Sinclair]

I thank everyone who has tried to help.

When I try anything suggested in this forum, or anything in the
instructions in the official documentation, I get a series of errors
which results in failure.

It really does not matter which of the many routes I take, every one
of them ends in failure.

Here is one example of perhaps eight I could quote:

I try to create a text index. First error message:
- No db2text start command was issued.
I do that and get the error message:
- db2text-db2 service is not started.
I try to start that and get the error message:
- db2text service does not exist.

Up to that point I have done everything in the documentation and the
user's manual exactly as instructed.

I have spent very many hours on this with no results to show ...

Stan

[Stanley Sinclair]

Please see what I wrote to Sabine.

SS

[Sabine Perathoner]

Hi Stan,

it looks like during installation of NSE v8fp2 the service was not
registered correctly.

You can do either one of the follwing:
Register the service manually for your existing instance:
ctereg <instancename > register <username> <password>
Create a new db2 instance and the NSE service will be registered
automatically:
db2icrt <instancename > -u <username>

Please make sure that the DB2 instance services run under a user account
and not under the systems account.
You can check that in the 'services' window. In the 'Log On As' column
there must be the username.

Kind regards,
Sabine
Stanley Sinclair wrote:

I thank everyone who has tried to help.

When I try anything suggested in this forum, or anything in the
instructions in the official documentation, I get a series of errors
which results in failure.

It really does not matter which of the many routes I take, every one
of them ends in failure.

Here is one example of perhaps eight I could quote:

I try to create a text index. First error message:
- No db2text start command was issued.
I do that and get the error message:
- db2text-db2 service is not started.
I try to start that and get the error message:
- db2text service does not exist.

Up to that point I have done everything in the documentation and the
user's manual exactly as instructed.

I have spent very many hours on this with no results to show ...

Stan

[Stanley Sinclair]

<<It is recommended to run the latest Fix Pack level. Currently Fix
Pack 2 is the latest level which requires DB2 V8.1 Fix Pack 2. Use
db2level to find out the latest DB2 level and db2text level to check
the Net Search Extender level.>>

**Where can I find a list of ALL db2 commands and ALL db2text
commands?**

They do not follow any convention, are not intuitive, and need very
special syntax. Eg, Every other program uses "ver" for version. This
uses "level."

(I am, in fact using the latest versions of everything.)

<<For Net Search Extender information see :
http://gwareview.softw are.ibm.com/software/data/db2/extenders/netsearch/index.html>>

That link is dead.

Stan

[Stanley Sinclair]

So far, every wizard in Control Panel using db2text has failed with
multiple syntax errors. It also does not allow editing of the SQL
text or even to copying it. Eg, The wizard ends everyting with a ;,
and the Command Window rejects anything which ends in a ;.

Some things which were in parentheses must not be; some things should,
or should not, be in "" "" marks or ' ' marks.

Again, it was a disaster in terms of wasting my time.

When I tried to set DB2DBDFT (?) it would be set, but when I ran
something using it, the message up to this time, is "DB2DBDFT not
set."

After creating a new instance, per your suggestions, error messages
concerning instances appeared after anything. (I always rebooted.) I
could not get back to the instance in which my main databases exist,
threatening the end of my carrer. The command db2set did nothing for
DB2INSTANCE.

Complete disaster.

I must quote Mark at the beginning of this thread:

"We never got any of the text search technologies to work correctly...
After over a year of messing around, we finally did the job using
Oracle."

Sadly, that's where I'm going.

Thanks for all your help.

Stan