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Why is Google better at searching sdn.sap.com?

KKilhavn
Active Contributor
0 Kudos

Today I encountered a problem (which I think is caused by a bug in SAP where it seems it can't count) and wanted to search SDN for information about the problem.

So I searched, and knowing from before that Google usually is more efficient I also searched in Google.

Why does Google find the most recent forum thread, mentioning the two strings I searched for, while SDN doesn't return it when searching within the specific ?

Perhaps the search engine in SDN tries to be intelligent and rank hits in the subject higher, but that is only (half-way) intelligent in the case where I search with a single word. In my case the search phrase was

"maximum number of" "nodes reached"

with a restriction to site sap.com when searching Google. Admittedly, the SDN search came up with more results, but the most interesting result was returned by Google. It was also the only result returned by Google, but this is the first time I've seen that happen.

It is hard to "yell" at people for not using the search possibilities when the results from the search are only so-so.

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Answers (3)

Answers (3)

Former Member
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I confirm the very annoying feature of search capability:

click on any user - View user's business card - Contributions tab - forums (subitem) - show all...

and I'm getting this f...g screen that allows me to enter all fields by which I wonna search. No results at all???

And this is the feature that shows me "show all..."???

I really want to see all. And that's impossible to enter all key words that are in the threads.

Very funny!

That also fources me to use google for serach in SDN. With much more success!

scott_lawley
Active Participant
0 Kudos

Hi Kjetil,

First, I want to thank you for raising this issue. This is an issue in which I am particularly interested. Since I began working in the Community Network team, improving search has always been high up on the priority list, but for various reasons, usually budgetary, various search improvement initiatives never got off the ground. Thanks to you and others like you for continuing to raise the issue, for this year, your voice has been heard. While I cannot go into specific details or discuss any timelines at this particular point, I can safely say that search is a high priority for our team, and several initiatives are under way to improve search. We are evaluating numerous search and navigational technologies to better improve the overall experience on SCN.

Regarding your specific search strings, "maximum number of" "nodes reached," I executed this search using the Advanced Search feature restricted to Forums, and I also used the search feature in the Forums area. The first returned two results while the later returned 303 results. This is a well known problem with the site, one that I do not believe is specifically related to TREX, but one that is a configuration issue.

I would encourage you and others to continue to identify specific issues relating to search, navigation, and the discovery of information. Your input on these various matters will greatly influence our decisions moving forward.

Regards,

Scott Lawley

Solution Management Office

SAP Community Network

Former Member
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wow. I am impressed. thanks for this great news Scott.

Really looking forward to changes. Patiently, as long as something is happening at all.

anton

Former Member
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Hi,

I've also noticed the same thing as Kjetil. Frankly I'm using google to search for a SAP content on sdn and avanced search only for webblogs.

And here comes the bizarre idea idea why not to replace advanced search with google search;) ?

Best regards,

wojciech

pokrakam
Active Contributor
0 Kudos

Hi Scott,

It's good to hear that someone is looking at this. There are two more examples to be found in the thread that should now be titled [Google 3 : SDN 0|;

In fact on pure forum searches, most Google results will find stuff that TREX is too lazy to look for (maybe he should get fed twice a day?).

Seriously, I don't know why SAP still bother with it - how can it find a word in one thread but not another? And don't get me started on searching through the online help.

Cheers,

Mike

Former Member
0 Kudos

Hi,

And to add on all these compliments, TREX is not available on WIndows IA64 and will maybe never be. We have to keep old 32 bit machines only for TREX...

Olivier

Former Member
0 Kudos

kjetil,

you won't get an answer on that. I have been asking this question on every promising occasion, both in virtual and rela places, and never got a comment on it. I think TREX is a major pain point at SAP.

with any other search engine known to me, you'll be able to kind of 'predict' the search results after some testing. I've been using SDN search for quiet a while now, and really never found out how it is working and what I can expect.

IMHO it has several troubles, e.g. indices only updated every now and then. manually. it seems.

anton