Computerized searchable document repository using separate metadata and content stores and full text indexes

Abstract

A computerized searchable repository stores documents as structured metadata parts and unstructured content parts using single instancing. A full text index used for keyword searching includes a metadata index and a content index. A linking structure includes metadata-to-content (MD to CT) links and content-to-metadata (CT to MD) linking entries, with each MD to CT link linking a metadata part of a document to each content part of the document, and each CT to MD linking entry having one or more CT to MD links collectively linking a content part to the metadata parts of the documents that include the content part. Indexing includes metadata indexing a metadata part, conditionally content indexing a content part, and updating the linking structure. Content indexing is performed only if the content part does not match a content part already stored and indexed. Index entries each associate a key word or key value with corresponding metadata or content parts containing the key word or key value. Updating the linking structure includes generating new MD to CT and CT to MD links between the metadata part and either the new content part or an existing matching content part if present.