Systems and methods for information retrieval

Abstract

An information retrieval system implements a search language, through which a querying entity (e.g., a user, a program or process, or the like) formulates a search query. Preferably, a search query is composed of an ordered set of clause definitions, and each clause can have set membership operations applied to it. Each clause includes a clause pipeline, and a time constraint. A clause pipeline includes an ordered set of clause specifications separated by a pipeline operator. A clause specification can be either an expansion operation or a filtering operation. Preferably, a first clause specification in a pipeline operates on an initial universe of all objects, and each subsequent clause specification operates on a set of objects produced from the previous clause specification. The search language is exposed to users (typically, IT administrators), and one or more builder programs within the system (each referred to as a 'model builder') are used internally to present data models to the search language. A model builder extracts data from a given type of data source (including, without limitation, a relational database system, an application programming interface (API), or the like), and enables that data to be presented to one or more constructs of the search language according to a single unified data model.