subject: Check Out How Federated Search Is Different In Sharepoint Server 2010 [print this page] What is Federated Search in SharePoint Server 2010?
A Federated Search in SharePoint Server enables you to display search results for additional content that is not crawled by your search server. Using Federated Search, the query can be performed over the local content index, or it can be forwarded to an external content repository where it is processed by that repositorys search engine. The repositorys search engine then returns the results to the search server. The search server formats and renders the results from the external repository within the same search results page as the results from the search servers own content index.
A federated location defines the federated search connection to the external content repository, and comprises Location types, Query and More Results link templates, Triggers, Display information, Restrictions, and Authentication and credentials information.
Benefits of Federated Search with SharePoint Enterprise Search
If you use Federated Search option to get search results, then:
You require no additional capacity for the content index, as content is not crawled by SharePoint Enterprise Search
You can take advantage of a repositorys existing search engine
You can optimize the content repositorys search engine for the repositorys specific set of content, which might provide better search performance on the content set
You can access repositories that are secured against crawls, but which can be accessed by search queries
All in all you can use SharePoint Server 2010 federated sources in core results, in a small preview of results, or in an instant answer format. Federated Results incorporate information from other sources, Related Searches, and People Results in the search experience.
Take advantage of SharePoint family of products that include SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Foundation 2010, MOSS 2007, and associated free SharePoint templates or web parts.
