Fuzzy Search in Xano - NEW expanded search functionality!

Hey everyone, it's Chris from Xano here, and today I'm excited to walk you through our brand-new search functionality. We've made significant upgrades and introduced what's known as fuzzy search, offering power and speed in sifting through data. Let’s jump into the specifics and see how you can utilize these new capabilities.

Understanding the New Search Functionality

Previously, searches in Xano were straightforward – you could run queries directly against database fields based on your input. While functional, this method lacked granularity and efficiency, especially with larger datasets. Let’s explore how the new improvements transform this process:

Setting Up Indexes: The first step is creating an index for your table, which helps locate data swiftly without searching every record. This is particularly useful for large databases.

Language Specification and Field Prioritization: When setting up your index, you'll select a language (e.g., English) and designate fields for searching, along with their priority levels, to fine-tune your search results.

Implementing Fuzzy Search: In your API's custom query, link to the newly created index and specify your search parameters. This setup allows Xano to perform more nuanced searches, going beyond simple keyword matches.

Improving Search Results

After integrating the new search index, you'll notice immediate enhancements in speed. However, refining result accuracy requires a few more steps:

Ranking and Filtering: Utilize Xano's evaluation functions to rank search results. This feature helps bring the most relevant entries to the forefront by assigning a rank based on how closely they match the search criteria.

Sorting by Relevance: Adjust your API output to sort results by their rank, ensuring that the top matches appear first.

Advanced Search Queries: Dive deeper with specific search phrases by adding quotes for exact matches or employing negation to exclude particular terms.

Leveraging Search Contexts

Xano now supports different search contexts, allowing you to tailor search experiences based on the user. For instance, administrators can search fields hidden from regular users by setting up distinct indexes and API endpoints.

Conclusion: Faster, More Accurate Searches with Xano

Our enhanced search capabilities make navigating extensive databases not only faster but also more intuitive. Whether you're dealing with movie titles or user information, Xano's updated functionality ensures you find exactly what you need, when you need it.

We'd love to hear how you're leveraging these new features. Drop us a comment, reach out via support chat, or join the Xano community to share your experiences.