Xplore: Searching for Datasets

In this fourth issue of our series of articles about Xplore, our Data Discovery and Metadata Management platform, we zoom in on searching for datasets. In our first article, we looked at Data Discovery in Xplore and its instrumental role in uncovering the different data assets in the firm and making existing datasets available to as many data consumers as possible. In the second article, we shed light on Data Classification in Xplore and explained how fundamental it is in organising the firm’s data, making it more efficient to search and navigate and reducing redundancies and inconsistencies which would otherwise compromise data quality. And in the third article, we went on to discuss Metadata Management in Xplore and how it makes datasets more discoverable and allows users to assess if the dataset is relevant for their needs before they access the data.

Searching for your data does not have to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Employees spend valuable time looking for the data they need. When this data is scattered in different departments and segregated in silos, searching for it is very inefficient and sometimes ineffective. It is almost like looking for a needle in haystack! With Xplore – through data discovery, data classification and metadata management – all your datasets (actually the metadata describing them rather than their underlying data) are organised in a central inventory. Searching this data catalogue is guaranteed to help you locate that dataset you are after!

How does Xplore facilitate searching for datasets?

When data consumers log in to Xplore, they are presented with a customisable homepage called MyDataSpace. The most prominent feature of this page is the search box, where users can search for datasets. They may type one or more keywords, which is particularly useful when users are searching for specific dataset names or column names. This lexical search is enhanced by its ability to cater for misspellings and to support matching wildcard patterns and regular expressions. Xplore’s search engine also supports full-text searches which allow users to find matches within dataset descriptions, notes and other free-text metadata fields.

Consider a specific example to illustrate the effectiveness of Xplore’s search functionality. In financial services, reference data is critical for financial operations and a common reference dataset is the security master, which contains information on securities such as bonds, equities and derivatives. With Xplore’s data search functionality, a user can simply type “country of risk” into the search box and locate the dataset containing the reference data for this field.

Searching for Data in Xplore

Searching for data is an interesting and constantly evolving area and we are super excited about continuously enhancing our search engine in Xplore. Stay tuned to read about our filters and facets for searching datasets as well as the other functionalities and features of Xplore in subsequent articles. In the meantime, if you would like to enquire about Xplore or request a product demo, please contact us. We would love to hear from you!