Merge searches
Combine queries to focus or widen an existing search
Last updated
Combine queries to focus or widen an existing search
Last updated
The feature lets you combine two searches in three ways: AND, OR, and AND NOT. This feature works at the sentence level, taking each matched sentence from the first search and checking if it matches the second query using the selected function. It supports the following three functions:
AND: Returns sentences that match both queries.
OR: Returns sentences that match either query.
AND NOT: Returns sentences that match the first query but not the second.
The three functions of the Merge searches feature can probably best be understood if you keep in mind a Venn diagram with two circles, where each circle represents the set of matched sentences of that search.
The AND function combines two searches to return sentences that satisfy both queries. For example, if your first search has the query supply chain, supplier, and your second search has the query covid, using the AND function will create a new search with sentences that contain both supply chain or supplier as well as covid.
In the Venn diagram, the AND function returns the overlapping area.
The AND NOT function helps to exclude certain keywords from an existing search. If the query of your search is supply chain, supplier, and you want to exclude sentences containing semiconductor , you would run a second search with semiconductor and use the AND NOT function. This will create a new search with sentences that mention supply chain or supplier but do not mention semiconductor.
In the Venn diagram, the AND NOT function returns the area of the first circle that does not overlap with the second circle.
The OR function expands your search to include sentences that match either query. For example, suppose that the query of your first search is (supply chain, supplier) AND (semiconductor) and you realize that you want to also include sentences with the keyword manufacturer . You would run a new search with the query manufacturer and then use the Merge searches feature to merge the two searches with the OR function. This will result in a search with the query ((supply chain OR supplier) AND (semiconductor)) OR manufacturer.
In the Venn diagram, the OR function returns the area covered by either of the two circles.
Besides refining searches, the Merge searches feature speeds up running complex searches that involve the AND or AND NOT operators. It essentially vectorizes the usage of such an operator.
For instance, suppose you have a long-running query of the following form:
(lots of keywords) AND NOT (more keywords)
In such case, it is more efficient to split up the search into two and then combine them using the Merge searches feature. You would first run a search with the query (lots of keywords), then run a second search with the query (more keywords), and finally merge the first with the second search using the AND NOT function of the Merge searches feature.
