How to design a system for plain text retrieval

Define the scope and purpose of the system: Determine what kind of text data the system will retrieve, and what the end goal of the system is. This will help guide the design process and ensure that the system meets its intended purpose.

Choose a search engine: A search engine is the backbone of any text retrieval system. Choose an appropriate search engine that can handle the volume and complexity of the data to be retrieved. Common search engines include Apache Lucene, Elasticsearch, and Solr.

Create an index: An index is a database that stores information about the location of words within documents. Create an index of the text data to be retrieved, and ensure that the index is optimized for fast search queries.

Develop a user interface: A user interface is necessary to allow users to interact with the system. Design a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use, and that allows users to search for text data using keywords or phrases.

Implement a ranking algorithm: A ranking algorithm is necessary to ensure that search results are relevant and useful to the user. Implement a ranking algorithm that considers factors such as keyword density, document length, and relevance of the text data to the user's query.

Optimize the system: Test the system to ensure that it is fast, accurate, and efficient. Optimize the system by tweaking the search engine, index, and ranking algorithm as necessary to improve performance and accuracy.

Monitor and maintain the system: Once the system is deployed, monitor it regularly to ensure that it is functioning properly and that the results are accurate. Make updates and improvements as needed to keep the system up-to-date and functioning at peak efficiency