Information Retrieval Questions Medium
Structured information retrieval refers to the process of retrieving information from databases or structured data sources where the data is organized in a predefined format. This format typically includes fields, tables, and relationships between different data elements. Examples of structured information retrieval include searching for specific data in a relational database or querying a data warehouse.
On the other hand, unstructured information retrieval involves retrieving information from unstructured or semi-structured sources where the data does not have a predefined format. Unstructured data can include text documents, emails, social media posts, web pages, audio files, and images. Unlike structured data, unstructured data does not have a fixed schema or organization. Unstructured information retrieval typically involves techniques such as natural language processing, text mining, and machine learning to extract relevant information from these sources.
The main difference between structured and unstructured information retrieval lies in the organization and format of the data. Structured information retrieval deals with data that is organized and stored in a predefined manner, while unstructured information retrieval deals with data that lacks a predefined structure. The techniques and approaches used for retrieving information from these two types of data sources also differ significantly.