Project Detail

Description

PROJECT SUMMARY
Objective: Upgrade search functionality on 2 websites.
This project involves the following steps:
1. Write an API program that allows our search server (running Microsoft Search Server 2008) to retrieve data from our database server.
2. Write an API program that allows our web server to retrieve search results from our search server.
3. Modify the ASP code on our 2 websites to allow search results to be displayed in the same format as our current search results are displayed.
This project requires a programmer who knows ASP, API programs, SQL databases and Microsoft Sharepoint Services.
All of our server run Windows Server 2003 operating systems. The 3 servers involved in this project include:
1. everest – runs our Everest software which uses Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database. Everest software runs our entire business including our website (www.everestsoftwareinc.com)
2. search – runs Microsoft Search Server 2008
3. web02 – runs Microsoft Internet Information Server 6 and Everest Shop Administrator
We have 2 websites each with its own unique design but both are pulling from the same back end SQL database, which runs on our Everest server. We have http://www.learningthings.com/ and http://www.homeschooldiscount.com/. We have over 13,000 items in our database. Both websites need a better search function.
We have already installed a new server running Microsoft Search Server 2008. This server uses an SQL database and queries our everest SQL database server every 15 minutes for updates. The search server needs an API program to be able to pull the needed data from the everest server.
The search function and search results from the search server need to be integrated into the javascript asp content pages of our 2 websites to replace the current search function. We need help modifying at least 2 files on each site which are used by most of our pages, called search.asp and searchresult.asp, so it will display the search results in the same format that our current search results are displayed, with images, descriptions and pricing information.
I think the only pages that have to be modified are search.asp and searchresult.asp but that might not be correct. The other asp pages have to work with search.asp so they also might have to be modified slightly.
Our websites run with dynamic content pulling from the everest SQL database server. Both websites were developed by Everest Software Inc. You can visit their website at http://www.everestsoftwareinc.com/
We upgrade our Everest software at least once each year so we will have new projects to update these settings each time we upgrade.
The search results coming from the Microsoft Search Server should look the same as the search results currently displayed on our 2 sites at www.learningthings.com and www.homeschooldiscount.com. Each site has its own unique design so the page layouts will be different.
Search results should display the following for each result found:
1. item title (40 characters)
2. image (100 pixels x 100 pixels)
3. brief description (initial 300 characters from the web description)
4. Retail price - our system refers to this as the fixed price or level 1 price
5. Our Price - our system refers to this as the level 2 price
6. Link to item description page if it is an item (itemdesc.asp)
7. Link to kit description page if it is a kit (customkititems.asp)
8. Add to Cart button
9. Our current search results do not include category pages but we would like to include them if possible (items.asp). It would be great to list the categories where search results were found and display the number of search results found in each category with a number in parenthesis.
We would also like to be able to integrate the search function into our static .htm pages so we need the code to paste the search tool onto those pages.
Our pages are in .asp format using Javascript (or Java or Jscript?). I can send page files for you to review.
All of our data comes from SQL Server 2005. Our internal users access the database through an interface program called Everest, from Everest Software Inc.
For this job, you would need to speak with Jason, our network IT guy who configured the Microsoft Search Server. The search data will have to come from that server, but that server is getting the data from the SQL Server.
We have a test web server so you can do all testing there. We can publish to the live web server after everything works. The coder will get everything working successfully on the test web server. Jason or I will then publish the code to the live web server.
This is a new search function for us so we will likely need to make adjustments to how the searches are performed to achieve the most relevant search results. We will need to specify which data fields are searched and the priority given to each one. At this time, I do not know whether that has any impact on this project but it might.
Beyond that, we are open to enhancing the way the search results are displayed, especially with including category pages in the search results. Category pages could be displayed in the left column or at the top of the search results. They should include counts on search results found within each category and could possibly include image files too.

SEARCH FUNCTION PRIORITIES

The following provides the list of fields we want to include in the search results. These are listed in order of priority. These tables and fields are located in our SQL database, which is located on our Everest server.

Our search server, which is running Microsoft Search Server 2008, also has it’s own SQL Server. However, that server requires an API script to be able to pull data from the Everest server.

Our web server requires an API script to pull the search results from the search server.

Search function should be set to search ‘All Words’ and ‘Exact Words’ included in the search field. The search results should not include searches from ‘Any Words’ included in the search field.

The fields that need to be searched are listed below for each of our websites.

Search field priorities for Learningthings.com

TABLE FIELD FUNCTION
Items CUSTCHAR3 Brand Description
Items CUSTMEMO4 Page Title
Items DESCRIPT Item Description
Category DESCRIPT Category Description
Category WEBDESC Category Web Description
Category WEBDESC_SUMMARY Category Web Summary Description
Category PARENTCAT Parent Category Description
Items CUSTMEMO3 Item Meta Description
Items WEBDESC_SUMMARY Item Web Summary Description
Items WEBDESC Item Web Description
Items MODEL Model Number
Items CUSTCHAR2 ISBN Number
Items ITEMNO Item Code
Item_Eq EQ_CODE Item Alias Code


Search field priorities for Homeschooldiscount.com

TABLE FIELD FUNCTION
Items CUSTCHAR3 Brand Description
Items CUSTMEMO1 Page Title
Items DESCRIPT Item Description
Category DESCRIPT Category Description
Category WEBDESC Category Web Description
Category WEBDESC_SUMMARY Category Web Summary Description
Category PARENTCAT Parent Category Description
Items CUSTMEMO2 Item Meta Description
Items WEBDESC_SUMMARY Item Web Summary Description
Items WEBDESC Item Web Description
Items MODEL Model Number
Items CUSTCHAR2 ISBN Number
Items ITEMNO Item Code
Item_Eq EQ_CODE Item Alias Code

Please configure the search server to search in this order of priority.
Please provide us with your bid price for completing this project. Our servers are ready and waiting. We are very eager to implement this project as soon as possible. Thanks!



Additional files submitted:
PROJECT SUMMARY.doc