FIND(ID:8486/)

IR system for the 1900 from ICL
Hardware:
  • 1900 ICL (International Computers Limited)
Related languages
FIND => FIND 2   Evolution of
References:
  • ICL FIND-User's Guide. ICL TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS 1966 view details
  • Humphrey, AL and Munro WG "Management information retrieval" The Computer Journal 13(2) 1970 pp127-130 view details Abstract: Computer systems are well-known hoarders of valuable information. The retrieval problem is discussed under the twin headings of Management and Technical Information Retrieval. A General Analysis System is described which has been designed to meet the requirements for management information retrieval in a commercial/industrial data-processing environment.

    Extract: The approach to a solution
    The approach to a solution
    In the last few years there has been an increasing
    interest in general programming systems which attempt
    to solve this problem by providing some special language
    or program which takes advantage of the basic similarity
    of all tasks which consist of extracting and presenting
    data. Within this broad classification we can however
    define two main divisions. These we may call Technical
    Information Retrieval (TIR) exemplified by the retrieval
    of relevant abstracts from scientific journals and Management
    Information Retrieval (MIR) exemplified by sales
    analyses. Table 1 displays the difference between the
    two types of retrieval situation.
    A typical TIR request might be:
    'Print the complete abstracts of any article written in
    1969 and appearing in the Operational Research Quarterly
    or the Journal of the 0. R. Society of America
    which deals with the use of simulation or model building
    in marketing or with the implementation of marketing
    models, but excluding any article written by J.
    Smith or any article referring to Dynamic Programming
    Techniques.'
    A typical MIR request:
    'Print the customer, product, date, sales reference
    number and value of all invoices with a value of less
    than £10 for product group X, area Y, during May.
    Compute the gross margin as a percentage of invoice
    value and print this next to the value. Sequence the
    results by date within product within customer and give
    totals of values and average of gross margin on change
    of customer or product.'
    Although most information retrieval programming
    systems are capable of work in both areas, the impetus
    for their creation has usually come from one in particular.
    FIND (I.C.L., 1966) and SPECOL (Smith, 1968), for
    example, are aimed primarily at Technical Information
    Retrieval. Systems directed at Management Information
    Retrieval include NITA and FILETAB (N.C.C.,
    1969), CRESTS (Craig, 1966), the Sales Management
    Information Retrieval System of the Metal Box Company
    (Gearing, Reynolds & Sears, 1968) and all R.P.G.
    Systems.
          in The Computer Journal 13(2) 1970 view details