Clearwell Systems announced Transparent Search on August 26, 2008. This is a set of features built around the ability to inspect and perform filtering on wildcard, proximity, fuzzy, and concept searches. The features built around this core capability include: search preview, search filters, search report, and multiple query searches. This post uses screenshots captured from the Clearwell Online demo and descriptions from the press release. The Flash demo is currently available on the homepage and well worth watching.

The following is a composite of two screenshots to show the high level messaging comparing the hit report for traditional search with the more detailed information provided by a transparent search breakdown of wildcard search results. To view any of the screenshots in fullsize, click on the screenshot to bring it up on your screen.


1. Search Preview: Provides visibility into matching keyword variations for wildcard and stemming searches prior to running a search. Users can selectively include relevant variations or exclude false positive variations in their search query, removing irrelevant documents from search results.

This feature shows you how may documents match a wildcard or proximity search and what text is being matched. The checkboxes allow granular fine-tuning of inclusion and exclusion words. While the description says this provides matching variations prior to running a search, to retrieve the number of matched do documents, presumably searches have already been performed but not presented to the user.


2. Search Filters: In real-time, users can filter results by individual queries or variations, and sample the filtered documents to evaluate the effectiveness of their search. This also provides more opportunities for users to rapidly identify false positive documents prior to review.

In addition to selecting and deselecting matching terms in the preview stage, users can adjust the filters on a real-time ad-hoc basis to perform sampling to assess under and over inclusiveness. Search filters automatically expand all variations of advanced searches including wildcard and proximity searches. A list of keyword variations and document counts that can be sampled.


3. Multiple Query Search: Delivers the ability to run large numbers of queries simultaneously and provides reporting for both the overall search and the individual queries within the search. Large numbers of queries can be tested in minutes not days, dramatically decreasing the turnaround time needed to iterate and evaluate the effectiveness of keyword searches.

Multiple Query Search is useful for cutting and pasting multiple search terms from say a MS Word document directly into Clearwell. Ten queries are shown in the example and can be run at once allowing you to quickly see how many hits are returned for each query. Under each query is a drill down for the specific variations found.

4. Search Report: Creates a comprehensive report that documents all search criteria and provides detailed analytics of the results for both the overall search and the individual queries within the search. The report tracks search terms that were included and excluded during search preview providing a defensible audit trail of search refinement decisions.

This report provides the results of the search preview and search filters and can be used in Meet and Confer preparation report.

Overall, Clearwell’s Transparent Search is designed to perform more defensible search through detailed reporting, better collaboration on search terms by providing granular terms for negotiation, and the ability to reduce false positives by eliminating word variations from the search results. Check out their website for more information and online demos.

Sources for screenshots and quotes: clearwellsystems.com.