Solutions: Google Search Appliance Deployment and Development
Vertical: Association, Nonprofit

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) had a custom built search solution created to search their public site and SQL database.  The AILA had an existing advanced search interface that they wanted to continue to use but desired the improved relevancy and speed offered by the Google Search Appliance.

Founded in 1946, the AILA is a national association of more than 11,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law.  The organization's members represent US business seeking talent from the global marketplace and US families seeking permanent residence for family members.

The AILA worked with Fig Leaf Software, a Google Value Added Reseller (VAR) to purchase the Google Search Appliances and customize the search solution.  Utilizing deep meta tagging and database feed capabilities of the Google Search Appliance, Fig Leaf crafted a solution that pulls a uniform set of data from a SQL database and exposes a custom search interface through ASP.Net technology.  The interface enables public and authenticated users to search through content using a variety of different choices based on information type and user profile.  

The AILA also allows users to search by AILA Infonet document number, a unique document identifier assigned to each document posted to their Infonet database.  The number is always eight digits long with the first six digits corresponding to the year, month and day the document was first posted to the website.  Users who plug the eight digit document number into the search box are able to bring up that document. 

Search users are also able to use advanced search filters displayed as check boxes to allow for granular search results by type.  This allows users to quickly narrow their search when looking for just one items such as a Liason Activity or a Memo. 

With Fig Leaf Software’s assistance, the AILA was able to launch their new Google Search Appliance search solution in a matter of weeks opening up tens of thousands of organizational materials to members and non-members alike.   Users can also run a search result and save the search.  Users simply click the "Save This Search" button and then name their search.  The search will then appear on the lower left of the advanced search page and they can "Play" it again any time they need. 

The new AILA search has both banner search, which is an empty search box at the upper right of each site page, and the advanced search page, which is linked next to the banner search.  Both searches provide the ability to use Boolean search terms.  The advanced search enables users to search by document number or search for terms, by date and/or filter by type.