Task‐oriented access to data files: An evaluation

DalText, a prototype information retrieval system has been developed that permits the user to select access methods based on the task at hand. The system integrates multiple access techniques to such textual data as those generated through word processing packages, newsgroups, e‐mail, etc., that are not maintained in traditional database management systems or information retrieval systems. The access methods available include viewing the data as a sequence of records for browsing, generating sets of records through string matching and Boolean combinations, and through generating a table schema and instantiating attribute values dynamically. As the access methods are all based on the same underlying data access model, the user can flip back and forth between the access methods in order to best accomplish the task at hand. An evaluation was conducted to test for correlations among a number of different variables. Of note among the results, it was found that the subjects used the access method best suited to the information task rather than relying on the access method with which they were familiar. The results indicate that further investigation should be conducted on the development of information retrieval systems that allow users to select access and display methodologies appropriate to the task at hand. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.