Abstract

In this chapter, we propose an approach to using keywords (as in a Web search engine) for querying databases over the Web. The approach is based on a Bayesian network model and provides a suitable alternative to the use of interfaces based on multiple forms with several fields. Two major steps are involved when querying a Web database using this approach. First, structured (database-like) queries are derived from a query composed only of the keywords specified by the user. Next, the structured queries are submitted to a Web database, and the retrieved results are presented to the user as ranked answers. To demonstrate the feasibilityof the approach, a simple prototype Web search system based on the approach is presented. Experimental results obtained with this system indicate that the approach allows for accurately structuring the user queries and retrieving appropriate answers with minimum intervention from the user.