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Connecting Your Web Service in Windows Federated Search

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This topic describes the steps involved in connecting a web service between your data store and Windows Federated Search, and how to send queries and return search results in RSS or Atom.

This topic is organized as follows:

Connect Your web Service

To connect the web service of your data store to federated search, perform the following steps:

  1. Create an .osdx file.
  2. Supply the .osdx file to users so that they can add the service on demand by opening the .osdx file.
  3. Generate a search connector and actively deploy it in your enterprise.

Register an Existing Remote Data Store

A user registers a new remote data store with Windows Federated Search by opening an OpenSearch Description (.osdx) file. When the user does so, the following events occur:

  1. A .searchconnector-ms file (search connector) is created in the Windows Searches folder (%userprofile%/Searches).
  2. A shortcut to the .searchconnector-ms file is created in the Links folder (%userprofile%/Links).
  3. A shortcut appears in the Windows Explorer navigation Favorites pane, enabling the user to navigate into the new data store, and query the web service.

Note

A data store that already has an OpenSearch web service that is compatible with Windows Federated Search can be added to Windows Explorer when a user opens an .osdx file.

 

Additional Resources

For additional information about implementing search federation to remote data stores using OpenSearch technologies in Windows 7 and later, see "Additional Resources" at Federated Search in Windows.

Federated Search in Windows

Getting Started with Federated Search in Windows

Enabling Your Data Store in Windows Federated Search

Creating an OpenSearch Description File in Windows Federated Search

Following Best Practices in Windows Federated Search

Deploying Search Connectors in Windows Federated Search