One of the most popular requests I see from customers regarding enterprise search is to be able to refine search results by category with a simple click.

The best free way to enhance MOSS 2007 search with this type of feature is via the free faceted search web parts out on codeplex: http://www.codeplex.com/FacetedSearch

Want to check it out?  Here's a live demo: http://www.wssdemo.com/Search/Pages/results.aspx?k=search. Check out the "Search Facets" section on the right.

The new 2.0 release encapsulates foundation changes in the design and code, that provides perfect balance between accuracy and performance.

Highlights:

• Multi-thread processing. 1st thread runs for up to 500 facets synchronously, while the 2nd thread is running asynchronously against up to ~30,000 facets
• Client side refresh (not AJAX) that updates only Facets web part w/o page refresh
• Web part connections to pass Facet settings to the Bread Crumbs
• Extended facet schema now supports:
• Facet icons. Default icon per Facet name complimented by an icon per Facet value
• Friendly names for facet values
• Exclusions. Allow exclude facet when values match pattern
• Built-in wild-card match, especially useful for exclusions
• Improved search syntax, added supports for sentences and quoted phrases

This release includes numerous fixes and complemented by extended documentation.

I've heard a bunch of feedback from customers to the tune of "why doesn't Microsoft release a search server?"  Well, here it is! 

Microsoft Search Server 2008 was announced today. It's essentially an updated and rebranded version of SharePoint Server 2007 for Search, with some new features like:

• Simplified Installation Experience
• Enhanced Administration Interface
• New Federation Capabilities - supports OpenSearch 1.0/1.1 (see screen shot)
• Performance and Stability Enhancements
• No Preset Document Limits

(The federation features will be added to MOSS via a no charge, post-SP1 update, due out early next year.)

Search Server 2008 will be available in 2 versions:

• Microsoft Search Server 2008 (MSS)
• Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express (MSSX)

Microsoft is giving Search Server 2008 Express away for free:

• http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch/serverproducts/searchserverexpress/download.aspx
• http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/AQTU11406112007-1.htm

I've gotten some questions about using Office SharePoint Server 2007 to crawl websites that use Forms-based Authentication (FBA) or Cookie-based Authentication (CBA). SharePoint Server 2007 supports this functionality with a hotfix. (If you don't have the hotfix installed, only the logon page will be crawled.)

You can download the hotfix here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B3C932A5-B3C0-4473-8EA5-62AE44190878&displaylang=en

Before you install the hotfix, be sure to review this KB article:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934577/en-us