What exactly is faceted search in the context of full-text search?
I even read about it from Wikipedia, but I couldn't completely understand the use/benefit of it. Hope the community can answer/expand and explain with some good examples.
NOTE: We're into the process of evaluating/researching different open search full-text search engine and mostly I'm seeing faceted search listed as one of the feature among others. So I'm trying to assess whether this would be helpful for our application requirement.
Faceted (or navigational) search uses a hierarchy structure (taxonomy) to enable users to browse information by choosing from a pre-determined set of categories. This allows a user to type in their simple query, then refine their search options by navigating/drilling down. In reality, it's an advanced search going on in the background, but instead of the user having to think of the additional search categories, it's been made easier for them by the visible folder structure. Examples of this are eCommerce sites like Amazon and eBay.
来源：https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5321595/what-is-faceted-search