Increasing database search speed and quality by caching user-provided metadata alongside non-user-provided metadata

A method of searching a database, comprising:

• executing a first query on the database using a single index that corresponds to a mapping of one or more fields from a plurality of tables having a first table type to one or more mapped fields of a single table having a second table type, the plurality of tables included in different data sets of the database, the single table included in a same data set of the database;
• executing a second query for search activity that has occurred on the database since a last update to the single index, the search activity corresponding to one or more search types;
• and
• outputting a combined result based on the first query and the second query, the combined result corresponding to information stored in the database and the search activity that has occurred on the database since the last update to the single index.

An apparatus for searching a database, comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
• map one or more fields from a plurality of tables having a first table type to one or more mapped fields of a single table having a second table type, the plurality of tables included in different data sets of the database, the single table included in a same data set of the database;
• index the one or more mapped fields to correspond to a single index for the single table having the second table type;
• execute a first query using the single index corresponding to the one or more mapped fields of the single table having the second table type to output a result for the first query;
• and
• execute a second query for search activity that has occurred on the database since a last update to the single index to output a combined result based on the first query and the second query, the search activity corresponding to one or more search types.