Data search procedure

A computing system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform a set of operations comprising for handling search requests at a search platform, the set of operations comprising:
• receiving, from a client, a first search request indicating at least one first search parameter value;
• receiving, from the client, a second search request indicating at least one second search parameter value, wherein the second search value differs from the first search value;
• evaluating the at least one first search parameter value and the at least second search parameter value to determine a search context;
• determining a distance between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value based on a similarity or dissimilarity between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value;
• deriving at least one third search parameter value corresponding to the search context from the distance, wherein the at least one third search parameter value corresponds to a parameter value range derived from the distance between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value, wherein deriving the at least one third search parameter value comprises:
• extending the parameter value range beyond the first and second search parameter values;
• and including or excluding the first and second search parameter values in the parameter value range;
• determining if a cache accessible to the search platform stores at least a given number of search results for the at least one third search parameter value;
• in response to determining that the cache does not store at least the given number of search results for the at least one third search parameter value, obtaining at least one search result for the at least one third search parameter value for storing in the cache;
• receiving, from the client, a third search request indicating at least the third search parameter value;
• retrieving at least one search result for the third search parameter value from the cache;
• returning the at least one retrieved search result to the client.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device, causes the at least one computing to perform a method for handling search requests at a search platform, the method comprising:

• receiving, from a client, a first search request indicating at least one first search parameter value;
• receiving, from the client, a second search request indicating at least one second search parameter value, wherein the second search value differs from the first search value;
• evaluating the at least one first search parameter value and the at least second search parameter value to determine a search context;
• determining a distance between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value based on a similarity or dissimilarity between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value;
• deriving at least one third search parameter value corresponding to the search context from the distance, wherein the at least one third search parameter value corresponds to a parameter value range derived from the distance between the first search parameter value and the second search parameter value, wherein deriving the at least one third search parameter value comprises:
• extending the parameter value range beyond the first and second search parameter values;
• and including or excluding the first and second search parameter values in the parameter value range;
• determining if a cache accessible to the search platform stores at least a given number of search results for the at least one third search parameter value;
• in response to determining that the cache does not store at least the given number of search results for the at least one third search parameter value, obtaining at least one search result for the at least one third search parameter value for storing in the cache;
• receiving, from the client, a third search request indicating at least the third search parameter value;
• retrieving at least one search result for the third search parameter value from the cache;
• returning the at least one retrieved search result to the client.