In my last post, I discussed several ways that metadata can be used in a Google Search Appliance solution.  But where does metadata come from?

Let’s hold on to that question for just a second, and start with an even simpler one.

What is metadata?

Every record in a Google Search Appliance (such a document, a web page)  can have an arbitrary set of name / value pairs called metadata.  The name and value can have pretty much any value, and you can include as many different metadata fields as you want.  You do not have to define any schema ahead of time.  Metadata values are interpreted as strings, but the GSA is also smart enough to recognize dates and numbers automatically.  Metadata fields can include multiple values by either repeating the same field several times, or by using a multi-value separator, like a comma or pipe.