Use Fulltext Index in AX 2012 to search in RSS feeds

Here is a simple example how to use the fulltext index capability in Dynamics AX 2012. This example downloads RSS postings into a table with fulltext index and runs a query to identify those with specific words.

Create the RssFeedTable

1. Create a new String Extended Datatype called RssFeedId
2. Create a new table called RssFeedTable and add the RssFeedId, Name and Uri
3. Create a primary index based on the RssFeedId
4. Set the RssFeedTable as Reference at the RssFeedId Extended
5. Populate the table with data e.g.
   FeedId = technet
   Name = “Technet Austria”
   Uri = http://feeds.feedburner.com/TechnetTeamBlogAustria?format=xml

Create the RssContentTable

1. Create a new Table called RssContentTable
2. Add the RssFeedId, Description255 and rename it as Title and a Memo field
3. Create a fulltext index for the memo field

Create the RSS Reader Class in C#

1. Create a new Visual C# class library project for .NET 4.0 in Visual Studio
2. Add the project to AOT
3. Copy this code

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.ServiceModel.Syndication;
using System.Xml;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

namespace ErpCoder.RssFeed
{
    public class Reader
    {
        private string xmlAddress = String.Empty;
        private IEnumerator<SyndicationItem> enumerator;

        public Reader(string address)
        {
            xmlAddress = address;
        }

        public void Load()
        {
            var reader = new XmlTextReader(xmlAddress);
            var feed = SyndicationFeed.Load(reader);
            enumerator = feed.Items.GetEnumerator();
        }

        public bool Read()
        {
            return enumerator.MoveNext();
        }

        public string GetTitle()
        {
            return enumerator.Current.Title.Text;
        }

        public string GetDescription()
        {
            string text = Regex.Replace(enumerator.Current.Summary.Text,
                                         "<(.|n)*?>", String.Empty);
            return text;
        }       
    }
}

1. Set the Deployment Target at the project to Client: Yes and deploy

Populate the RssContentTable

1. Create a find method on the RssFeedTable
2. Copy this code and substitute the parameter in the find method with one of yours

static void populateFeedTable(Args _args)
{
    System.Exception ex;
    RssFeedTable feedTable = RssFeedTable::find("techat");
    RssFeedContent content; 
    ErpCoder.RssFeed.Reader reader;
    InteropPermission permission;
 
    permission = new InteropPermission(InteropKind::ClrInterop);    
    permission.assert();

    try
    {
        reader = new ErpCoder.RssFeed.Reader(feedTable.Uri);
        reader.Load();

        while(reader.Read())
        {
            content.clear();
            content.Title = reader.GetTitle();
            content.Text = reader.GetDescription();
            content.FeedId = feedTable.FeedId;
            content.insert();
        }
    }
    catch(Exception::CLRError)
    {
        ex = CLRInterop::getLastException();
        error(ex.get_Message());
    }

    CodeAccessPermission::revertAssert();
}

Create a job to test the fulltext index

1. Create a new job and copy this code
   
   

   static void queryFullText(Args _args)
   {
       RssFeedContent feedContent;
       Query query = new Query();
       QueryBuildDataSource qbdsContent =
        query.addDataSource(tableNum(RssFeedContent));
       QueryBuildRange rangeText =
        qbdsContent.addRange(fieldNum(RssFeedContent,Text),
                             1,QueryRangeType::FullText);
       QueryRun queryRun;
       rangeText.value("Office Hyper-V");

       queryRun = new QueryRun(query);
       while(queryRun.next())
       {
           feedContent = queryRun.get(tableNum(RssFeedContent));
           info(feedContent.Text);
       }
   }

2. Subsitute the value of the fulltext range value with yours
3. Test the query