Simple search
Use the search bar on the homepage or in the site header to perform a keyword search, just like you would with an internet search engine. Enter a keyword and press [Enter], or click the magnifying glass icon, and you will get results that match your query.
Each box highlights a search result. At the bottom of each box, we indicate the item where the match was found. We search all of our text content, including citations from our sources. For example, searching for "Blum" will display people with the surname Blum as well as people mentioned in the Bibliographie luxembourgeoise compiled by Martin Blum.
The search also supports fuzzy matching. If you make minor typos, we can still find relevant results in LUDAP. For example, searching for "Luxemburg" will also display results containing "Luxembourg".
Finally the search bar supports various ‘operators’ that allow you to narrow down your search, for more relevant results. Below you will find the most common options, that meet most use cases:
| Goal | Operator | Example search input |
|---|---|---|
| Exact Phrase | " " | "Kutter" |
| Both Terms | AND | Joseph AND Kutter Note: all sequence of words are treated as ‘AND’ unless indicated otherwise |
| Either Term | OR | Joseph OR Josphine |
| Exclude Term | NOT | Josephine NOT Joseph |
| Variation | * | Personnalité* (Personnalité politique, Personnalité du monde des affaires) |
Advanced search (SPARQL)
Please click here to open the SPARQL query builder
For advanced searching, we provide a specialised search tool designed to craft very specific search queries. you find specific details about people stored in large online information collections. You don't need any technical background to use it.
Here’s how you generally work with it:
- Choose Your Subject: When you visit the advanced search page, you'll first need to tell it what kind of information you're looking for. Find an option to select the main subject – in this case, choose "Person"
- Narrow Down to Who You're Looking For: Next, you add details to narrow down your search. The website will provide easy-to-use menus, buttons, or boxes where you can specify things like:
- Their activity or profession (e.g., select "Writer", "Engineer")
- Their name (or part of it)
- Their birth information
- After adding your advanced criteria, hit the play button: It will then display a table showing the people who match the description you provided.
After executing the query, the table below now contains a name of the person (left column) and a link to the record (right column) for the results that match the advanced query you’ve built.
It is also possible to combine multiple of these queries, to further narrow down your results. This is done by hovering under the first row of the query and clicking the and/et bubble:
Linked Data and SPARQL
Experienced users who need even more precise control over their data retrieval can directly access and query the LUDAP using SPARQL. SPARQL is a powerful query language specifically designed for performing advanced queries on linked data.
SPARQL allows you to formulate highly specific queries that go beyond the capabilities of simpler search interfaces. You can define intricate patterns, combine information from different aspects of an individual's record, and perform sophisticated filtering and data manipulation.
Go to our web interface for our SPARQL endpoint, click the "Toggle SPARQL query" button to start editing, or use your own tools and send your queries to our endpoint directly.
Learning SPARQL
If you are interested in leveraging the full power of SPARQL, numerous resources are available to help you learn:
- Wikidata's SPARQL Tutorial (note that we use a different data model)
- W3C SPARQL Query Language