Synopsis:
If a search results in 0 records found, the SearchResponse indicates a searchStatus success. Must a successful search result in the creation of a resultSet? May a server choose to create a resultSet only if at least one record matching the search criteria has been found?
Response:
In the abstract a successful search results in the creation of a resultSet. As a practical matter, when a server creates a resultSet only if at least one record matching the search criteria has been found, this behavior cannot be deemed a protocol violation. It is a well- and long-established principle that a server may unilaterally delete a result set at any time for no specified reason; and when doing so, the next time that a client references that result set (via present, or as an operand in a search) the server may be polite, and return a diagnostic to the effect that "the result set no longer exists because it was unilaterally deleted", however, the server is under no obligation to do so, it may simply take the position that the result set never existed and return a diagnostic to the effect "result set does not exist". Therefore, in effect what this means is that if the server never did create the result set, it is not violating the Z39.50 protocol.
Status: Approved (8/97)
Library
of Congress(10/22/97)