Yes I realized that, my question was more like, "couldn't you just put the data in a relational database or a full text search engine and avoid reinventing?".

Yes I realized that, my question was more like, "couldn't you just put the data in a relational database or a full text search engine and avoid reinventing?". Depends on the scenario, of course, and judging by how you solved it, yours seems like an exception, and not rule.