By Tisha Davis, Derek Ametam and Joe Wanzala 

This is the first post in a multi-part blog series on using the dtSearch software. It provides an introduction to dtSearch.

What is dtSearch?

dtSearch is a software program that allows you to search large amounts of text quickly. It does this by building indexes based on the words it finds in each file you point it to, creating a word index that it continues to refer to with each search. It can be used to search entire folders of data that contain different file types. There are two steps to using dtSearch. Step 1 is building an index. Step 2 is searching it. It is a simple and effective tool for searching discovery, creating brief banks, and viewing different file types even if the associated program is not installed on your computer.

Some things to know:

dtSearch is not an eDiscovery review platform. Unlike platforms such as Casepoint, Everlaw, and Casemap, you cannot tag and categorize documents, and you cannot make notes, annotations, or chronologies.

It will not work with Macintosh operating systems.

dtSearch is designed to work with files saved to your local hard drive or a connected USB drive. It is possible to use data hosted within cloud storage solutions, such as Box and DropBox, but not ideal. Complications to doing this are explained here: dtSearch and Cloud Storage | nlsblog.org.

How to get:

Limited single user licenses of dtSearch Desktop are available for CJA panel attorneys with current, active cases at no cost.

If you are interested in obtaining a license, please fill out a dtSearch request form, at: http://nlsblog.org/2014/03/25/dtsearch-desktop/.  For technical support, or if you have questions regarding the utilization of dtSearch on your cases or within your office, please contact Joe Wanzala or Alex Roberts.