search strategy in 206 failed because there was no exact string match it may be desirable to perform a stem search on the same data set in that way the preferred supplier may have more than one chance of identifying the desired item within its catalog similarly in the preferred embodiment there is no requirement that the second search methodology in 210 must be different from the first search methodology in 206 for example if the first preferred supplier did not yield an exact string match to the input search term the same search methodology could be applied to a second preferred supplier 39 s catalog a system manager implements the algorithm 200 by preselecting the data sets and search methodologies to yield the most efficient business strategy the ordering of the search strategies or the particular data sets and search methodologies therein can be updated as needed to reflect changing business conditions for example if a particular supplier offers a temporary incentive plan it may be advantageous to temporarily move that supplier 39 s data set or catalog to the top of the hierarchy in order to fulfill as many items as possible during the period of the promotion continuing with fig2 if the second search strategy in 210 fails to yield a match the algorithm 200.