METADATA-AWARE SEARCH ENGINE

Described herein are various principles that may be used together or separately to implement a search engine to retrieve and use metadata information in performing a search. In one embodiment described herein, a search engine accepts input from a user that describes a search the user desires to be performed. The search engine may then examine the input to determine whether the input relates to an artifact and to what artifact the input relates. The search engine may then retrieve metadata information from a source related to the determined artifact and use the metadata information in performing the search requested by the user.