We are working on a fairly large CRM system /knowledge management system in asp.net. The db is SQL server and is growing in size based on all the various relationships.

Upper management keeps asking us to implement search much like amazon does. Right from there search you can specify to search certain objects like outdoor equipment, clothing, etc. and you can even select all. I keep mentioning to upper management that we need to define the various fields to search on. Their response is all fields...they probably look at the search and assume that it is so simple. I'm the guy who has to say hold on guys we are talking about amazon here. My question is how can amazon run a search on an "all" category.

Also one of the things management here likes is the dynamic filters. For instance, searching robot brings up filters specific to a robot toy. How can I put management in check and at least come up with search functionality that works like amazon. We are using asp.net, SQL server 2008 and jquery.