A question for most of the web searchers is that whether the open web search engine is always the place where you begin.  Another question is that what type of information you can get using search engines of that type.  

The universe of data is dynamic.  While search engine optimization could help a faster search, you will never be able to list out the particular items that are available on search. Knowing where to start therefore is the most important aspect of the web search for any searcher.  

Basic question for you therefore would be what is this data base or the search engine?  Time and expenses that you incur to reach the answer on the web would decide whether you should go for the open web or one of those proprietary services.  

Next issue to be resolved would be whether you should opt for a specialized or targeted search engine or one of those all encompassing engines.  Long research and experiment has decided the issue in favor of the general purpose search engines once for all.  They are more productive and time economic as well.  

Learning process for such job is always crucial.  Though majority of the search engines do not render such training to the customers you can try and learn on your own various aspects of the seo moves that would really render your search engine marketing and optimization fruitful.