A method, implemented by a system comprising a web services platform and a plurality of nodes, the method comprising: receiving, by the web services platform, service requests from a plurality of client applications on a web service interface of the web services platform to a searchable data service, wherein the service requests comprise query requests and storage requests; forwarding each service request from the web service interface to one of a plurality of nodes (350,360,370) configured to participate in the searchable data service; processing received storage requests on the plurality of nodes to store searchable data service objects specified in the storage requests in respective searchable indexes for a plurality of data stores used by the client applications, wherein each searchable index stores searchable data service objects for a particular one of the plurality of independent data stores, wherein each searchable data service object specifies two or more attributes of a particular entity in a particular data store, and wherein the attributes include a unique entity identifier for locating the particular entity in the particular data store; processing each received query request on the plurality of nodes to locate a set of one or more searchable data service objects from the searchable index that satisfy the query request, wherein each query request comprises a bucket identifier that identifies a particular searchable index in the searchable data service, wherein a bucket defines the scope of a query request to the searchable data service, and a query expression that specifies one or more search criteria to be applied to specified attributes of the particular searchable index identified by the bucket identifier to locate searchable data service objects that satisfy the query expression; and returning at least the entity identifiers from the set of one or more searchable data service objects that satisfy the query request to the client application in accordance with the web service interface. receiving, by the web services platform, service requests from a plurality of client applications on a web service interface of the web services platform to a searchable data service, wherein the service requests comprise query requests and storage requests; forwarding each service request from the web service interface to one of a plurality of nodes (350,360,370) configured to participate in the searchable data service; processing received storage requests on the plurality of nodes to store searchable data service objects specified in the storage requests in respective searchable indexes for a plurality of data stores used by the client applications, wherein each searchable index stores searchable data service objects for a particular one of the plurality of independent data stores, wherein each searchable data service object specifies two or more attributes of a particular entity in a particular data store, and wherein the attributes include a unique entity identifier for locating the particular entity in the particular data store; processing each received query request on the plurality of nodes to locate a set of one or more searchable data service objects from the searchable index that satisfy the query request, wherein each query request comprises a bucket identifier that identifies a particular searchable index in the searchable data service, wherein a bucket defines the scope of a query request to the searchable data service, and a query expression that specifies one or more search criteria to be applied to specified attributes of the particular searchable index identified by the bucket identifier to locate searchable data service objects that satisfy the query expression; and a bucket identifier that identifies a particular searchable index in the searchable data service, wherein a bucket defines the scope of a query request to the searchable data service, and a query expression that specifies one or more search criteria to be applied to specified attributes of the particular searchable index identified by the bucket identifier to locate searchable data service objects that satisfy the query expression; and returning at least the entity identifiers from the set of one or more searchable data service objects that satisfy the query request to the client application in accordance with the web service interface.