It is not a measure of exasperation for an exhausted researcher.
It is an assertion that the results of a broad search may be funneled through analysis into "a soundly reasoned, coherently written conclusion."
How broad and how deep? Depends.
On what? The particulars.
What particulars? Well, there's a variety and all sorts of possibilities.
How do you know what variety is possible? It depends.
Yes, this is the Abbott and Costello skit for genealogy.
Available resources, are like Gump's chocolates. You never know what you are going to get, including empty.
There are basics.
What brand of boxes were created for the time and place of interest? The types of government, religious, business, cultural, public and personal collections can be explored to create a checklist for a time period and place.
Is there a record of the ingredients and a procedural recipe for the "Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?" Whether or not the sources still exist, it is likely that there is still a record of the contemporaneous practices..
How do you reconcile that the original purpose of the records, their creators and custodians, archival versions and homes will also vary over time? Take the road less traveled, but the most direct.
Do a literature search in genealogical and historical journals. Look for case studies that have any or all of the characteristics of the research at hand.
Look for patterns and threads in the research of others. Don't reinvent the wheel. Do extract what's relevant.
It is possible to find your genealogical problem solution in another's work, but at the very least you will have meta-data - information about the information you need to research - to meet the "a reasonably exhaustive search" criteria.
Who's On First!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M
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