Recommending data enrichments

• US 10,540,349 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bice, Anthony Nino, Robinson, David Michael, Sivaramakrishnan, Hariharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Channavajjala, Srirama
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shechtman, Cheryl M
• Application Number:
  US15/005,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20160140170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a request to provide recommendations of data enrichments for a database is received at a recommendation engine. The recommendation engine may perform static and dynamic analysis of data associated with the database and may further refine recommendations based on policies. The recommendation engine may then provide the recommendations, if any, of data enrichments to allow a software developer, for example, to indicate whether the data enrichments are to be used.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory in electronic communication with the one or more processors; and

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the one or more processors to;

suggest a data enrichment to supplement a data source based on a similarity between the data enrichment and another data enrichment; and

identify an additional data source capable of providing the suggested data enrichment, including;

compare a characteristic of a first query and a second query that obtain enrichment data for the suggested data enrichment from different data sources;

select an appropriate query based on the comparison of the characteristic of the first query and the second query; and

determine an identifier for the additional data source associated with the appropriate query.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to enrich the data source by appending additional enrichment data from the additional data source to the data source.

3. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to map the identifier to the suggested data enrichment using a data structure that associates the identifier with the suggested data enrichment.

4. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to obtain metadata for the additional data source;

and

wherein the instructions that are executable to determine the identifier for the additional data source comprise instructions that are executable to find the identifier within the metadata.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the instructions that are executable to find the identifier within the metadata comprise instructions that are executable to find one of:

a column name, a table name, or a stored procedure name, within the metadata.

6. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to map the identifier to the suggested data enrichment using a table that associates identifiers with data enrichments.

7. A method for use at a computer system, the computer system including a processor, the method comprising the processor:

suggesting a data enrichment to supplement a data source based on a similarity between the data enrichment and another data enrichment; and

identifying an additional data source capable of providing the suggested data enrichment, including;

comparing a characteristic of a first query and a second query that obtain enrichment data for the suggested data enrichment from different data sources;

selecting an appropriate query based on the comparison of the characteristic of the first query and the second query; and

determining an identifier for the additional data source associated with the appropriate query.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising enriching the data source by appending enrichment data from the additional data source to the data source.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising mapping the identifier to the suggested data enrichment using a data structure that associates the identifier with the suggested data enrichment.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising obtaining metadata for the additional data source;

and

wherein determining the identifier for the additional data source comprises finding the identifier within the metadata.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein finding the identifier within the metadata comprises finding a column name within the metadata;

and

further comprising mapping the identifier to the suggested data enrichment using a table that associates identifiers with data enrichments.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein finding the identifier within the metadata comprises finding a table name within the metadata.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein finding the identifier within the metadata comprises finding a stored procedure name within the metadata.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein finding the identifier within the metadata comprises finding a data type of a column of the data source.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining if the suggested data enrichment violates a policy by evaluating one or more conditions associated with the policy, the policy defining a rule.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing a searchable directory that identifies data enrichments and the data enrichments'"'"' corresponding data sources.

17. A non-transitory computer storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause a computer system to:

suggest a data enrichment to supplement a data source based on a similarity between the data enrichment and another data enrichment; and

identify an additional data source capable of providing the suggested data enrichment, including;

compare a characteristic of a first query and a second query that obtain enrichment data for the suggested data enrichment from different data sources;

select an appropriate query based on the comparison of the characteristic of the first query and the second query; and

determine an identifier for the additional data source associated with the appropriate query.

18. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 17, further comprising additional computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to enrich the data source by appending additional enrichment data from the additional data source to the data source.

19. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to map the identifier to the suggested data enrichment using a data structure that associates the identifier with the suggested data enrichment.

20. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to obtain metadata for the additional data source;

and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine the identifier for the additional data source comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to find the identifier within the metadata.