Rules analyzer system and method for evaluating and ranking exact and probabilistic search rules in an enterprise database

• US 20030120652A1
• Filed: 01/21/2003
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allscripts Software LLC (Veradigm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eclipsys Corporation (Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tifft, William Watson
• Granted Patent: US 7,035,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A rules analyzer system and method is provided for an enterprise system to evaluate and rank exact and probabilistic search rules for searching a computer database of records according to the efficiency of each search rule. The rules analyzer collects statistics on the performance of each search rule and assigns a priority value for each search rule according to the collected statistics. The priority values are based on the efficiency or precision of each search rule. Thereafter, the rules analyzer ranks the search rules according to the assigned priority.

Claims

1. A method of uniquely identifying an object record in a database of object records according to a plurality of ranked exact and probabilistic search rules, comprising the steps of:

obtaining application identification information and attributes of a target object;

executing one or more exact-match search rules to search the database of object records for the target object;

executing one or more user defined probabilistic search rules to search the database of object records for the target object if the exact-match search rules retrieve no object record identical to the obtained application identification information and attributes, wherein a list of probable matches to the target object are retrieved and ranked by degree of match probability;

receiving user input of selection of one retrieved object record determined to be the target object record;

updating the database of object records in real time for the selected target object with new attributes and information associated with the target object;

determining the efficiency of the exact-match and probabilistic search rules according to a plurality of collected statistics for each search rule; and

adjusting a sequence of execution of the exact-match and probabilistic search rules in descending order by efficiency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

creating a new object record if the exact-match or probabilistic search rules fail to return a record determined by the user to be the target object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exact-match search rules are executed according to a pre-configured rank order.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the probabilistic search rules are executed according to a pre-configured rank order.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target object record is identified by a computer.

6. A system for uniquely identifying an object record in a database of object records according to a plurality of exact and probabilistic search rules, comprising:

logic configured to receive application identification information and attributes corresponding to a target object contained in the database of object records;

logic configured to execute one or more exact-match search rules to search the database of object records for the target object;

logic configured to execute one or more user defined probabilistic search rules to search the database of object records for the target object if the exact-match search rules retrieve no object record identical to the obtained application identification information and attributes, wherein a list of probable matches to the target object are retrieved and ranked by degree of match probability;

logic configured to receive user input of selection of one retrieved object record determined to be the target object record;

logic configured to update the database of object records in real time for the selected target object with new attributes and information associated with the target object;

logic configured to determine the efficiency of the exact-match and probabilistic search rules according to a plurality of collected statistics for each search rule; and

logic configured to adjust a sequence of execution of the exact-match and probabilistic search rules in descending order by efficiency.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

logic configured to create a new object record if the exact-match or probabilistic search rules fail to return a record determined by the user to be the target object.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the exact-match search rules are executed according to a pre-configured rank order.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the probabilistic search rules are executed according to a pre-configured rank order.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a computer to execute logic to uniquely identify a target object in a database of object records.

11. A rules analyzer method to evaluate and rank search rules for searching a computer database of records, comprising the steps of:

collecting a plurality of statistical performance values regarding each search rule;

assigning a priority value for each search rule according to the collected statistical performance values; and

ranking the search rules according to the assigned priority.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the search rules include exact match search rules.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

determining the efficiency of each exact match search rule according to the collected statistics, wherein the efficiency is the percentage of instances that an exact match search rule returns a possible match upon execution.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the search rules include probabilistic match search rules.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

determining the precision of each probabilistic match search rule according to the collected statistics, wherein the efficiency is the percentage of possible matches retrieved by the probabilistic match search rule that are resolved as real matches.

16. A rules analyzer system to evaluate and rank search rules for searching a computer database of records, comprising:

means for collecting a plurality of statistical performance values regarding each search rule;

means for assigning a priority value for each search rule according to the collected statistical performance values; and

means for ranking the search rules according to the assigned priority.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for determining the efficiency of a plurality of exact match search rules according to the collected statistics, wherein the efficiency is the percentage of instances that an exact match search rule returns a possible match upon execution; and

means for determining the precision of a plurality of probabilistic match search rules according to the collected statistics, wherein the efficiency is the percentage of possible matches retrieved by the probabilistic match search rule that are resolved as real matches.