Method for dynamic profiling

• US 20040158576A1
• Filed: 01/26/2004
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Metaedge
• Inventors: Chen, Li-Wen, Feng, Hwa Chung
• Granted Patent: US 7,092,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

According to the invention, techniques for profiling of human behavior based upon analyzing data contained in databases, data marts and data warehouses. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention provides for creating a dynamic customer profile by analyzing relationships in data from one or more data sources of an enterprise. The method can be used with many popular visualization tools, such as On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) tools and the like. The method is especially useful in conjunction with a meta-model based technique for modeling the enterprise data. The enterprise is typically a business activity, but can also be other loci of human activity. The human behavior profiled is typically that of a customer, but can be any other type of human behavior. Embodiments according to the invention can display data from a variety of sources in order to provide visual representations of data in a data warehousing environment.

Claims

1. A method for creating a customer profile from customer information stored in at least one database, said customer information comprising at least one attribute, said method comprising:

receiving as input said customer information;

segmenting said customer information into at least one of a plurality of groups, said segmenting based upon a value for said at least one attribute;

defining at least one of a plurality of profiles;

wherein said at least one profile comprises at least one of said groups; and

analyzing said customer information using said customer profile.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said segmenting further comprises:

defining each group in said at least one of a plurality of groups;

assigning said customers into said at least one of a plurality of groups based upon said value of said attribute for said customer;

wherein said partitioning assigns each customer to at most one group.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said segmenting further comprises:

specifying at least one of a plurality of expressions;

said expressions evaluating to said value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said expression further comprises a plurality of said attributes, said attributes combinable based upon at least one of a plurality of operators.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least one operator includes arithmetic operators and logical operators.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said segmenting further comprises:

mapping the values produced by said at least one of a plurality of expressions to at least one of a plurality of segmentation code values.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said mapping further comprises:

assigning numeric values to particular ones of said plurality of segmentation code values.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said mapping further comprises:

assigning enumerative values to particular ones of said plurality of segmentation code values.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said mapping further comprises:

mapping a range of expression values to said at least one segmentation code value.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one attribute includes age and income.