UNDERSTANDING DATA IN DATA SETS

• US 20110047186A1
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MIOsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: MIOsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raymond, Terry, Barabas, Albert B., Van Gulik, Mark D.A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Among other things, there are two or more data sets. Each of the data sets contains data that can be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields. Each of the data sets contains at least some data that is related to data in at least one of the other data sets. The data in different data sets is organized or expressed possibly differently. Each of the data sets is susceptible to a definition of a key for the records of the data set. The data sets are characterized by repetitions of at least one of (a) records, (b) portions of keys, or (c) instances of values for data fields. Information about at least one of the repetitions is provided to a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising

receiving two or more data sets,

each of the data sets containing data that can be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields,

each of the data sets containing at least some data that is related to data in at least one of the other data sets,

the data in different ones of the data sets being organized or expressed possibly differently,

each of the data sets being susceptible to a definition of a key for the records of the data set,

the data sets being characterized by repetitions of at least one of (a) records, (b) portions of keys, or (c) instances of values for data fields, and

providing to a user information about at least one of the repetitions.

2. The method of claim 1 in which at least one of the data sets comprises a file having a file format.

3. The method of claim 1 in which at least two of the data sets comprise files having different file formats.

4. The method of claim 1 also including receiving from a user information about the manner in which data of at least one of the data sets may be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields.

5. The method of claim 1 also including receiving information from a user from which the key for each of the data sets can be determined.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the key of one of the data sets has a defined hierarchical relationship with the key of another of the data sets.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the repetitions of records comprise duplicate records in one of the data sets.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the repetitions of portions of keys comprise values of a key of one of the data sets corresponding to two different values of a portion of a key of another one of the data sets.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the repetitions of instances of values for data fields comprise two or more instances of values being included in a given field.

10. The method of claim 1 also including enabling the user to perform at least one of marking, unmarking, filtering, unfiltering, and frequency analysis for values of records of at least one of the data sets.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the providing of the information to the user comprises displaying the information.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the displaying comprises displaying records of the data sets, identifications of the fields of the records, and indications of the repetitions in data sets.

13. The method of claim 11 in which the displaying of information about the repetitions includes displaying repeated instances of values for data fields.

14. The method of claim 11 in which the displaying of information about the repetitions includes noting the existence of repeated records in a data set.

15. The method of claim 11 in which the displaying of information about the repetitions includes noting the existence of repetitions of a portion of a key.

16. The method of claim 1 in which providing information to the user includes enabling the user to create an integrated file of records that includes the data of the data sets and information about the repetitions.

17. The method of claim 16 in which the integrated file contains records governed by a key.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the key of the integrated file comprises a hierarchical concatenation of fields of the data sets.

19. The method of claim 16 in which repetitive data values are included in a given field of a record of the integrated file.

20. The method of claim 16 also including displaying records of the integrated file to the user.

21. The method of claim 16 also including displaying views of the data of the integrated file that correspond to the data of the data sets from which the integrated file was created.

22. The method of claim 16 also enabling a user to perform at least one of marking, unmarking, filtering, unfiltering, and frequency analysis for values of records of at least one of the data sets.

23. The method of claim 16 also including displaying views of the data of the integrated file that correspond to the data of the data sets from which the integrated file was created, and enabling a user to perform at least one of marking, unmarking, filtering, unfiltering, and frequency analysis for values of records of the integrated file, the marking, unmarking, filtering, and frequency analysis being applied automatically to the other views of the data.

24. A computer-implemented method comprising

receiving a data set containing data that can be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields, the data set being characterized by any arbitrary number of repetitions of instances of values for at least one of the data fields, and

providing to a user information about at least one of the repetitions.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the data set comprises a file having a file format.

26. The method of claim 24 also including receiving from a user information about the manner in which data of the data set may be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields.

27. The method of claim 24 also including receiving information from a user from which a key for the data set can be determined.

28. The method of claim 24 also including enabling the user to perform marking, unmarking, filtering, unfiltering, and frequency analysis for values of records of the data set.

29. The method of claim 24 in which the providing of the information to the user comprises displaying the information.

30. The method of claim 29 in which the displaying comprises displaying records of the data set, identifications of the fields of the records, and indications of the repetitions in data set.

31. The method of claim 29 in which the displaying of information about the repetitions includes displaying repeated instances of values for data fields.

32. A medium bearing an integrated file of data records, a key for the records, each of the records containing at least one data value for at least one data field, the data records containing information that represents data of at least two data sets, each of the data sets containing data that can be interpreted as records each having data values for data fields, each of the data sets containing at least some data that is related to data in at least one of the other data sets, the data in different ones of the data sets being organized or expressed possibly differently, each of the data sets being susceptible to a definition of a key for the records of the data set, the data sets being characterized by repetitions of at least one of (a) records, (b) portions of keys, or (c) instances of values for data fields, the integrated file including information that identifies the repetitions.