STORAGE AND SEARCHING OF TEMPORAL ENTITY INFORMATION

• US 20120158714A1
• Filed: 12/16/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Dumant, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2272 Management thereof

Abstract

A system may include determination of a plurality of data structures associated with an entity, each of the plurality of data structures associated with a respective validity period, determination of a plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the validity periods, the plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the validity periods, determination, for each of the plurality of non-overlapping time periods, of a composite data structure based on each of the data structures associated with a validity period including the non-overlapping time period, assignment of a respective document identifier to each composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the entity, and indexing of the composite data structures within an index.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing system in response to execution of program code by a processor of the computing system, comprising:

determining a plurality of data structures associated with an entity, each of the plurality of data structures associated with a respective validity period;

determining a plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the validity periods, the plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the validity periods;

for each of the plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determining a composite data structure based on each of the data structures associated with a validity period including the non-overlapping time period;

assigning a respective document identifier to each composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the entity; and

indexing the composite data structures within an index.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second plurality of data structures associated with a second entity, each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a respective second validity period;

determining a second plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the second validity periods, the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the second validity periods;

for each of the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determining a second data structure based on each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a second validity period including the non-overlapping time period; and

assigning a respective document identifier to each second composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the second entity,

wherein indexing the composite data structures comprises indexing the second composite data structures within the index.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure, and

wherein indexing the composite data structures comprises indexing the start date and the end date of each composite data structure.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search query;

identifying at least one document identifier from the index based on the search query;

determining at least one entity corresponding to the at least one document identifiers; and

generating a search result indicating the at least one entity.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure,

wherein indexing the composite data structures comprises indexing the start date and the end date of each composite data structure,

wherein the search query comprises a search start date and a search end date.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers correspond to a first entity, the method further comprising:

determining a relevance score for the first entity based on relevance scores associated with the plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers.

7. A non-transitory medium storing processor-executable program code, the program code executable by a device to:

determine a plurality of data structures associated with an entity, each of the plurality of data structures associated with a respective validity period;

determine a plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the validity periods, the plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the validity periods;

for each of the plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determine a composite data structure based on each of the data structures associated with a validity period including the non-overlapping time period;

assign a respective document identifier to each composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the entity; and

index the composite data structures within an index.

8. A medium according to claim 7, the program code further executable by the device to:

determine a second plurality of data structures associated with a second entity, each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a respective second validity period;

determine a second plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the second validity periods, the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the second validity periods;

for each of the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determine a second composite data structure based on each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a second validity period including the non-overlapping time period; and

assign a respective document identifier to each second composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the second entity,

wherein indexing of the composite records comprises indexing of the second composite data structure within the index.

9. A medium according to claim 7, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure, and

wherein indexing of the composite data structures comprises indexing of the start date and the end date of each composite data structure.

10. A medium according to claim 7, the program code further executable by the device to:

receive a search query;

identify at least one document identifier from the index based on the search query;

determine at least one entity corresponding to the at least one document identifiers; and

generate a search result indicating the at least one entity.

11. A medium according to claim 10, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure,

wherein indexing of the composite data structures comprises indexing of the start date and the end date of each composite data structure,

wherein the search query comprises a search start date and a search end date.

12. A medium according to claim 11, wherein a plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers correspond to a first entity, the program code further executable by the device to:

determine a relevance score for the first entity based on relevance scores associated with the plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers.

13. A system comprising:

a computing device comprising;

a memory system storing processor-executable program code; and

a processor to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to;

determine a plurality of data structures associated with an entity, each of the plurality of data structures associated with a respective validity period;

determine a plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the validity periods, the plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the validity periods;

for each of the plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determine a composite data structure based on each of the data structures associated with a validity period including the non-overlapping time period;

assign a respective document identifier to each composite data structure, each document identifier indicating the entity; and

index the composite data structures within an index.

14. A system according to claim 13, the processor further to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

determine a second plurality of data structures associated with a second entity, each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a respective second validity period;

determine a second plurality of non-overlapping time periods based on the second validity periods, the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods collectively spanning all of the second validity periods;

for each of the second plurality of non-overlapping time periods, determine a second composite data structure based on each of the second plurality of data structures associated with a second validity period including the non-overlapping time period; and

assign a respective document identifier to each second composite record, each document identifier indicating the second entity,

wherein indexing of the composite data structures comprises indexing of the second composite records within the index.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure, and

wherein indexing of the composite data structures comprises indexing of the start date and the end date of each composite data structure.

16. A system according to claim 13, the processor further to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

receive a search query;

identify at least one document identifier from the index based on the search query;

determine at least one entity corresponding to the at least one document identifiers; and

generate a search result indicating the at least one entity.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein each composite data structure comprises a start date and an end date defining the validity period of the composite data structure,

wherein indexing of the composite data structures comprises indexing of the start date and the end date of each composite data structure,

wherein the search query comprises a search start date and a search end date.

18. A system according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers correspond to a first entity, the processor further to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to:

determine a relevance score for the first entity based on relevance scores associated with the plurality of the identified at least one document identifiers.