METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING ANSWERING A QUERY ON A DATABASE
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- accessing a database tree having a plurality of nodes;
receiving a set of input variable values, a non-empty set of output variables, and information indicative of a node in the database tree;
determining, by use of a processor, a traversal cost based on the node and the set of input variable values;
determining, by use of the processor, a lower bound based on the node and the set of input variable values, wherein the lower bound corresponds to an upper-bound probability estimate based on one or more of the plurality of nodes and the set of input variable values;
pruning one or more of the plurality of nodes based on the traversal cost, the lower bound, and a pruning bound; and
returning a result including a non-empty set of output variable values based on the set of input variable values, the node, the traversal cost, and the lower bound.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for facilitating answering a query on a database. Example embodiments include: accessing a database tree having a plurality of nodes; receiving a set of input variable values, a non-empty set of output variables, and information indicative of a node in the database tree; determining a traversal cost based on the node and the set of input variable values; determining a lower bound based on the node and the set of input variable values, wherein the lower bound corresponds to an upper-bound probability estimate based on one or more of the plurality of nodes and the set of input variable values; pruning one or more of the plurality of nodes based on the traversal cost, the lower bound, and a pruning bound; and returning a result including a non-empty set of output variable values based on the set of input variable values, the node, the traversal cost, and the lower bound.
3 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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accessing a database tree having a plurality of nodes; receiving a set of input variable values, a non-empty set of output variables, and information indicative of a node in the database tree; determining, by use of a processor, a traversal cost based on the node and the set of input variable values; determining, by use of the processor, a lower bound based on the node and the set of input variable values, wherein the lower bound corresponds to an upper-bound probability estimate based on one or more of the plurality of nodes and the set of input variable values; pruning one or more of the plurality of nodes based on the traversal cost, the lower bound, and a pruning bound; and returning a result including a non-empty set of output variable values based on the set of input variable values, the node, the traversal cost, and the lower bound. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system comprising:
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a processor; a database query processor interface, in data communication with the processor, to receive a database query comprising a set of input variable values, a non-empty set of output variables, and information indicative of a node in a database tree; and a database query processor, in data communication with the processor, to; access the database tree having a plurality of nodes; determine a traversal cost based on the node and the set of input variable values; determine a lower bound based on the node and the set of input variable values, wherein the lower bound corresponds to an upper-bound probability estimate based on one or more of the plurality of nodes and the set of input variable values; prune one or more of the plurality of nodes based on the traversal cost, the lower bound, and a pruning bound; and return a result including a non-empty set of output variable values based on the set of input variable values, the node, the traversal cost, and the lower bound. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having machine executable instructions embedded thereon, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:
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access a database tree having a plurality of nodes; receive a set of input variable values, a non-empty set of output variables, and information indicative of a node in the database tree; determine a traversal cost based on the node and the set of input variable values; determine a lower bound based on the node and the set of input variable values, wherein the lower bound corresponds to an upper-bound probability estimate based on one or more of the plurality of nodes and the set of input variable values; prune one or more of the plurality of nodes based on the traversal cost, the lower bound, and a pruning bound; and return a result including a non-empty set of output variable values based on the set of input variable values, the node, the traversal cost, and the lower bound. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification