SYSTEM AND METHOD OF INTEGRATING TIME-AWARE DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for processing a set of data records having time conflicts, the data records representing respective versions of an entity for which there can be only one preferred value at any given point in time, wherein each of the data records has an n-dimensional time record, the computer-implemented method comprising:
- defining a policy from among a plurality of candidate policies, said defined policy designed to resolve time conflicts between those data records having time conflicts;
comparing all data records in a cumulative, pair-wise fashion;
identifying time-based conflicts between pairs of records and identifying time-conflicted pairs;
determining which record in every time-conflicted pair of records is to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy;
adjusting the time interval of every said determined record in accordance with said defined policy; and
outputting a modified set of data records having said adjusted time intervals, wherein (i) said modified set of data records contains no time conflicts and (ii) said adjusted time intervals in the modified set of data records do not depend on the order in which the data records are processed by said computer-implemented method.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A time-aware union operator is disclosed for consistent integration of time-aware data, wherein the time-aware union produces a time-aware consistent integrated view of underlying sources according to specified key constraints and policies. The implementation of time-aware union is idempotent, commutative, and associative, thus making it suitable for data integration, and it produces the same integrated outcome, modulo representation of time, regardless of the order in which sources are integrated.
21 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for processing a set of data records having time conflicts, the data records representing respective versions of an entity for which there can be only one preferred value at any given point in time, wherein each of the data records has an n-dimensional time record, the computer-implemented method comprising:
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defining a policy from among a plurality of candidate policies, said defined policy designed to resolve time conflicts between those data records having time conflicts; comparing all data records in a cumulative, pair-wise fashion; identifying time-based conflicts between pairs of records and identifying time-conflicted pairs; determining which record in every time-conflicted pair of records is to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy; adjusting the time interval of every said determined record in accordance with said defined policy; and outputting a modified set of data records having said adjusted time intervals, wherein (i) said modified set of data records contains no time conflicts and (ii) said adjusted time intervals in the modified set of data records do not depend on the order in which the data records are processed by said computer-implemented method. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A system for processing a set of data records having time conflicts, the data records representing respective versions of an entity for which there can be only one preferred value at any given point in time, wherein each of the data records has an n-dimensional time record, the system comprising:
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one or more processors; and a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to; define a policy from among a plurality of candidate policies, said defined policy designed to resolve time conflicts between those data records having time conflicts; compare all data records in a cumulative, pair-wise fashion; identify time-based conflicts between pairs of records and identify time-conflicted pairs; determine which record in every time-conflicted pair of records is to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy; adjust the time interval of every said determined record to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy; and output a modified set of data records having said adjusted time intervals, wherein (i) said modified set of data records contains no time conflicts and (ii) said adjusted time intervals in the modified set of data records do not depend on the order in which the data records are processed by said computer-implemented method. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for processing a set of data records having time conflicts, the data records representing respective versions of an entity for which there can be only one preferred value at any given point in time, wherein each of the data records has an n-dimensional time record, the computer-readable medium comprising computer readable program code which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to computer-implemented method, the medium comprising:
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computer readable program code receiving inputs defining a policy from among a plurality of candidate policies, said defined policy designed to resolve time conflicts between those data records having time conflicts; computer readable program code comparing all data records in a cumulative, pair-wise fashion; computer readable program code identifying time-based conflicts between pairs of records and identifying time-conflicted pairs; computer readable program code determining which record in every time-conflicted pair of records is to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy; computer readable program code adjusting the time interval of every said determined record in accordance with said defined policy; and computer readable program code outputting a modified set of data records having said adjusted time intervals, wherein (i) said modified set of data records contains no time conflicts and (ii) said adjusted time intervals in the modified set of data records do not depend on the order in which the data records are processed by said computer-implemented method. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer based method comprising:
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receiving an input schema S; receiving two instances, T1 and T2, each of which conforms to said input schema, S; computing a merged instance of T1 and T2, T1T2, as an instance that also conforms to S such that every path in T1 or T2 can be found in T1T2, every path in T1T2 can be found in T1 or T2, and a temporal context associated with an element in any path in T1T2 is a result of adjusting temporal contexts of corresponding elements in T1 and/or T2 under the same path according to a given adjustment policy, said given adjustment policy designed to resolve time conflicts between data records having time conflicts, where said merged instance T1T2 provides an integrated view of instances T1 and T2 by fusing identical elements in instances T1 and/or T2 together and providing an interpretation of their corresponding temporal contexts according to said given adjust policy; and outputting said merged instance T1T2. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification