Indexing Based on Object Type

• US 20150317409A1
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Published: 11/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lassen, Soren Bogh, Ahrens, Spencer Greg
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,218 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/221 Column-oriented storage; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/244 Grouping and aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method includes maintaining data stores for objects of a social-networking system, each data store being configured to store objects of a particular one of multiple object types indexed by a search index; receiving an object; identifying an object type of the received object; storing the received object in at least one data store being configured to store objects of the identified object type; and updating the search index of the at least one data store based on the received object.

Claims

1. A method comprising, by one or more computing devices:

determining rankings for a plurality of objects of a social-networking system, wherein;

the social-networking system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes,

each object corresponds to a node of the social graph, and

each ranking for each object is determined based on a number of edges being connected to the node to which the respective object corresponds;

storing the objects in a plurality of partitions of a database, wherein each partition stores only objects having a particular ranking; and

indexing the objects in the partitions by a plurality of search indices that each index only a particular one of the plurality of partitions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search query for at least one of the plurality of objects; and

determining an object type associated with the search query, wherein each of the plurality of objects is associated with an object type of a plurality of object types.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of partitions stores objects of only a particular one of a plurality of object types.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each object comprises one or more of a user profile, photo, post, web page, application, video file, audio file, comment, event, message, offer, and review.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending the search query to a first partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the first partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the first partition stores objects having a first ranking;

and

identifying one or more search results for the search query from the first partition using the search index that indexes only the first partition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that a number of identified search results from the first partition exceeds a threshold number of search results; and

sending the identified search results to a computing device from which the search query was received.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that a number of identified search results from the first partition is less than a threshold number of search results; and

sending the search query to a second partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the second partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the second partition stores objects having a second ranking, the second ranking being lower than the first ranking.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying one or more additional search results for the search query from the second partition using the search index that indexes only the second partition; and

sending the identified search results and the identified additional search results to a computing device from which the search query was received.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

determine rankings for a plurality of objects of a social-networking system, wherein;

the social-networking system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes,

each object corresponds to a node of the social graph, and

each ranking for each object is determined based on a number of edges being connected to the node to which the respective object corresponds;

store the objects in a plurality of partitions of a database, wherein each partition stores only objects having a particular ranking; and

index the objects in the partitions by a plurality of search indices that each index only a particular one of the plurality of partitions.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

receive a search query for at least one of the plurality of objects; and

determine an object type associated with the search query, wherein each of the plurality of objects is associated with an object type of a plurality of object types.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of partitions stores objects of only a particular one of a plurality of object types.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

send the search query to a first partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the first partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the first partition stores objects having a first ranking; and

identify one or more search results for the search query from the first partition using the search index that indexes only the first partition.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

determine that a number of identified search results from the first partition exceeds a threshold number of search results; and

send the identified search results to a computing device from which the search query was received.

14. The media of claim 12, wherein the software is further operable when executed to:

determine that a number of identified search results from the first partition is less than a threshold number of search results; and

send the search query to a second partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the second partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the second partition stores objects having a second ranking, the second ranking being lower than the first ranking.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed by the processors to;

determine rankings for a plurality of objects of a social-networking system, wherein;

the social-networking system comprises a social graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges connecting the nodes,

each object corresponds to a node of the social graph, and

each ranking for each object is determined based on a number of edges being connected to the node to which the respective object corresponds;

store the objects in a plurality of partitions of a database, wherein each partition stores only objects having a particular ranking; and

index the objects in the partitions by a plurality of search indices that each index only a particular one of the plurality of partitions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the software is further operable when executed by the processors to:

receive a search query for at least one of the plurality of objects; and

determine an object type associated with the search query, wherein each of the plurality of objects is associated with an object type of a plurality of object types.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of partitions stores objects of only a particular one of a plurality of object types.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the software is further operable when executed by the processors to:

send the search query to a first partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the first partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the first partition stores objects having a first ranking; and

identify one or more search results for the search query from the first partition using the search index that indexes only the first partition.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the software is further operable when executed by the processors to:

determine that a number of identified search results from the first partition exceeds a threshold number of search results; and

send the identified search results to a computing device from which the search query was received.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the software is further operable when executed by the processors to:

determine that a number of identified search results from the first partition is less than a threshold number of search results; and

send the search query to a second partition of the plurality of partitions, wherein the second partition stores objects of the object type associated with the search query, and wherein the second partition stores objects having a second ranking, the second ranking being lower than the first ranking.