DENORMALIZE RECURSIVE, UNBALANCED, & RAGGED HIERARCHIES

• US 20160042048A1
• Filed: 08/07/2014
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: BELHEKAR, DURGADATTA, MOHAMMED, AKHEEL AP KHAN, WIDJANARKO, DANIEL DARNADI
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/282 Hierarchical databases, e.g. IMS, LDAP data stores or Lotus Notes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems, methods, and computer program products for transforming an unstructured database into a structured database. In some embodiments, the system and method imports an unstructured database comprising entities and a hierarchy associated with the entities. The system and method analyze the unstructured database, flatten the database so that a recursive database is converted into a database that fully expands all entities into lower levels, and identifies instances of unbalanced or ragged hierarchies. The system populates the database according to predetermined rules to address the unbalanced or ragged hierarchies and outputs a structured database that can be used for accurate analysis of the hierarchy and entities stored therein, such as corporate structure hierarchies or stock inventory hierarchies.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transforming an unstructured database, wherein the apparatus transforms the unstructured database into a structured database, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a computing processor; and

a module stored in the memory, said module comprising instruction code executable by one or more computing processors, and configured to cause the one or more computing processors to;

import an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in a hierarchy of levels below a highest level;

analyze the unstructured database to identify relationships between the entities in the hierarchy;

generate a flattened database by expanding entities from higher levels into lower levels of the database such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

determine one or more instances of unbalanced or ragged hierarchies in the unstructured database, wherein;

an unbalanced hierarchy is a hierarchy having branches of unequal length, and

a ragged hierarchy is a hierarchy where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

populate the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instance of the unbalanced or ragged hierarchies and the remaining entities in the hierarchy; and

provide an output of a structured database comprising the populated hierarchy.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the hierarchy of levels comprise supervisors and subordinates.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced and ragged hierarchies will be ultimately subordinate to the highest level in the hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in the same branch.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the results of the analysis.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the graphical user interface displays populated entities in a different manner from entities originally present in the unstructured database.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the module further comprises instruction code executable by one or more computing processors, and configured to cause the one or more computing processors to:

query a user for a level of an entity in a ragged hierarchy when the ragged entity is not defined by a level in the unstructured database.

8. A computer program product for transforming an unstructured database, wherein the apparatus transforms the unstructured database into a structured database, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

an executable portion for causing a computer to import an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in a hierarchy of levels below a highest level;

an executable portion for causing a computer to analyze the unstructured database to identify relationships between the entities in the hierarchy;

an executable portion for causing a computer to generate a flattened database by expanding entities from higher levels into lower levels of the database such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

an executable portion for causing a computer to determine one or more instances of unbalanced or ragged hierarchies in the unstructured database, wherein;

an unbalanced hierarchy is a hierarchy having branches of unequal length, and

a ragged hierarchy is a hierarchy where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

an executable portion for causing a computer to populate the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instance of the unbalanced or ragged hierarchies and the remaining entities in the hierarchy; and

an executable portion for causing a computer to provide an output of a structured database comprising the populated hierarchy.

9. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the hierarchy of levels comprise supervisors and subordinates.

10. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced and ragged hierarchies will be ultimately subordinate to the highest level in the hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in the same branch

11. The computer program product according to claim 8, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the results of the analysis.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the graphical user interface displays populated entities in a different manner from entities originally present in the unstructured database.

13. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.

14. The computer-program product according to claim 8, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises:

an executable portion for causing a computer to query a user for a level of an entity in a ragged hierarchy when the ragged entity is not defined by a level in the unstructured database.

15. A computer-implemented method for transforming an unstructured database, wherein the apparatus transforms the unstructured database into a structured database, the method comprising:

importing an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in a hierarchy of levels below a highest level;

analyzing the unstructured database to identify relationships between the entities in the hierarchy;

generating a flattened database by expanding entities from higher levels into lower levels of the database such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

determining one or more instances of unbalanced or ragged hierarchies in the unstructured database, wherein;

an unbalanced hierarchy is a hierarchy having branches of unequal length, and

a ragged hierarchy is a hierarchy where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

populating the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instance of the unbalanced or ragged hierarchies and the remaining entities in the hierarchy; and

providing an output of a structured database comprising the populated hierarchy.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the entities comprise individuals in a corporate structure hierarchy, and the hierarchy of levels comprise supervisors and subordinates.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced and ragged hierarchies will be ultimately subordinate to the highest level in the hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in the same branch

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the output is a graphical user interface that modifies a presentation based on the results of the analysis.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface displays populated entities in a different manner from entities originally present in the unstructured database.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein importing the unstructured database comprises receiving a link to the unstructured database from a user.