UNSTRUCTURED DATA GUIDED QUERY MODIFICATION

• US 20160063095A1
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: NASSAR, AHMED M.A., Omar, Eman, Rosengarten, Evelyn M., Trim, Craig M.
• Application Number:
  US14/469,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063095A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3344 using natural language analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/284 Lexical analysis, e.g. tokenisation or collocates

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product for unstructured data guided query modification are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A set of parameters is identified in a structured database query. Using a Natural language processing (NLP) engine, a set of tokens is identified in an unstructured data. Using the NLP engine, corresponding to a subset of the set of parameters, sets of variations are obtained. A fit is found between a first token from the set of tokens and a first variant of a first parameter, the first variant of the first parameter being a member of a first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter. The first parameter in the structured database query is substituted with the first variant to produce a substituted query, wherein the substituted query produces a result set that is related to the unstructured data.

Claims

1. A method for unstructured data guided query modification, the method comprising:

identifying, using a processor and a memory, a set of parameters in a structured database query;

identifying, using a Natural language processing (NLP) engine, a set of tokens in an unstructured data;

obtaining, using the NLP engine, corresponding to a subset of the set of parameters, sets of variations, wherein a particular set of variations corresponds to a particular parameter in the subset of parameters;

finding a fit between a first token from the set of tokens and a first variant of a first parameter, the first variant of the first parameter being a member of a first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter; and

substituting the first parameter in the structured database query with the first variant to produce a substituted query, wherein the substituted query produces a result set that is related to the unstructured data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

omitting substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is another member of the set of parameters, and wherein the omitting is responsive to a second token not fitting any variants in a second set of variants corresponding to the second parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

omitting substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is not a member of the set of parameters.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the first token with a plurality of variants in the first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter;

determining that the first token matches the first variant to a first degree according to a specified tolerance;

determining that the first token matches a second variant in the first set of variations to a second degree according to the tolerance; and

selecting, responsive to the first degree exceeding the second degree, the first variant.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of variations is specific to a subject-matter domain to which the unstructured data relates, different unstructured data relate to different subject-matter domains, and the different subject-matter domains result in different sets of variations for a given parameter in the subset of parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the unstructured data from an interaction of a user, wherein the unstructured data is indicative of a transient interest of the user, the transient interest being a factor of a circumstance of the user at a time when the user uses the unstructured data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the interaction occurs in a social media environment, wherein the transient interest is distinct from a preference of the user, the preference being identified in a structured profile of the user, and wherein the circumstance is an event occurring relative to the user at the time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and executed by one or more processors.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.

10. A computer program product for unstructured data guided query modification, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify, using a processor and a memory, a set of parameters in a structured database query;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify, using a Natural language processing (NLP) engine, a set of tokens in an unstructured data;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to obtain, using the NLP engine, corresponding to a subset of the set of parameters, sets of variations, wherein a particular set of variations corresponds to a particular parameter in the subset of parameters;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to find a fit between a first token from the set of tokens and a first variant of a first parameter, the first variant of the first parameter being a member of a first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to substitute the first parameter in the structured database query with the first variant to produce a substituted query, wherein the substituted query produces a result set that is related to the unstructured data.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to omit substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is another member of the set of parameters, and wherein the omitting is responsive to a second token not fitting any variants in a second set of variants corresponding to the second parameter.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to omit substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is not a member of the set of parameters.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compare the first token with a plurality of variants in the first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine that the first token matches the first variant to a first degree according to a specified tolerance;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine that the first token matches a second variant in the first set of variations to a second degree according to the tolerance; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select, responsive to the first degree exceeding the second degree, the first variant.

14. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein a set of variations is specific to a subject-matter domain to which the unstructured data relates, different unstructured data relate to different subject-matter domains, and the different subject-matter domains result in different sets of variations for a given parameter in the subset of parameters.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to obtain the unstructured data from an interaction of a user, wherein the unstructured data is indicative of a transient interest of the user, the transient interest being a factor of a circumstance of the user at a time when the user uses the unstructured data.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the interaction occurs in a social media environment, wherein the transient interest is distinct from a preference of the user, the preference being identified in a structured profile of the user, and wherein the circumstance is an event occurring relative to the user at the time.

17. A computer system for unstructured data guided query modification, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to identify, using a processor and a memory, a set of parameters in a structured database query;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to identify, using a Natural language processing (NLP) engine, a set of tokens in an unstructured data;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to obtain, using the NLP engine, corresponding to a subset of the set of parameters, sets of variations, wherein a particular set of variations corresponds to a particular parameter in the subset of parameters;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to find a fit between a first token from the set of tokens and a first variant of a first parameter, the first variant of the first parameter being a member of a first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to substitute the first parameter in the structured database query with the first variant to produce a substituted query, wherein the substituted query produces a result set that is related to the unstructured data.

18. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to omit substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is another member of the set of parameters, and wherein the omitting is responsive to a second token not fitting any variants in a second set of variants corresponding to the second parameter.

19. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to omit substituting a second parameter in the structured database query such that the second parameter remains unchanged from the structured database query to the substituted query, wherein the second parameter is not a member of the set of parameters.

20. The computer system of claim 17, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to compare the first token with a plurality of variants in the first set of variations corresponding to the first parameter;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine that the first token matches the first variant to a first degree according to a specified tolerance;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to determine that the first token matches a second variant in the first set of variations to a second degree according to the tolerance; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to select, responsive to the first degree exceeding the second degree, the first variant.