GUIDED KEYWORD-BASED EXPLORATION OF DATA

• US 20160070708A1
• Filed: 07/01/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Labbi, Abderrahim, Vlachos, Michail, Zouzias, Anastasios
• Granted Patent: US 10,176,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2453 Query optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24549 Run-time optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2457 with adaptation to user needs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90324 using system suggestions

Abstract

A method for guided keyword-based exploration of data stored in a database includes providing, with a processing device, valid query templates for the data, wherein the provided valid query templates include static parts and dynamic parts; selecting those of the provided valid query templates that match a user-provided keyword; generating valid queries from the selected valid query templates using the data; and querying the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the generated valid queries.

Claims

1. A method for guided keyword-based exploration of data stored in a database, the method comprising:

providing, with a processing device, valid query templates for the data, wherein the provided valid query templates include static parts and dynamic parts;

selecting those of the provided valid query templates that match a user-provided keyword;

generating valid queries from the selected valid query templates using the data; and

querying the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the generated valid queries.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking subsets of the generated valid queries;

presenting a top-ranked subset of the ranked subsets; and

querying the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the presented top-ranked subset;

wherein the ranking of the subsets of the generated valid queries is performed by a ranking algorithm operating on a tree data structure which represents all valid queries into the data, the ranking algorithm exploiting structural properties of the tree data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the valid query templates are provided such that they include the static parts, the dynamic parts and a view template; and

the data queried using a user-selected valid keyword is displayed using the view template.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is embodied as one of structured or semi-structured data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the valid query templates are one of:

derived via an analysis of a query log of the data, or given by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the static part of the valid query template includes a text label representing a set of tuples of a first entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the dynamic part of the valid query template includes attribute names and synonyms thereof representing at least one attribute of the first entity or of a second entity with a primary-foreign key dependency to the first entity.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the valid query template is selected in the event the text label representing the set of tuples of the first entity matches the user-provided keyword.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the valid query is generated by populating the attribute names of one of the selected valid query templates by a sub-quantity of the data represented by the attribute names or the synonyms thereof, in the event the sub-quantity of the data matches the user-provided keyword.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the matching is based on a combination of string similarity measures.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the subsets of the generated valid queries are ranked according to a metric which accounts for the user, and relevance and coverage of one of the generated valid queries of one of the subsets, and diversity among the generated valid queries of one of the subsets.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the relevance of the generated valid query of one of the subsets is determined by a degree to which it matches with the user-provided keyword.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the coverage of the generated valid query is determined by a sum of relevance of all potential valid queries which can be composed out of the generated valid query; and

the diversity of a subset of the generated valid queries is determined by a minimum dissimilarity of any two valid queries in the subset of the generated valid queries.

14. A nontransitory, computer readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, implement a method for guided keyword-based exploration of data stored in a database, the method comprising:

providing valid query templates for the data, wherein the provided valid query templates include static parts and dynamic parts;

selecting those of the provided valid query templates that match a user-provided keyword;

generating valid queries from the selected valid query templates using the data; and

querying the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the generated valid queries.

15. A system for guided keyword-based exploration of data stored in a database, comprising:

a providing entity, executed by a processing device, configured to provide valid query templates for the data, wherein the provided valid query templates include static parts and dynamic parts;

a selecting entity, executed by the processing device, configured to select those of the provided valid query template that match a user-provided keyword;

a generating entity, executed by the processing device, configured to generate valid queries from the selected valid query templates using the data, and

a querying entity, executed by the processing device, configured to query the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the generated valid queries.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing device is further configured to:

rank subsets of the generated valid queries;

present a top-ranked subset of the ranked subsets; and

query the data using a user-selected valid query selected from the presented top-ranked subset;

wherein the ranking of the subsets of the generated valid queries is performed by a ranking algorithm operating on a tree data structure which represents all valid queries into the data, the ranking algorithm exploiting structural properties of the tree data structure.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the valid query templates are provided such that they include the static parts, the dynamic parts and a view template; and

the data queried using a user-selected valid keyword is displayed using the view template.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the data is embodied as one of structured or semi-structured data.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the valid query templates are one of:

derived via an analysis of a query log of the data, or given by a user.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the static part of the valid query template includes a text label representing a set of tuples of a first entity.