Heuristic co-identification of objects across heterogeneous information sources
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for generating a database query language request for performing a join between a plurality of database tables including a first database table and a second database table, the first table having a first plurality of fields and the second database table having a second plurality of fields, each one of the plurality of fields having a particular meaning, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a plurality of expressions that communicate the meaning of each of the fields in the first and second plurality of fields;
(b) receiving a query requesting information, the query including a conjunction of literals;
(c) mapping each of the literals to all matching expressions to provide a list of fields to be queried, the list of fields including a first field from the first table and a second field from the second table, wherein the mapping indicates that the first and second fields have the same meaning; and
(d) generating the database query language request using the list of fields, such that the database query language request includes a join between the first and second fields.
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Abstract
A method and system for generating a database query language request for performing a join between a plurality of database tables including a first database table and a second database table. The first table includes a first plurality of fields and the second database table includes a second plurality of fields, where each one of the plurality of fields has a particular meaning. The method and system includes providing a plurality of expressions that communicate the meaning of the each of the fields in the first and second plurality of fields. A user then submits a query requesting information from the tables in the form of a conjunction of literals. Each of the literals are then mapped to all matching expressions to provide a list of fields to be queried. The list of fields includes a first field from the first table and a second field from the second table, such that the mapping indicates that the first and second fields have the same meaning. After mapping the literals to the expressions, the database query language request is generated using the list of fields, such that the database query language request includes a join between the first and second fields. The first and second tables are then queried using the database query language request to provide the requested information.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for generating a database query language request for performing a join between a plurality of database tables including a first database table and a second database table, the first table having a first plurality of fields and the second database table having a second plurality of fields, each one of the plurality of fields having a particular meaning, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a plurality of expressions that communicate the meaning of each of the fields in the first and second plurality of fields; (b) receiving a query requesting information, the query including a conjunction of literals; (c) mapping each of the literals to all matching expressions to provide a list of fields to be queried, the list of fields including a first field from the first table and a second field from the second table, wherein the mapping indicates that the first and second fields have the same meaning; and (d) generating the database query language request using the list of fields, such that the database query language request includes a join between the first and second fields. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A heuristic system for automatically generating standard query language statements for performing joins across tables in a heterogeneous database, the heterogeneous database including a plurality of databases having a plurality of tables, each of the tables comprising a plurality of column fields, the heuristic system comprising:
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a knowledge base comprising a set of expressions defining a particular meaning of each of the column fields in the database and the relationships between the column fields of the database;
a translator for receiving requests for information, and for translating each of the requests into a formatted expression that matches at least one of the expressions in the knowledge base; anda heuristic engine for determining which of the tables to join to retrieve the information requested, the heuristic engine including means for mapping each formatted expression to a matching expression in the knowledge base, means for determining from the matching expressions which tables have shared column fields, and means for generating the standard database query statement to join the shared column fields. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer-implemented method for automatically generating a database query language request for performing a join across tables in a heterogeneous database, each of the tables including a plurality column fields, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a knowledge base comprising a list of literals that define relationships between the column fields in the database, wherein a plurality of the literals contain implicit fields representing concepts that are implicitly referenced in the tables; (b) receiving a database query in the form of query literals, each query literal including at least one variable; (c) mapping each query literal to the literals in the knowledge base to provide a list of potential fields that comprise implicit fields and a first set of explicit fields that correspond to column fields from which to retrieve values for each variable in the query literal; (d) expanding any implicit fields present in the list of potential fields into a second set of explicit fields; (e) generating the database query language request using the first and second sets of explicit fields, the database query language request requiring at least one join between two of the explicit fields; and (f) executing the database query language request and receiving results from the heterogeneous database. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification