Database searching method and system using retrieval data set display screen

• US 5,913,211 A
• Filed: 06/26/1996
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nitta, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US08/672,077
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method of retrieving a plurality of records stored in a database first generates a retrieval data set by selecting a plurality of records from the database. Then, an item element of a data item designated from a record in the retrieval data set is specified, and the difference in item elements between optional two records is numerically represented and computed as a dissimilarity. Next, the records in the retrieval data set are plotted and displayed on the display device. At this time, the records are displayed in such a way that the distance between the two records of the plotted records corresponds to the computed dissimilarity, and a new retrieval data set is specified from the displayed records on the basis of an object record designated by the user. Thus, a new retrieval data set can be easily generated within a short time, with mis-retrieval and unnecessarily entered records reduced by plotting the records such that the difference between the records can be readily recognized.

Claims

1. A database searching method for searching a database having records including information about a plurality of items, comprising the steps of:

generating a retrieval data set by selecting a plurality of records from the database;

designating an item in the plurality of items as a display item;

specifying an item element corresponding to the display item in the plurality of records in the retrieval data set;

numerically representing a difference between the item elements of two records in the plurality of records contained in the retrieval data set as a dissimilarity;

plotting and displaying the plurality of records in a way that the dissimilarity corresponds to a distance between the two records; and

displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

2. The database searching method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

specifying a record in the plurality of records as an object record;

selecting a record group from the plurality of plotted records on the basis of the object record; and

retrieving a record from the selected record group.

3. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of records are plotted on a two-dimensional plane;

and

the dissimilarity corresponds to the distance between the two records on the two-dimensional plane.

4. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

when the display item refers to a quantitative item, the dissimilarity is represented as a square root of a difference of quantities represented by the item elements of the two records.

5. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

when the display item refers to an item including a plurality of categories, the item element of the plurality of records is weighed and numerically represented in such a way that a portion corresponding to a larger category in the element is heavier in weight, and

the dissimilarity is obtained as a square root of a numerically represented difference between the two records.

6. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

when the display item refers to a keyword list, the dissimilarity is obtained on a basis of a number of elements commonly contained in the two records.

7. The database searching method according to claim 6, wherein

the dissimilarity is represented as a reciprocal of a value obtained by adding 1 to the number of elements commonly contained in the two records.

8. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

when the display item refers to an item including a document, the dissimilarity is obtained according to a number of words commonly contained in the two records.

9. The database searching method according to claim 8, wherein

the dissimilarity is represented as a reciprocal of a value obtained by adding 1 to the number of words commonly contained in the two records.

10. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein

when the display item refers to an item containing a document, the dissimilarity is obtained according to a sum of associatives between words contained in the two records.

11. The database searching method according to claim 10, wherein

the dissimilarity is represented as a reciprocal of a value obtained by adding 1 to the sum of the associatives.

12. The database searching method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

designating a second display item in the plurality of items;

specifying second item elements corresponding to the second display item in the plurality of records;

numerically representing a difference between the second item elements of the two records and displaying the difference as a second dissimilarity;

normalizing the dissimilarity and second dissimilarity;

obtaining a synthetic dissimilarity by adding the normalized dissimilarity to the normalized second dissimilarity; and

plotting the plurality of records in such a way that the synthetic dissimilarity corresponds to the distance between the two records.

13. The database searching method according to claim 12, wherein

in the step of obtaining the synthetic dissimilarity, the normalized dissimilarity and second dissimilarity are added up after being weighed depending on a significance.

14. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of plotted records and the contradiction are numerically displayed on a same screen.

15. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein the contradiction is represented by a bar graph.

16. The database searching method according to claim 1, wherein the contradiction is represented by colors of the plurality of plotted records.

17. A database searching method for searching a database having records including information about a plurality of items, comprising the steps of:

generating a retrieval data set by selecting a plurality of records from the database;

designating a plurality of display items in the plurality of items;

specifying item elements corresponding to each of the plurality of the display items in the plurality of records in the retrieval data set;

numerically representing a difference between the item elements of two records in the plurality of records for each of the plurality of display items, as a dissimilarity;

normalizing the dissimilarity for each of the plurality of display items;

adding up the normalized dissimilarities for the two records;

plotting and displaying the plurality of records in such a way that the added-up dissimilarity corresponds to the distance between the two records; and

displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

18. A database searching system for searching a database having records including information about a plurality of items, comprising:

database storage means for storing the database;

processing means for numerically representing as a dissimilarity a difference between elements of two records in a plurality of records selected in the database, said elements corresponding to a display item designating from among the plurality of items; and

display means for plotting and displaying the plurality of records in such a way that the dissimilarity corresponds to a distance between the two records; and

for displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

19. The database searching system according to claim 18, wherein

said processing means selects a record group from the plurality of plotted records on a basis of an object record specified from among the plurality of records;

and

a new retrieval data set is generated with the selected record group as a new object to be searched.

20. A database searching system for searching a database using a computer, comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of records including information about a plurality of items;

a processor for numerically representing as a dissimilarity of difference between elements of two records in the plurality of records stored in the database, said elements corresponding to a display item designated from among the plurality of items; and

a display device for plotting and displaying the plurality of records in such a way that the dissimilarity corresponds to a distance between the two records, and for displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein

said processor specifies records as a new retrieval data set, from the plurality of records displayed on said display device on the basis of an object record selected by a user.

22. A database searching system for searching a database using a computer, comprising:

a database for storing a plurality of records including information about a plurality of items;

a processor for numerically representing as a dissimilarity a difference between elements of two records in the plurality of records stored in the database, said elements corresponding to a plurality of display items designated from among the plurality of items, for normalizing the dissimilarity for each of the plurality of display items, and for adding the normalized dissimilarity for the two records; and

a display device for plotting and displaying the plurality of records in such a way that the added-up dissimilarity corresponds to a distance between the two records, and for displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

23. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer programs used to direct a computer to perform the function of:

generating a retrieval data set by selecting a plurality of records from a database having records including information about a plurality of items;

specifying from item elements of the plurality of records in the retrieval data set an item element corresponding to a display item designated in the plurality of items;

numerically representing a difference between item elements of two records in the plurality of records contained in the retrieval data set as a dissimilarity;

plotting and displaying on a display device the plurality of records in such a way that the dissimilarity corresponds to a distance between the two records; and

displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.

24. The storage medium according to claim 23, further including computer programs used to direct the computer to perform the functions of:

specifying records as a new retrieval data set from the plurality of records displayed on said display device on the basis of an object record selected by a user.

25. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer programs used to direct a computer to perform the functions of:

generating a retrieval data set by selecting a plurality of records from a database having records including information about a plurality of items;

specifying from item elements of the plurality of records in the retrieval data set a plurality of item elements corresponding to a plurality of display items designated in the plurality of items;

numerically representing a difference between item elements of two records in the plurality of records contained in the retrieval data set as dissimilarities for each of the plurality of display items,

normalizing the dissimilarities for each of the plurality of display items;

adding up the normalized dissimilarities for the two records;

plotting and displaying on a display device the plurality of records in such a way that the added-up dissimilarity corresponds to the distance between the two records; and

displaying a contradiction which is a value indicative of a degree of inconsistency between a positional arrangement of the plurality of plotted records and a numerical value of the dissimilarity.