Survey analysis system and method

• US 6,574,621 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1997
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Austin, Thomas K., Lautzenheiser, Ted G., Peters, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US08/937,024
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 706/61, 706/60, 706/47, 706/46, 706/50, 706/45, 128/924, 395/183.02, 707/104, 707/1, 707/4, 707/7, 707/9, 705/10, 348/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/00 Computing arrangements using knowledge-based models
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A method and apparatus for analyzing a survey database, wherein a user can perform a wide variety of requests to the survey database without having to independently calculate a desired result. In accordance with the present invention, this may be accomplished by using a rules-based expert system for forming and executing requests to a survey database. In a rules-based expert system, a number of rules are provided wherein the rules contain much of the “knowledge” of the experts, thereby allowing “non-expert” users to perform “expert” analysis of client satisfaction data in an accurate and repeatable fashion.

Claims

1. In a system for providing user requests to a survey database, wherein in response to a user request, the system accesses the survey database and provides a corresponding result, the improvement comprising:

a. an interface module for accepting the user request; and

b. a knowledge module that communicates with said interface module and is capable of gaining access to the survey database, said knowledge module providing the corresponding result by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules-based expert system having an inference engine, the inference engine determining, at least in part, which of the number of predefined rules are executed for the particular user request.

2. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a data module coupled to the knowledge module for gaining access to the survey database.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the survey database includes a number of surveys, wherein each of the surveys has a number of questions and a number of answers associated therewith.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein each of the number of questions in each of the surveys corresponds to one of a number of generic questions.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the request identifies one or more of the number of generic questions.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein said knowledge module identifies one or more of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request.

7. A system according to claim 6 wherein said knowledge module identifies the one or more of the number of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request by gaining access to a correlation table.

8. A system according to claim 7 wherein said correlation table provides a correlation between selected questions in selected ones of the surveys to one or more of the number of generic questions.

9. A system according to claim 8 wherein said knowledge module provides a survey database request which identifies the survey questions that correspond to the user request.

10. A system for analyzing a survey database, wherein in response to a user request, the system accesses the survey database and provides a corresponding result, comprising:

a. interface means for accepting the user request;

b. processing means for processing the user request by, at least in part, executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system to provide a survey database request;

c. accessing means for accessing the survey database in accordance with the survey database request, thereby providing a number of selected survey data elements; and

d. providing means for providing the corresponding result based on the number of selected survey data elements.

11. A system according to claim 10 further comprising the step of processing selected ones of the selected survey data elements by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system.

12. A system according to claim 10 wherein the survey database includes a number of surveys, wherein each of the surveys has a number of questions and a number of answers associated therewith.

13. A system according to claim 11 wherein each of the number of questions in each of the surveys corresponds to one of a number of generic questions.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein the user request identifies one or more of the number of generic questions.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein said accessing means identifies one or more of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein said accessing means identifies the one or more of the number of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request by gaining access to a correlation table.

17. A system according to claim 16 wherein said correlation table provides a correlation between selected questions in selected ones of the surveys to one or more of the number of generic questions.

18. A system according to claim 17 wherein said survey database request identifies the survey questions that correspond to the user request.

19. A system according to claim 10 wherein the accessing means accesses the survey database via a survey analysis module.

20. A system for analyzing a survey database, wherein in response to a user request, the system accesses the survey database and provides a corresponding result, comprising:

a. interface means for accepting the user request;

b. accessing means for accessing the survey database in accordance with the user request to obtain a number of desired survey data elements;

c. processing means for processing selected ones of the desired survey data elements by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system; and

d. providing means for providing the corresponding result.

21. A system according to claim 20 wherein the processing means includes parsing means for parsing the desired survey data elements into a number of parsed data elements.

22. A system according to claim 21 wherein the processing means includes calculating means for calculating the corresponding result from the number of parsed data elements.

23. A method for analyzing a survey database, the method comprising the steps of:

a. accepting a user request;

b. processing the request by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system to provide a survey database request;

c. accessing the survey database in accordance with the survey database request, thereby providing a number of selected survey data elements; and

d. providing a result based on the number of selected survey data elements.

24. A method according to claim 23 further comprising the step of processing selected ones of the selected survey data elements by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system.

25. A method according to claim 23 wherein the survey database request identifies the number of selected survey data elements.

26. A method according to claim 25 wherein the survey database includes a number of surveys, and wherein each of the surveys has a number of questions and a number of answers associated therewith.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein each of the number of questions in each of the surveys corresponds to one of a number of generic questions.

28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the user request identifies one or more of the number of generic questions.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein said accessing step identifies one or more of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request.

30. A method according to claim 29 wherein said accessing step identifies the one or more of the number of the number of questions in selected ones of the surveys that correspond to the one or more of the number of generic questions identified by the request by gaining access to a correlation table.

31. A method according to claim 30 wherein said correlation table provides a correlation between selected questions in selected ones of the surveys to one or more of the number of generic questions.

32. A method according to claim 31 wherein said survey database request identifies the survey questions that correspond to the user request.

33. A method according to claim 23 wherein the accessing step accesses the survey database via a survey analysis module.

34. A method for analyzing a survey database, the method comprising the steps of:

a. accepting a user request;

b. accessing the survey database in accordance with the user request to obtain a number of desired survey data elements;

c. processing selected ones of the desired survey data elements by executing selected ones of a number of predefined rules in a rules based expert system; and

d. providing a result.

35. A method according to claim 34 wherein the accessing step accesses the survey database via a survey analysis program.

36. A method according to claim 34 wherein the processing step includes parsing the desired survey data elements into a number of parsed data elements.

37. A method according to claim 36 wherein the processing step includes the step of calculating the result from the number of parsed data elements.

38. A method for analyzing a survey database having a number of data elements, the method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a user request;

b. determining which of the data elements in the survey database are required to derive a response to the user request by, at least in part, executing a number of predefined rules in a rules-based expert system, thereby resulting in a number of selected data elements;

c. reading the selected data elements from the survey database; and

d. determining the response to the user request at least in part by executing a number of predefined rules in a rules-based expert system, and selectively accessing the selected data elements.

39. A method according to claim 38 further comprising the step of determining if the survey database has a sufficient number of selected data elements to derive a statistically significant response to the user request.

40. A method according to claim 38 further comprising the step of checking the user request for syntax errors.

41. A method according to claim 38 further comprising the step of determining if the user request is a valid request.

42. A method according to claim 41 wherein the user request is determined to be valid request by executing a number of user request rules provided in a rules-based expert system.

43. A method according to claim 38 wherein said determining step 38(d) includes the step of assembling a number of data requests using the rules-based expert system, and submitting the number of data requests to a survey analysis program, the survey analysis program having direct access to the survey database and providing a number of intermediate reports.

44. A method according to claim 43 wherein the determining step 38(d) uses the number of intermediate reports to assemble the response to the user request.

45. A method according to claim 43 wherein the determining step 38(d) uses the number of intermediate reports to calculate the response to the user request.

46. A method according to claim 38 wherein said determining step 38(d) includes the step of assembling a number of data requests, and submitting the number of data requests to a data module, the data module having direct access to the survey database and providing a number of intermediate data objects.

47. A method according to claim 46 further comprising the step of making the number of intermediate data objects available to the user.

48. A method according to claim 38 wherein said determining step 38(b) first determines an analysis type of the user request, and then determines which of the data elements in the survey database are required to derive a response to the analysis type of the user request, at least in part, by executing a number of predefined rules in a rules-based expert system, thereby resulting in a number of selected data elements.

49. A method according to claim 48 wherein the analysis type is a strength analysis type.

50. A method according to claim 48 wherein the analysis type is a weakness analysis type.

51. A method according to claim 48 wherein the analysis type is a threat analysis type.

52. A method according to claim 48 wherein the analysis type is an opportunity analysis type.

53. A method according to claim 48 wherein the response provided by the analysis type of the user request is dependent on a number of analysis parameters, wherein selected ones of the analysis parameters can be set by the user.

54. A method according to claim 48 wherein said determining step 38(b) determines which of the data elements in the survey database are required to derive a response to the analysis type of the user request, at least in part, by executing a first set of the number of predefined rules.

55. A method according to claim 54 wherein the first set of the number of predefined rules are dependent on selected ones of the number of analysis parameters.

56. A method according to claim 48 wherein said determining step 38(d) determines the response to the user request by executing a second set of the number of predefined rules.

57. A method according to claim 56 wherein the second set of the number of predefined rules are dependent on selected ones of the number of analysis parameters.