Persistent archives

• US 7,349,915 B1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Atomics, Inc., Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: General Atomics, Inc., Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Rajasekar, Arcot, Moore, Reagan W., Ludaescher, Bertram, Gupta, Amarnath, Baru, Chaitanya K., Marciano, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chace; Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Veillard; Jacques
• Application Number:
  US11/010,202
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707200-205, 709/201, 709/203, 709/221, 709/224, 709/229, 709/231, 709/236, 717/108, 717/137
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A persistent archive of a collection of data objects comprises a self-describing, infrastructure-independent representation of a logical structure for the collection and a self-describing, infrastructure-independent representation of the data objects. The archive is persistent in that it may be instantiated at an indefinite point in time in the future regardless of the state of technology at that time. A knowledge-based persistent archive of a collection of data objects comprises the foregoing two elements but also a self-describing, infrastructure-independent representation of knowledge relevant to the collection. Another embodiment of a knowledge-based persistent archive comprises at least one representation of a collection or the data objects, at least one self-describing, infrastructure-independent, or executable specification of one or more transformations relevant to the collection, and at least one self-describing, infrastructure-independent, or executable specification of one or more rules relevant to the collection.

Claims

1. A method of forming occurrences of attribute or element values comprising:

receiving a plurality of data records tagged with attribute or element names;

forming from the plurality of tagged data records a flat database comprising occurrences of attribute or element values that are sufficient to ensure completeness and consistency of the plurality of tagged data records; and

using the occurrences to identify knowledge, comprising exceptional conditions, an exceptional condition comprising either the absence of an expected occurrence or the presence of an unexpected occurrence, to be added to or used in forming a knowledge base of a knowledge based persistent archive formed or to be formed from the tagged data records.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the occurrences to confirm closure of attribute or element selection for a collection formed from the tagged data records.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the occurrences to obtain useful information about a collection formed from the tagged data records.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising using the occurrences to determine redundancy in a collection formed from the tagged data records.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the occurrences to determine transformation procedures for a collection formed from the tagged data records.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the occurrences to check the internal consistency of a collection formed or to be formed from the tagged data records.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising transforming the occurrences into an inverted attribute index.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising transforming the occurrences into tagged data records.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising transforming the occurrences into a form capable of being ingested into a persistent archive.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising transforming the occurrences into a form capable of being instantiated onto a query-able mechanism.

11. The methods of any of claims 1-10 tangibly embodied on a processor readable medium.