Automated detection of null field values and effectively null field values
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method of detecting and treating one or more field values as null field values in records of an electronic database, the computer implemented method comprising:
- selecting a field of the records;
determining, using a programmed computer, a frequency for each field value of the field, the frequency comprising an amount of the records in which the field value of the field appears;
calculating, using a programmed computer, a critical frequency for the field based on the frequency of each field value of the field by calculating f(x) =g(x)−
g(x+1), wherein f is a function of the frequency differences based on a function g that is defined by the frequency of each field value of the field wherein the calculating comprises ordering the frequencies of the field values of the field according to frequency along a horizontal axis of a histogram of the one or more field values of the field; and
treating, using a programmed computer, each field value of the field with a frequency that is greater than the critical frequency of the field as a null field value and each field value of the field with a frequency that is less than the critical frequency of the field as a non-null field value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed are systems for, and methods of, automatically detecting and treating field values of a particular field as null field values in records of a database. The system and method provide automatic treatment of these field values as null field values by calculating a critical frequency for the field. Based on the critical frequency of the field, the system and method treats field values that occur more than the critical frequency of the field as null field values and treats field values that occur less than the critical frequency as non-null field values.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method of detecting and treating one or more field values as null field values in records of an electronic database, the computer implemented method comprising:
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selecting a field of the records; determining, using a programmed computer, a frequency for each field value of the field, the frequency comprising an amount of the records in which the field value of the field appears; calculating, using a programmed computer, a critical frequency for the field based on the frequency of each field value of the field by calculating f(x) =g(x)−
g(x+1), wherein f is a function of the frequency differences based on a function g that is defined by the frequency of each field value of the field wherein the calculating comprises ordering the frequencies of the field values of the field according to frequency along a horizontal axis of a histogram of the one or more field values of the field; andtreating, using a programmed computer, each field value of the field with a frequency that is greater than the critical frequency of the field as a null field value and each field value of the field with a frequency that is less than the critical frequency of the field as a non-null field value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer implemented system of detecting and treating one or more field values as null field values in records of an electronic database, the computer implemented system comprising:
one or more computing apparatuses collectively configured to; select a field of the records; determine a frequency for each field value of the field, the frequency comprising an amount of the records in which the field value of the field appears; calculate a critical frequency for the field based on the frequency of each field value of the field by calculating f(x)=g(x)−
g(x+1), wherein f is a function of the frequency differences based on a function g that is defined by the frequency of each field value of the field wherein the computing apparatus is configured to calculate by ordering the frequencies of the field values of the field according to frequency along a horizontal axis of a histogram of the one or more field values of the field; andtreat each field value of the field with a frequency that is greater than the critical frequency of the field as a null field value and each field value of the field with a frequency that is less than the critical frequency of the field as a non-null field value. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
Specification