Semantics update and adaptive interfaces in connection with information as a service

• US 8,341,099 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Khosravy, Moe
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US12/781,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Additional semantic information that describes data sets is inferred in response to a request for data from the data sets, e.g., in response to a query over the data sets, including analyzing a subset of results extracted based on the request for data to determine the additional semantic information. The additional semantic information can be verified by the publisher as correct, or satisfy correctness probabilistically. Mapping information based on the additional semantic information can be maintained and updated as the system learns additional semantic information (e.g., information about what a given column represents and data types represented), and the form of future data requests (e.g., URL based queries) can be updated to more closely correspond to the updated additional semantic information.

Claims

1. A method for hosting data, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device in a first region of control from at least one computing device in a second region of control via at least one network, a data request applicable to at least one data set stored by the at least one computing device in the first region of control;

in response to the data request, extracting a subset of results from the at least one data set based on the data request;

inferring from the subset of the results additional semantic information that describes the at least one data set; and

forming or updating mapping information that describes an identifier of the at least one data set based on the additional semantic information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating semantics associated with future data requests over the at least one data set based on the additional semantics information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming or the updating includes forming or updating at least one column name of the at least one data set based on the additional semantic information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving a query applicable to at least one structure data set.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the receiving includes receiving a universal resource identifier (URI) or universal resource locator (URL) representative of the query.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extracting includes extracting the subset of results returned from executing the data request.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extracting includes randomly or semi-randomly extracting the subset of results returned from executing the data request.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extracting includes extracting the subset of results returned from executing at least one data request derived from the data request.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inferring includes inferring from the subset of the results semantic information that describes a data type of the at least one data set.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inferring includes inferring from the subset of the results semantic information that describes a relationship between the subset and at least one pre-determined type of data.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the inferring includes inferring from the subset of the results semantic information that describes a relationship between the subset and at least one pre-determined category of type of data.

12. A method for publishing data, comprising:

receiving, by at least one receiving computing device in a first region of control from at least one publishing computing device in a second region of control, at least one data set published by the at least one publishing computing device;

analyzing a subset of the at least one data set and inferring semantic information about the at least one data set relating to identifying information associated with data of the at least one data set or relating to type of the data of the at least one data set; and

requesting verification from the at least one publishing computing device that the semantic information inferred by the inferring is correct.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving the verification, forming or updating mapping information that describes an identifier of the at least one data set based on the semantic information.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving the verification, forming or updating mapping information that describes a column of at least one structure data set based on the semantic information.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving the verification, further comprising re-defining semantics associated with data requests over the at least one data set based on the semantics information.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving the verification, further comprising re-defining semantics associated with queries over the at least one data set based on the semantics information.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

in response to receiving the verification, further comprising re-defining semantics associated with queries implemented via at least one universal resource identifier (URI) or universal resource locator (URL) based on the semantics information.

18. A method for hosting data, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device in a first region of control from at least one computing device in a second region of control via at least one network, a data request applicable to at least one data set stored by the at least one computing device in the first region of control;

in response to the data request, retrieving a subset of results from the at least one data set based on the data request;

inferring from the subset of the results auxiliary semantic information that describes the at least one data set; and

modifying semantics associated with data requests over the at least one data set based on the auxiliary semantics information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the inferring includes inferring a data type of column based on at least one weight mapping algorithm.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the inferring includes probabilistic inferring of a type of data of the at least one data set based on a hierarchical set of inference algorithms for determining type.