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 an ordered histogram of the frequency of each field value of the field, the critical frequency comprising a frequency at which a first point of a derivative of the ordered histogram decreases below a threshold; 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.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
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
22 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 an ordered histogram of the frequency of each field value of the field, the critical frequency comprising a frequency at which a first point of a derivative of the ordered histogram decreases below a threshold; 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. 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:
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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 an ordered histogram of the frequency of each field value of the field, the critical frequency comprising a frequency at which a first point of a derivative of the ordered histogram decreases below a threshold; and treat 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 (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification