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

• US 8,635,173 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• 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:
  US13/670,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20130066824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 706/55
• 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 system for hosting data, comprising:

at least one computing device in a first region of control that;

receives 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, extracts a subset of results from the at least one data set based on the data request;

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

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

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control further updates semantics associated with future data requests over the at least one data set based on the additional semantics information.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control forms or updates at least one column name of the at least one data set based on the additional semantic information.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control receives from the at least one computing device in the second region of control a query applicable to at least one structure data set.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control receives from the at least one computing device in the second region of control a universal resource identifier (URI) or universal resource locator (URL) representative of the query.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control extracts the subset of results returned from executing the data request.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control randomly or semi-randomly extracts the subset of results returned from executing the data request.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control extracts the subset of results returned from executing at least one data request derived from the data request.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control infers from the subset of the results semantic information that describes a data type of the at least one data set.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control infers 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 system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control infers 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 system for publishing data, comprising:

at least one receiving computing device in a first region of control that;

receives 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;

analyzes 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

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

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one receiving computing device further, in response to receiving the verification, forms or updates mapping information that describes an identifier of the at least one data set based on the semantic information.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one receiving computing device further, in response to receiving the verification, forms or updates mapping information that describes a column of at least one structure data set based on the semantic information.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one receiving computing device further, in response to receiving the verification, re-defines semantics associated with data requests over the at least one data set based on the semantics information.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one receiving computing device further, in response to receiving the verification, re-defines semantics associated with queries over the at least one data set based on the semantics information.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one receiving computing device further, in response to receiving the verification, re-defines 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 system for hosting data, comprising:

at least one computing device in a first region of control that;

receives 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, retrieves a subset of results from the at least one data set based on the data request;

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

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

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control infers a data type of column based on at least one weight mapping algorithm.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one computing device in the first region of control probabilistically infers a type of data of the at least one data set based on a hierarchical set of inference algorithms for determining type.