Context-based search for a data store related to a graph node

• US 8,676,857 B1
• Filed: 08/23/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Adams, Samuel S., Friedlander, Robert R., Gerken, John K. III, Kraemer, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sultana, Nargis
• Application Number:
  US13/592,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 707/798, 707/706, 709/204, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 707/798
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence

Abstract

A graph database storage system contains a graph database that has multiple graph nodes. A first pointer points from a particular graph node to a particular synthetic context event node in a synthetic context event database. A second pointer points from the particular synthetic context event node in the synthetic context event database to a particular data store in a data structure, such that the first pointer and the second pointer associate the particular data store with the particular entity represented in the graph database via the particular synthetic context event node.

Claims

1. A context-based system for searching for data stores related to a set of one or more nodes in a graph database, the context-based system comprising:

a graph database computer hardware storage system, wherein the graph database computer hardware storage system contains a graph database comprising multiple graph nodes, wherein each of the multiple graph nodes stores an attribute of a particular entity that is described by a particular graph node with relation to a synthetic event, wherein said each of the multiple graph nodes is logically coupled to another graph node by an edge, and wherein the edge describes a relationship between entities represented by coupled graph nodes;

a first pointer, wherein the first pointer points from the particular graph node to a particular synthetic context event node in a synthetic context event database, wherein the articular synthetic context event node represents the synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is fabricated by consolidating information from different sources, and wherein the synthetic event is not an actual event;

a synthetic context event database computer hardware storage system, wherein the synthetic context event database computer hardware storage system contains the synthetic context event database, wherein the synthetic context event database comprises multiple synthetic context event nodes, wherein each of said multiple synthetic context event nodes contains a descriptor of said attribute of the particular entity and said relationship between said particular entity and another entity represented by another graph node; and

a second pointer, wherein the second pointer points from the particular synthetic context event node in the synthetic context event database to a particular data store in a data structure, wherein the first pointer and the second pointer associate the particular data store with the particular entity represented in the graph database via the particular synthetic context event node.

2. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein the particular data store describes an activity related to the particular entity.

3. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein the second pointer uses a keyword that is in both the particular synthetic context event node and the particular data store to point to the particular data store.

4. The context-based system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cluster of related graph nodes in the graph database, wherein the first pointer points to a synthetic context event node that contains a descriptor of all attributes of the cluster of related graph nodes and all relationships described by edges that connect the cluster of related graph nodes.

5. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein multiple second pointers point from the particular synthetic context event node to multiple data stores in the data structure.

6. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein a first second pointer from a first synthetic context event node and a second second pointer from a second synthetic context event node point to a same data store in the data structure.

7. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a relational database, and wherein the particular data store is a tuple within the relational database.

8. The context-based system of claim 1, wherein the data structure is a text data structure, and wherein the particular data store describes a study about the particular entity represented in the graph database.

9. A processor-implemented method of searching for data stores related to a set of one or more graph nodes in a graph database, the processor-implemented method comprising:

pointing, by a processor, from a particular graph node in a graph database to a particular synthetic context event node in a synthetic context event database, wherein the particular synthetic context event node represents a synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is fabricated by consolidating information from different sources, wherein the synthetic event is not an actual event, wherein the graph database comprises multiple graph nodes, wherein each of the multiple graph nodes stores an attribute of a particular entity that is described by the particular graph node with relation to the synthetic event, wherein said each of the multiple graph nodes is logically coupled to another graph node by an edge, wherein the edge describes a relationship between entities represented by coupled graph nodes, wherein the synthetic context event database comprises multiple synthetic context event nodes, wherein each of said multiple synthetic context event nodes contains a descriptor of said attribute of the particular entity and said relationship between said particular entity and another entity represented by another graph node; and

pointing, by the processor, from the particular synthetic context event node in the synthetic context event database to a particular data store in a data structure, wherein pointing to the particular synthetic context event node and the particular data store associates the particular data store with the particular entity represented in the graph database via the particular synthetic context event node.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the particular data store describes an activity related to the particular entity.

11. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the second pointer uses a keyword that is in both the particular synthetic context event node and the particular data store to point to the particular data store.

12. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

pointing, by the processor, from a cluster of related graph nodes in the graph database to a specific synthetic context event node, wherein the specific synthetic context event node contains a descriptor of all attributes of the cluster of related graph nodes and all relationships described by edges that connect the cluster of related graph nodes.

13. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, wherein multiple second pointers point from the particular synthetic context event node to multiple data stores in the data structure.

14. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, wherein a first second pointer from a first synthetic context event node and a second second pointer from a second synthetic context event node point to a same data store in the data structure.

15. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the data structure is a relational database, and wherein the particular data store is a tuple within the relational database.

16. The processor-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

retrieving, by the processor, the particular data store.

17. A computer program product for searching for a set of one or more graph nodes in a graph database that are related to a data store in a data structure, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to point from a particular data store in a data structure to a particular synthetic context event node in a synthetic context event database, wherein the particular synthetic context event node represents a synthetic event, wherein the particular synthetic context event node represents a synthetic event, wherein the synthetic event is fabricated by consolidating information from different sources, wherein the synthetic event is not an actual event, wherein the synthetic context event database comprises multiple synthetic context event nodes, wherein the particular synthetic context event node contains a descriptor of an attribute of a particular entity represented by a particular graph node in a graph database with relation to the synthetic event, wherein the particular synthetic context event node further contains a relationship described in an edge between said particular graph node and another graph node in the graph database; and

second program instructions to point from the particular synthetic context event node in the synthetic context event database to the particular graph node in the graph database, wherein pointing to the particular synthetic context event node and the particular graph node associates the particular data store with the particular entity represented by the particular graph node via the particular synthetic context event node; and

wherein

the first and second program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

third program instructions to point from a related graph node in the graph database to a specific synthetic context event node, wherein the related graph node is linked by one or more edge to the particular graph node, and wherein the specific synthetic context event node contains a descriptor of attributes of the related graph node and all relationships described by edges that connect the related graph node to the particular graph node; and

fourth program instructions to point from the specific synthetic context event node to a specific data store in the data structure, wherein the particular data store and the specific data store are different data stores; and

wherein

the third and fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

third program instructions to point from a cluster of related graph nodes in the graph database to a specific synthetic context event node, wherein the cluster of related graph nodes is coupled by at least one edge to the particular graph node, and wherein the specific synthetic context event node contains a descriptor of all attributes of the cluster of related graph nodes and all relationships described by edges that connect the cluster of related graph nodes; and

fourth program instructions to point from the specific synthetic context event node to a specific data store in the data structure, wherein the particular data store and the specific data store are different data stores; and

wherein

the third and fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to retrieve the specific data store; and

wherein the fifth program instructions are stored on computer readable storage medium.