Curated answers community automatically populated through user query monitoring

• US 8,935,272 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2013
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Alation, Inc.
• Inventors: Ganti, Venkatesh, Kalb, Aaron, Niu, Feng, Sangani, Satyen
• Primary Examiner(s): OBISESAN, AUGUSTINE KUNLE
• Application Number:
  US14/058,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3325 Reformulation based on results of preceding query

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method of a curated answers system includes automatically populating a profile markup page of a user with information describing an initial query of a database that the user has generated using a processor and a memory, determining that another user of the database has submitted a similar query that is semantically proximate to the initial query of the database that the user has generated, and presenting the profile markup page of the user to the other user. The method of the curated answers system may include enabling the other user to communicate with the user through a communication channel on the profile markup page. A question of the other user may be published to the user on the profile markup page of the user, and/or other profile markup page of the other user. The question may be associated as being posted by the other user.

Claims

1. A method of a curated answers system, comprising:

automatically populating a profile markup page of a user with information describing an initial query of a database that the user has generated using a processor and a memory;

determining that another user of the database has submitted a similar query that is semantically proximate to the initial query of the database that the user has generated;

presenting the profile markup page of the user to the another user;

generating a social data catalog table of information about how users are interacting with at least one of the database and a sample database;

populating the social data catalog table with a meta data, a logical definition and description of attributes, information about usage, page views between users, a social data network, and a statistical data profile;

extracting information from external data sources and social media profiles to generate the social data catalog table of information; and

crowd sourcing information from a ranked list of knowledgeable users to generate a ranked order of priority of information presented in profile pages of the curated answers system,

wherein the information about usage includes related tables and join predicates as well as relevant filters associated with each table of at least one of the database and the sample database,

wherein the social data network includes a list of users who are knowledgeable about a particular object related to the another query, and

wherein the information is a metadata is at least one of a schema name, a table in a schema, a name of an attribute, a data type of an attribute, a primary key associated with an attribute, a constraint of an attribute, a functional dependency between attributes, an index, a foreign key, a field name, a column name, a table name, and a query description.

2. The method of the curated answers system of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the another user to communicate with the user through a communication channel on the profile markup page;

publishing a question of the another user to the user on the profile markup page of the user, and another profile markup page of the another user; and

associating the question as being posted by the another user.

3. The method of the curated answers system of claim 2, further comprising:

processing a response of the user to the question;

publishing the response of the user to the question on the profile markup page of the user and the another profile markup page of the another user; and

associating the response as being posted by the user.

4. The method of the curated answers system of claim 3 further comprising:

automatically generating a table indicating a set of profiles associated with different users that have queried the database with a semantically proximate query to the similar query based on overall the user'"'"'s and another user'"'"'s usage of the data objects in the query log;

presenting the table to the another user; and

enabling the another user to communicate with any one of the different users associated with the set of profiles.

5. The method of the curated answers system of claim 4 further comprising:

generating a user group of the another user and the user based on a relevancy between the similar query and the initial query; and

permitting users of the database to associate at least one of an electronic mailing address, a phone number, a biography, a personal photograph, a social media handle, and an educational background with their profile in the set of profiles.

6. The method of the curated answers system of claim 5 further comprising:

automatically populating the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database that the another user has generated,

wherein

the automatically populating the profile markup page of the user with information describing the initial query of the database that the user has generated and

the automatically populating the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database,

are both performed through automatic observation and monitoring of activity of the user and the another user in interacting with the database.

7. The method of the curated answers system of claim 6 further comprising:

generating a data catalog studio comprising a data catalog repository, a data source registrar, a background extraction component, a frontend component, and a user interaction logger;

wherein the data catalog repository

to store the social data catalog,

to store a data object and information about the data object, and to return information about the data object,

to update stored information, and to return a ranked list of relevant data object, and

to search and to return a list of data object of a given type.

8. The method of the curated answers system of claim 7 further comprising:

registering a data source and extracting declared metadata from a schema using the data source registrar;

enabling at least one of the user and the another user to register a data source, upload documentation on the data source, upload the query log, search relevant objects, and browse the schema in the data source using the front end component;

automatically profiling, locating, extracting, and associating a documentation of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source using the background extraction component;

automatically profiling, locating, extracting, and associating a query log of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source using the background extraction component; and

monitoring and logging interactions between the front end component and various users accessing the front end component to add, delete, reorder, modify, and sort information presented in profile pages of users of the curated answers system.

9. A method of a curated answers system, comprising:

automatically populating a profile markup page of a user with information describing an initial query of a database that the user has generated using a processor and a memory;

determining that another user of the database has submitted a similar query that is semantically proximate to the initial query of the database that the user has generated;

presenting the profile markup page of the user to the another user;

enabling the another user to communicate with the user through a communication channel on the profile markup page;

publishing a question of the another user to the user on the profile markup page of the user, and another profile markup page of the another user;

associating the question as being posted by the another user;

processing a response of the user to the question;

publishing the response of the user to the question on the profile markup page of the user and the another profile markup page of the another user;

associating the response as being posted by the user;

generating a social data catalog table of information about how users are interacting with at least one of the database and a sample database;

populating the social data catalog table with a meta data, a logical definition and description of attributes, information about usage, page views between users, a social data network, and a statistical data profile; and

crowdsourcing information from a ranked list of knowledgeable users to generate a ranked order of priority of information presented in profile pages of the curated answers system,

wherein the information about usage includes related tables and join predicates as well as relevant filters associated with each table of at least one of the database and the sample database,

wherein the social data network includes a list of users who are knowledgeable about a particular object related to the another query, and

wherein the information is a metadata is at least one of a schema name, a table in a schema, a name of an attribute, a data type of an attribute, a primary key associated with an attribute, a constraint of an attribute, a functional dependency between attributes, an index, a foreign key, a field name, a column name, a table name, and a query description.

10. The method of the curated answers system of claim 9 further comprising:

automatically generating a table indicating a set of profiles associated with different users that have queried the database with a semantically proximate query to the similar query;

presenting the table to the another user; and

enabling the another user to communicate with any one of the different users associated with the set of profiles.

11. The method of the curated answers system of claim 10 further comprising:

generating a user group of the another user and the user based on a relevancy between the similar query and the initial query; and

permitting users of the database to associate at least one of an electronic mailing address, a phone number, a biography, a personal photograph, a social media handle, and an educational background with their profile in the set of profiles.

12. The method of the curated answers system of claim 11 further comprising:

automatically populating the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database that the another user has generated,

wherein the automatically populating the profile markup page of the user with information describing the initial query of the database that the user has generated and the automatically populating the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database, are both performed through automatic observation and monitoring of activity of the user and the another user in interacting with the database.

13. The method of the curated answers system of claim 12 further comprising:

generating a data catalog studio comprising a data catalog repository, a data source registrar, a background extraction component, a frontend component, and a user interaction logger;

wherein the data catalog repository

to store the social data catalog,

to store a data object and information about the data object, and to return information about the data object,

to update stored information, and to return a ranked list of relevant data object, and

to search and to return a list of data object of a given type.

14. The method of the curated answers system of claim 13 further comprising:

registering a data source and extracting declared metadata from a schema using the data source registrar;

enabling at least one of the user and the another user to register a data source, upload documentation on the data source, upload the query log, search relevant objects, and browse the schema in the data source using the front end component;

automatically profiling, locating, extracting, and associating a documentation of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source using the background extraction component;

automatically profiling, locating, extracting, and associating a query log of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source using the background extraction component;

monitoring and logging interactions between the front end component and various users accessing the front end component to add, delete, reorder, modify, and sort information presented in profile pages of users of the curated answers system;

auto-generating queries about individual data objects comprising a schema, a table, an attribute, and an attribute value to enable users to automatically communicate with expert users on at least one of these individual data objects;

enabling communication with the expert users through a single click methodology in each data page of the data catalog repository; and

auto-generating a question for a user to post based on observed content comprising at least one of a current details of a page, a title of a page, a description of a page, and a further clarification requested by the user prior to a question posting.

15. A curated answers system, comprising a processor and a memory, further comprising:

a data catalog module to automatically populate a profile markup page of a user with information describing an initial query of a database that the user has generated using a processor and a memory;

a social catalog module to determine that another user of the database has submitted a similar query that is semantically proximate to the initial query of the database that the user has generated;

a front end component to present the profile markup page of the user to the another user; and

a social data catalog table;

to generate information about how users are interacting with at least one of the database, a sample database, to populate the social data catalog table with a meta data, a logical definition and description of attributes, information about usage, page views between users, a social data network, and a statistical data profile,

to extract information from external data sources and social media profiles to generate the social data catalog table of information, and

to crowd source information from a ranked list of knowledgeable users to generate a ranked order of priority of information presented in profile pages of the curated answers system,

wherein the information about usage includes related tables and join predicates as well as relevant filters associated with each table of at least one of the database and the sample database,

wherein the social data network includes a list of users who are knowledgeable about a particular object related to the another query, and

wherein the information is a metadata is at least one of a schema name, a table in a schema, a name of an attribute, a data type of an attribute, a primary key associated with an attribute, a constraint of an attribute, a functional dependency between attributes, an index, a foreign key, a field name, a column name, a table name, and a query description.

16. The curated answers system of claim 15, further comprising:

a communication module to enable the another user to communicate with the user through a communication channel on the profile markup page;

a publishing module to publish a question of the another user to the user on the profile markup page of the user, and another profile markup page of the another user,

wherein the social catalog module to associate the question as being posted by the another user.

17. The curated answers system of claim 16, wherein the social catalog module:

to process a response of the user to the question;

to publish the response of the user to the question on the profile markup page of the user and the another profile markup page of the another user; and

to associate the response as being posted by the user.

18. The curated answers system of claim 17, wherein the data catalog module:

to automatically generate a table indicating a set of profiles associated with different users that have queried the database with a semantically proximate query to the similar query;

to present the table to the another user; and

to enable the another user to communicate with any one of the different users associated with the set of profiles.

19. The curated answers system of claim 18 wherein the social catalog module to:

generate a user group of the another user and the user based on a relevancy between the similar query and the initial query; and

permit users of the database to associate at least one of an electronic mailing address, a phone number, a biography, a personal photograph, a social media handle, and an educational background with their profile in the set of profiles.

20. The curated answers system of claim 19, wherein the data catalog module to:

automatically populate the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database that the another user has generated,

wherein

the automatically population the profile markup page of the user with information describing the initial query of the database that the user has generated and

the automatically population the another profile markup page of the another user with information describing the similar query of the database,

are both performed through automatic observation and monitoring of activity of the user and the another user in interacting with the database.

21. The curated answers system of claim 20 wherein the data catalog studio comprising a data catalog repository, a data source registrar, a background extraction component, a frontend component, and a user interaction logger,

wherein the data catalog repository

to store the social data catalog,

to store a data object and information about the data object, and to return information about the data object,

to update stored information, and to return a ranked list of relevant data object, and

to search and to return a list of data object of a given type.

22. The curated answers system of claim 21 wherein

the data source registrar to register a data source and extracting declared metadata from a schema,

the front end component to enable at least one of the user and the another user to register a data source, upload documentation on the data source, upload the query log, search relevant objects, and browse the schema in the data source,

the background extraction component to automatically profile, locate, extract, and associate a documentation of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source,

the background extraction component to automatically profile, locate, extract, and associate a query log of at least one of the user and the another user in the data source, and

the background extraction component to monitor and log interactions between the front end component and various users accessing the front end component to add, delete, reorder, modify, and sort information presented in profile pages of users of the curated answers system.