System and methods to configure a query language using an operator dictionary

• US 9,158,768 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lakshminath, Anand, Libenzi, Davide, Song, Guanglei, Sriram, Prasad, Whyte, Nicholas, Tutundjian, Raffi, Henderson, Richard D
• Primary Examiner(s): Spieler, William
• Application Number:
  US13/759,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/784
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2433 Query languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24534 Query rewriting; Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/437 Administration of user profiles, e.g. generation, initialisation, adaptation, distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries

Abstract

A method and a system to configure a query language using an operator dictionary are provided. Dictionary information that corresponds to a first user is generated. The dictionary information includes a first list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types that correspond to each operator in the first list of query operators. A search query to search for document information in a database is received from a first user. The database includes an inverted index. Terms of the search query from the first user are determined to be in accordance with the dictionary information that corresponds to the first user. The search query is applied to the inverted index in the database to identify the document information. The document information is sent to the first user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a dictionary generator module, implemented using the one or more processors, configured to generate dictionary information that corresponds to a first user, the dictionary information includes a first list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types that correspond to each operator in the first list of compatible query operators;

a query receiver module, implemented using the one or more processors, configured to receive, from the first user, a search query to search for document information in a database, the database includes an inverted index;

a query verification module, implemented using the one or more processors, configured to determine that terms of the search query from the first user are in accordance with the dictionary information that corresponds to the first user;

a query processing module, implemented using the one or more processors, configured to apply the search query to the inverted index in the database to identify the document information; and

an presentation module, implemented using the one or more processors, configured to send the document information to the first user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dictionary generator module is further configured to:

generate dictionary information that corresponds to a second user, the dictionary information that corresponds to the second user includes a second list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types that correspond to each operator in the second list of compatible query operators, wherein the dictionary information that corresponds to the second user is different from the dictionary information that corresponds to the first user.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the query receiver module is further configured to:

receive, from the second user, a search query to search for document information in the database, wherein the search query from the second user is different than the search query from the first user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the query verification module is further configured to:

determine, using one or more processors, that the terms of the search query from the second user are in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the second user.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the query receiver module is further configured to:

receive, from the second user, a search query to search for document information in the database, wherein the search query from the second user is identical to the search query from the first user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the query verification module is further configured to:

determine, using one or more processors, that the terms of the search query from the second user are not in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the second user.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the query verification module is configured to determine that an operator in the search query is included in the first list of compatible query operators.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the query verification module is configured to determine that an input to an operator in the search query is described as a compatible data type that is included in the description of compatible data types.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the query verification module is configured to determine that an output of an operation corresponds to an operator in the search query is described as a compatible data type.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the search query is arranged as an expression tree that includes at least one child node coupled to at least one parent node and wherein data included in the at least one child node is an input to an operator included in the at least one parent node.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the query verification module is configured to determine that the data included in the at least one child node is described as a compatible data type to the operator included in the at least one parent node.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating dictionary information corresponding to a second user, the dictionary information corresponding to the second user including a second list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types that correspond to each operator in the second list of compatible query operators, wherein the dictionary information corresponding to the second user is different from the dictionary information corresponding to the first user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from a second user, a search query to search for document information in the database, wherein the search query from the second user is different than the search query from the first user.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the terms of the search query from the second user are in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the second user.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, from the second user, a search query to search for document information in the database, wherein the search query from the second user is identical to the search query from the first user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining the terms of the search query from the second user are not in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the second user.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the search query is arranged as an expression tree including at least one child node coupled to at least one parent node and wherein data included in the at least one child node is an input to an operator included in the at least one parent node.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that terms of the search query are in accordance with the dictionary information includes determining that the data included in the at least one child node is described as a compatible data type to the operator included in the at least one parent node.

12. A method comprising:

generating dictionary information corresponding to a first user, the dictionary information including a first list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types corresponding to each operator in the first list of compatible query operators;

receiving, from the first user, a search query to search for document information in a database, the database including an inverted index;

determining that terms of the search query from the first user are in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the first user,

applying the search query to the inverted index in the database to identify the document information; and

sending the document information to the first user.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

generating dictionary information corresponding to a first user, the dictionary information including a first list of compatible query operators and a description of compatible data types corresponding to each operator in the first list of compatible query operators;

receiving, from the first user, a search query to search for document information in a database, the database including an inverted index;

determining that terms of the search query from the first user are in accordance with the dictionary information corresponding to the first user;

applying the search query to the inverted index in the database to identify the document information; and

sending the document information to the first user.