System and method to customize metadata for different users running on the same infrastructure

• US 9,286,362 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lotikar, Rohit M., Ma, Qian, Oppenheim, Daniel V., Polavarapu, Ramana V., Ratakonda, Krishna C., Srivastava, Biplav
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruiz, Angelica
• Application Number:
  US12/567,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/705
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A metadata management system and method enables complex query searches by users, e.g., different users having different query needs, using the same infrastructure. For querying metadata, the metadata management system provides functionality for aggregating all the concepts (metadata items) and relationships of the metadata across one or more users in a common format; extracting concepts and storing them in a metadata store (e.g., a relational database); extracting relationships and modeling them in a standard semantic representation. The system and method further records users'"'"' different needs on relationships into user-specific configuration files. The system is configured for retrieving, in response to a user query, relevant data items by using the meta-data selectively. In one embodiment, a selection of meta-data used in the retrieving is determined according to captured context information.

Claims

1. A system for retrieving data comprising:

a memory storage device defining a meta-data repository that stores at least one meta-data item belonging to each of an element and a relationship type meta-data;

a processor device in communications with the memory storage device, wherein the system is capable of performing a method comprising;

storing, in the meta-data repository, at least one meta-data item belonging to each of an element type and a relationship type meta-data;

storing at least one data item in a data repository;

capturing a relationship between the at least one meta-data item and a data item including a context in which the relationship was generated;

extracting, from data items stored in said data repository, said meta-data items;

aggregating data and meta-data items and relationships thereof across one or more users in a structured file format;

parsing the structured file format to extract data representing concepts, and to extract relationships;

using a profile editor tool to permit a user, via a connected user device, to select relationships from the extracted relationships, the selected relationships being relationships that the user wants to consider during data queries;

recording said user'"'"'s selections as a profile for that user; and

retrieving, in response to a user query comprising at least requested data items, relevant data items by parsing said user profile to dynamically determine kinds of relationships a user wants to consider, and obtaining relevant relationships based on said user profile and said requested data items, wherein a selection of meta-data used in the retrieving is determined according to said user profile and the captured context information;

wherein the selection of meta-data further includes contextual information about the retrieval query; and

wherein the contextual information about the retrieval query further includes a description of when the query was generated.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, where the contextual information about the retrieval query further includes a description of one or more of:

by who or where the query was generated.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface via which a user customizes the relationships among the meta-data items specified in said user'"'"'s profile, wherein said user customizes the relationships among the meta-data items in said user profile via said user interface in real-time.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein, via said user interface, said user is enabled to change the customization on relationships specified in said user'"'"'s profile, by re-configuring the user'"'"'s selection without disrupting the meta-data repository.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the system is capable of further performing:

storing said extracted concepts in the meta-data repository and storing a relationship type meta-data item in a semantic support representation.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a relationship among one or more meta-data items includes EQUAL_TO, CONTAINS, INVERSE_OF, SUBTYPE_OF, LARGER_THAN, and SMALLER_THAN.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said semantic support representation is based on a Resource Description Framework specification.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said structured file format includes an extensible markup language format.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metadata store meta-data repository includes a relational data store.

10. A method for retrieving data comprising:

storing, in a meta-data repository, at least one meta-data item belonging to each of an element type and a relationship type meta-data;

storing at least one data item in a data repository;

capturing a relationship between the at least one meta-data item and a data item including a context in which the said relationship was generated;

extracting, from data items stored in said data repository, said meta-data items;

aggregating data and meta-data items and relationships thereof across one or more users in a structured file format;

parsing the structured file format to extract data representing concepts, and to extract relationships;

using a profile editor tool to permit a user, via a connected user device, to select relationships from the extracted relationships, the selected relationships being relationships that the user wants to consider during data queries;

recording said user'"'"'s selections as a profile for that user;

retrieving, in response to a user query comprising at least requested data items, relevant data items by parsing said user profile to dynamically determine kinds of relationships a user wants to consider, and obtaining relevant relationships based on said user profile and said requested data items, wherein a selection of meta-data used in the retrieving is determined according to said user profile and the captured context information,

wherein a processor unit runs a program to execute one or more of said storing, capturing, using and retrieving;

wherein the selection of meta-data further includes contextual information about the retrieval query; and

wherein the contextual information about the retrieval query further includes a description of when the query was generated.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

providing a user interface via which a user customizes the relationships among the concepts.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a user customizes the relationships among the meta-data via said user interface in real-time.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

enabling, via said user interface, said user to change the customization on relationships specified in said user'"'"'s profile by re-configuring the user'"'"'s selection without disrupting the meta-data repository.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising:

storing said extracted concepts in the meta-data repository and storing a relationship type meta-data item in a semantic support representation.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a relationship among one or more meta-data items includes EQUAL_TO, CONTAINS, INVERSE_OF, SUBTYPE_OF, LARGER_THAN, and SMALLER_THAN.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said semantic support representation is based on a Resource Description Framework specification.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said structured file format includes an extensible markup language format.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said metadata store the meta-data repository includes a relational data store.

19. A computer program product for retrieving data, the computer program product comprising:

a storage device readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

storing, in a meta-data repository, at least one meta-data item belonging to each of an element type and a relationship type meta-data;

storing at least one data item in a data repository;

capturing a relationship between the at least one meta-data item and a data item including a context in which the said relationship was generated;

extracting, from data items stored in said data repository, said metadata meta-data items;

aggregating data and meta-data items and relationships thereof across one or more users in a structured file format;

parsing the structured file format to extract data representing concepts, and to extract relationships;

using a profile editor tool to permit a user, via a connected user device, to select relationships from the extracted relationships, the selected relationships being relationships that the user wants to consider during data queries;

recording said user'"'"'s selections as a profile for that user;

retrieving, in response to a user query comprising at least requested data items, relevant data items by parsing said user profile to dynamically determine kinds of relationships a user wants to consider, and obtaining relevant relationships based on said user profile and, said requested data items, wherein a selection of meta-data used in the retrieving is determined according to said user profile and the captured context information,

wherein a processor unit runs a program to execute one or more of said storing, capturing, using and retrieving;

wherein the selection of meta-data further includes contextual information about the retrieval query; and

wherein the contextual information about the retrieval query further includes a description of when the query was generated.