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Denormalize recursive, unbalanced, and ragged hierarchies

  • US 9,767,176 B2
  • Filed: 08/07/2014
  • Issued: 09/19/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2014
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for transforming an unstructured database, wherein the apparatus transforms the unstructured database into a structured database, the apparatus comprising:

  • a memory;

    a computing processor; and

    a module stored in the memory, said module comprising instruction code executable by one or more computing processors, and configured to cause the one or more computing processors to;

    import an unstructured database into a computing device system, the unstructured database comprising a plurality of entities in an overall hierarchy comprising a highest level and a plurality of levels below the highest level;

    analyze the unstructured database to identify relationships between the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy;

    generate a flattened database by expanding the plurality of entities from higher levels into lower levels of the overall hierarchy such that every entity is present in a lowest level at least once;

    determine one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions and one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions in the overall hierarchy of the unstructured database, wherein;

    the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions having branches of unequal length, andthe one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions are hierarchy portions where at least one entity below the highest level does not have a direct supervisor;

    populate the flattened database according to one or more predetermined rules in order to develop relationships between the one or more instances of unbalanced hierarchy portions, the one or more instances of ragged hierarchy portions and remaining entities of the plurality of entities in the overall hierarchy, wherein the one or more predetermined rules specify that entities in unbalanced hierarchy portions and ragged hierarchy portions will be subordinate to the highest level in the overall hierarchy, and wherein the populating fills empty slots in the overall hierarchy with a next entity in a higher level in a same branch; and

    provide an output of a structured database comprising the populated flattened database.

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