Non-exclusionary search within in-memory databases

• US 9,916,368 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Finch Computing LLC (Qbase, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Qbase, LLC
• Inventors: Lightner, Scott, Weckesser, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US15/052,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24532 of parallel queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2468 Fuzzy queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries

Abstract

Methods for non-exclusionary searching within clustered in-memory databases are disclosed. The non-exclusionary search methods may allow the execution of searches where the results may include records where fields specified in the query are not populated or defined. The disclosed methods include the application of fuzzy matching and scoring algorithms, which enables the system to search, score and compare records with different schemata. This may significantly improve the recall of relevant records.

Claims

1. A method of non-exclusionary searching, the method comprising:

generating, by a first server, a second query based on a first query, wherein the first query is received from a client, wherein the first query comprises a first parameter and a second parameter;

sending, by the first server, the second query to a second server;

querying, by the second server, an in-memory database hosted on a third server, wherein the in-memory database stores a first collection and a second collection, wherein the first collection comprises a first plurality of records according to a first schema, wherein the second collection comprises a second plurality of records according to a second schema;

receiving, by the second server, a result based on the querying, wherein the result comprises a first record from the first plurality of records based on the first parameter and a second record from the second plurality of records based on the second parameter;

sending, by the second server, the result to the first server; and

sending, by the first server, the result to the client.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first record or the second record comprises a field, and further comprising:

matching, by the second server, the field satisfying at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter based on a type of data associated with the field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first record or the second record comprises a field, and further comprising:

assigning, by the second server, a score to the field based on a number of matches between a content of the field and at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the score is based on a set of instructions comprised in the second query.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second query comprises a threshold value, wherein the score satisfies the threshold value.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

sorting, by the second server, the first record and the second record based on the score.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first query comprises a field, and further comprising:

processing, by the first server, the field in accordance with the first query in response to determining, by the first server, that a field processing request is comprised in the first query.

8. A system comprising:

a first hardware server, a second hardware server, and a third hardware server,

wherein the first server is programmed to generate a second query based on a first query, wherein the first query is received from a client, wherein the first query comprises a first parameter and a second parameter, wherein the first server is programmed to send the second query to the second server, wherein the second server is programmed to query an in-memory database hosted on the third server, wherein the in-memory database stores a first collection and a second collection, wherein the first collection comprises a first plurality of records according to a first schema, wherein the second collection comprises a second plurality of records according to a second schema, wherein the second server is programmed to receive a result based on the querying, wherein the result comprises a first record from the first plurality of records based on the first parameter and a second record from the second plurality of records based on the second parameter, wherein the second server is programmed to send the result to the first server, wherein the first server is programmed to send the result to the client.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first record or the second record comprises a field, wherein the second server is programmed to match the field satisfying at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter based on a type of data associated with the field.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first record or the second record comprises a field, wherein the second server is programmed to assign a score to the field based on a number of matches between a content of the field and at least one of the first parameter or the second parameter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the score is based on a set of instructions comprised in the second query.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the second query comprises a threshold value, wherein the score satisfies the threshold value.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the second server is programmed to sort the first record and the second record based on the score.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the first query comprises a field, wherein the first server is programmed to process the field in accordance with the first query in response to determining, by the first server, that a field processing request is comprised in the first query.