OFF-LINE LOG SYSTEM

• US 20190005085A1
• Filed: 10/24/2017
• Published: 01/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BAO Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Dharma Platform, Inc.
• Inventors: Nagey, Stefan Anastas, Berns, Jesse Erin
• Granted Patent: US 10,268,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2372 Updates performed during offline database operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

Introduced are systems and methods that enable modification of logs in multiple off-line databases. Multiple off-line devices can mistakenly associate different respondents with the same identification (ID) unique to the system. When the multiple off-line devices synchronize with each other, or synchronize with a server hosting the central database, the software running on the off-line devices, or on the server detects that the modified logs come from different respondents, and the software assigns two different IDs unique to system to the logs. In another embodiment, multiple off-line devices can mistakenly associate the same respondent with two different IDs unique to the system. When the multiple off-line devices synchronize with each other or with the server, the software running on the off-line devices, or the server detects that the modified logs come from the same respondent, and the software assigns the logs to the same ID unique to system.

Claims

1. A method to prevent corruption of a central database associated with a server using a plurality of off-line databases associated with a plurality of off-line devices, the method comprising:

receiving a response to a question in a questionnaire;

based on the response, editing a log in an off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases, the log indicating a received response to the questionnaire, the log comprising at least one record, wherein a record comprises at least one of a name, an age, a gender, a region of origin, a barcode ID, or a radio frequency ID;

storing in the off-line database a timeseries of the log comprising an edited value of the log and a time said editing occurred;

synchronizing the log with a different database comprising at least one of the central database or a second off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases, the different database including a second timeseries comprising a second value and a second time associated with the second value; and

preventing corruption of the different database by determining a correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database to associate with the log, said preventing corruption comprising;

determining a time variability of the log, the time variability indicating a period of time during which the log is expected to remain unchanged;

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the log and the edited value of the log and the second value are substantially identical, indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries correspond to a same ID; and

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the edited log, and the edited value of the log and the second value are substantially different, indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries need to be associated with different IDs.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

correcting the timeseries of the log by analyzing changes in the log over time, and removing a value of an abnormal log significantly different from values of the abnormal log'"'"'s temporal neighbors.

3. A method comprising:

receiving a response to a question in a questionnaire;

based on the response modifying a log in an off-line database in a plurality of off-line databases, said modifying comprising creating a new log in the off-line database or editing an existing log in the off-line database, the log indicating a received response to the questionnaire;

storing in the off-line database the log including a timeseries of the log comprising a modified value of the log and a time said modifying occurred;

synchronizing the log with a different database comprising at least one of a central database or a second off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases, the different database including a second timeseries comprising a second value and a second time associated with the second value; and

preventing corruption of the different database by determining a correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database to associate with the log, said preventing corruption comprising;

determining a time variability of the modified log, the time variability indicating a period of time during which the log is expected to remain unchanged;

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the modified log and the modified value and the second value are substantially identical, indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries correspond to a same ID; and

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the modified log, and the modified value and the second value are substantially different, indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries need to be associated with different IDs.

4. The method of claim 3, the log comprising at least one record, wherein a record comprises at least one of a name, an age, a gender, a region of origin, a barcode ID, or a radio frequency ID.

5. A method of claim 3, said modifying the log comprising:

editing an existing record in the off-line database;

determining that the existing record has a dependent record which varies based on the existing record; and

updating the dependent record.

6. The method of claim 5, said updating the dependent record comprising:

automatically creating a second questionnaire comprising a list of likely values for the dependent record to present to a user; and

receiving a user response to the second questionnaire.

7. The method of claim 6, said automatically creating the second questionnaire comprising:

based on the edited existing record, retrieving from the off-line database a plurality of most popular values associated with the dependent record.

8. The method of claim 5, said updating the dependent record comprising:

providing a notification to a user that the dependent record needs to be updated.

9. A method of claim 3, said modifying the log comprising:

receiving from a user the log to add to the off-line database and a dependency between the log and a dependent log;

creating the log and the dependency in the off-line database;

automatically creating a second questionnaire comprising a list of likely values for the dependent log to present to the user; and

receiving a user response to the second questionnaire.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the log comprises a plurality of records;

said determining the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database comprising;

retrieving from the different database a second log associated with a first identification (ID), the first ID associated with the log, the second log comprising a second plurality of records, wherein the different database comprises at least one of the central database or the second off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases;

based on the plurality of records, formulating a criterion indicating that the log and the second log are the same;

based on the log and the second log determining that the criterion is not satisfied; and

associating the log with a second ID unique to the off-line database and the different database, wherein the second ID is the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database, and wherein the second ID and the first ID are different.

11. The method of claim 10, said formulating the criterion comprising:

based on the plurality of records and a time variability associated with each record in the plurality of records, creating a prioritized list of records, wherein a record least likely to change over time is at the top of the prioritized list of records; and

formulating the criterion to state that when at least one record at the top of the prioritized list of records is different between the log and the second log, the log and the second log are different.

12. The method of claim 10, said determining the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database comprising:

retrieving from the different database a third log associated with the second ID, the third log comprising a third plurality of records;

based on the plurality of records, formulating the criterion indicating that the log and the third log are the same;

based on the log and the third log determining that the criterion is satisfied; and

associating the log with the second ID unique to the off-line database and the different database.

13. The method of claim 3, comprising:

generating a large random number; and

generating a first ID associated with the log by a device associated with the off-line database by combining a device ID, a time when collection of the log started, and the large random number.

14. The method of claim 3, comprising:

detecting a presence of a second device in a plurality of off-line devices; and

synchronizing the off-line database with the second off-line database associated with the second device.

15. The method of claim 3, comprising:

detecting an availability of an Internet connection; and

synchronizing the off-line database with the central database.

16. The method of claim 3, comprising:

receiving from at least two off-line databases a plurality of modifications to the log, a modification to the log in the plurality of modifications to the log comprising a value and a time at which the value was entered; and

recording the timeseries of the log, wherein the timeseries orders the plurality of modifications to the log from oldest to most recent.

17. A system comprising:

a central database associated with a server;

a plurality of off-line databases associated with a plurality of off-line devices;

a processor;

a storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform a computer-implemented operation, the instructions comprising;

instructions for receiving a response to a question in a questionnaire;

instructions for based on the response modifying a log in an off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases, said modifying comprising creating a new log in the off-line database or editing an existing log in the off-line database, the log indicating a received response to the questionnaire;

instructions for storing in the off-line database a timeseries of the log comprising a modified value of the log and a time said modifying occurred;

instructions for synchronizing the log with a different database comprising at least one of the central database or a second off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases, the different database comprising a second timeseries comprising a second value and a second time associated with the second value; and

instructions for preventing corruption of the different database by determining a correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database to associate with the log, the instructions comprising;

instructions for determining a time variability of the modified log, the time variability indicating a period of time during which the log is expected to remain unchanged;

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the modified log and the modified value and the second value are substantially identical, instructions for indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries correspond to a same ID; and

when the time of the timeseries and the second time of the second timeseries are within the time variability of the modified log, and the modified value and the second value are substantially different, instructions for indicating that the timeseries and the second timeseries need to be associated with different IDs.

18. The system of claim 17, the log comprising at least one record, wherein a record comprises at least one of a name, an age, a gender, a region of origin, a barcode ID, or a radio frequency ID.

19. A system of claim 17, the instructions for modifying the log comprising:

instructions for editing an existing record in the off-line database;

instructions for determining that the existing record has a dependent record which varies based on the existing record; and

instructions for updating the dependent record.

20. The system of claim 19, the instructions for updating the dependent record comprising:

instructions for automatically creating a second questionnaire comprising a list of likely values for the dependent record to present to a user; and

instructions for receiving a user response to the second questionnaire.

21. The system of claim 20, the instructions for updating the dependent record comprising:

instructions for providing a notification to the user that the dependent record needs to be updated.

22. A system of claim 17, the instructions for modifying the log comprising:

instructions for receiving from a user the log to add to the off-line database and a dependency between the log and a dependent log;

instructions for creating the log and the dependency in the off-line database;

instructions for automatically creating a second questionnaire comprising a list of likely values for the dependent log to present to the user; and

instructions for receiving a user response to the second questionnaire.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the log comprises a plurality of records;

instructions for determining the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database comprising;

instructions for retrieving from the different database a second log associated with a first ID, the first ID associated with the log, the second log comprising a second plurality of records, wherein the different database comprises at least one of the central database or the second off-line database in the plurality of off-line databases;

instructions for, based on the plurality of records, formulating a criterion indicating that the log and the second log are the same;

instructions for, based on the log and the second log determining that the criterion is not satisfied; and

instructions for associating the log with a second ID unique to the off-line database and the different database, wherein the second ID is the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database, and wherein the second ID and the first ID are different.

24. The system of claim 23, the instructions for formulating the criterion comprising:

instructions for, based on the plurality of records and a time variability associated with each record in the plurality of records, creating a prioritized list of records, wherein a record least likely to change over time is at the top of the prioritized list of records; and

instructions for formulating the criterion to state that when at least one record at the top of the prioritized list of records is different between the log and the second log, the log and the second log are different.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the log comprises a plurality of records;

instructions for determining the correct ID unique to the off-line database and the different database comprising;

instructions for retrieving from the different database a second log associated with a second ID, the second log comprising a second plurality of records;

instructions for, based on the plurality of records, formulating a criterion indicating that the log and the second log are the same;

based on the log and the second log determining that the criterion is satisfied; and

associating the log with the second ID unique to the off-line database and the different database.

26. The system of claim 25, instructions for formulating the criterion comprising:

instructions for determining that a record in the plurality of records and a corresponding record in the second plurality of records correspond to each other;

instructions for determining a time variability associated with the record in the plurality of records and the corresponding record in the second plurality of records, wherein the time variability specifies a time period during which the record and the corresponding record are expected to remain unchanged;

instructions for retrieving the time when the record was modified and a third time when the corresponding record was entered; and

instructions for formulating the criterion to state that when a predetermined number of records between the plurality of records and the second plurality of records match, the log and the second log are the same.

28. The system of claim 17, comprising:

instructions for detecting a presence of a second device in the plurality of off-line devices;

instructions for synchronizing the off-line database with the second off-line database associated with the second device.

29. The system of claim 17, comprising:

instructions for detecting an availability of an Internet connection; and

instructions for synchronizing the off-line database with the central database.

30. The system of claim 17, comprising:

instructions for receiving from at least two off-line databases a plurality of modifications to the log, a modification to the log in the plurality of modifications to the log comprising a value and a time at which the value was entered; and

instructions for recording the timeseries of the log, wherein the timeseries orders the plurality of modifications to the log from oldest to most recent.

27. The system of 17, comprising:

instructions for generating a large random number; and

instructions for generating a first ID associated with the log by a device associated with the off-line database by combining a device ID, a time when collection of the log started, and the large random number.