Node cluster relationships in a graph database

• US 9,741,138 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Friedlander, Robert R., Kraemer, James R., Linton, Jeb R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Drennan, Barry
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRINGLE-PARKER, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US13/648,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20140098101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,777 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/28 Databases characterised by their database models, e.g. relational or object models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs

Abstract

A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product manages nodes in a graph database. Graph nodes in a graph database are organized into graph node clusters. A cluster edge, which describes a relationship between two of the graph node clusters, is generated to logically associate those two graph node clusters with one another.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of improving a computer system, the processor-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a data stream that describes graph nodes in a non-hierarchical graph database, wherein each of the graph nodes represents a synthetic context-based object, and wherein synthetic context-based objects are generated by;

associating, by the processor, a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, and wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object, wherein the synthetic context-based object, the non-contextual data object, and the context object are in a same processing and storage logic, and wherein the synthetic context-based object points to the non-contextual data object and the context object;

defining, by the processor, multiple graph node clusters from the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the multiple graph node clusters share a common non-contextual data object;

generating, by the processor, a cluster edge between two graph node clusters from the multiple graph node clusters in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the cluster edge describes a relationship between the two graph node clusters by identifying the common non-contextual data object;

transmitting, by the processor, only information in the cluster edge to a party that is not allowed to view contents of the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein transmitting only the information in the cluster edge enhances security of the non-hierarchical graph database;

communicating, by the processor, the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes to a cache at a remote location, wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces communication bandwidth consumption for a network that is coupled to the cache, and wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces an amount of storage consumed in the cache; and

executing, by the processor, a computation using only information stored in the cache that came from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes, wherein execution of the computation is improved by using only information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a display of the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the non-hierarchical graph database comprises the two graph node clusters, the cluster edge, and details of the relationship between the two graph node clusters.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graph nodes represent data nodes.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining, by the processor, synthetic context-based objects that each contain a same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a first set of context objects into a first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

combining, by the processor, synthetic context-based objects that each contain the same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a second set of different context objects into a second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster; and

displaying, by the processor, the same non-contextual data object in a context-based cluster edge that links the first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster to the second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining, by the processor, synthetic context-based objects that each contain a different non-contextual data object from a first set of non-contextual data objects and a same context object into a first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

combining, by the processor, synthetic context-based objects that each contain a different non-contextual data object from a second set of non-contextual data objects and the same context object into a second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster; and

displaying, by the processor, the same context object in a context-based cluster edge that links the first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster to the second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two graph node clusters is empty, wherein an empty graph node cluster provides a structure for holding graph nodes at a future time.

7. A computer program product for improving a computer system, the computer program product comprising a tangible non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a data stream that describes graph nodes in a non-hierarchical graph database;

defining multiple graph node clusters from the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database;

generating a cluster edge between two graph node clusters from the multiple graph node clusters in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the cluster edge describes a relationship between the two graph node clusters, and wherein the relationship between the two graph node clusters comprises a description of an upstream connection from one of the graph node clusters to an upstream node cluster, and wherein the relationship between the two graph node clusters comprises a description of a downstream connection from one of the graph node clusters to a downstream node cluster;

transmitting only information in the cluster edge to a party that is not allowed to view contents of the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein transmitting only the information in the cluster edge enhances security of the non-hierarchical graph database;

communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes to a cache at a remote location, wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces communication bandwidth consumption for a network that is coupled to the cache, and wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces an amount of storage consumed in the cache; and

executing a computation using only information stored in the cache that came from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes, wherein execution of the computation is improved by using only information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein program code further comprises instructions that are readable and executable by the processor for:

generating a display of the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the non-hierarchical graph database comprises the two graph node clusters and the cluster edge.

9. The computer program product of claim 7 wherein the graph nodes represent data nodes.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the graph nodes represent synthetic context-based objects, and wherein program code further comprises instructions that are readable and executable by the processor for:

associating a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, and wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein program code further comprises instructions that are readable and executable by the processor for:

combining synthetic context-based objects that each contain a same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a first set of context objects into a first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

combining synthetic context-based objects that each contain the same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a second set of different context objects into a second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster; and

displaying the same non-contextual data object in a context-based cluster edge that links the first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster to the second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein program code further comprises instructions that are readable and executable by the processor for:

combining synthetic context-based objects that each contain a different non-contextual data object from a first set of non-contextual data objects and a same context object into a first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

combining synthetic context-based objects that each contain a different non-contextual data object from a second set of non-contextual data objects and the same context object into a second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster; and

displaying the same context object a context-based cluster edge that links the first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster to the second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein at least one of the two graph node clusters is empty, wherein an empty graph node cluster provides a structure for holding graph nodes at a future time.

14. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to receive a data stream that describes graph nodes in a non-hierarchical graph database;

second program instructions to define multiple graph node clusters from the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database; and

third program instructions to generate a cluster edge between two graph node clusters from the multiple graph node clusters in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the cluster edge describes a relationship between the two graph node clusters;

fourth program instructions to associate a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, and wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object;

fifth program instructions to combine synthetic context-based objects that each contain a same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a first set of different context objects into a first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

sixth program instructions to combine synthetic context-based objects that each contain the same non-contextual data object and a different context object from a second set of different context objects into a second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

seventh program instructions to display the same non-contextual data object in a context-based cluster edge that links the first synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster to the second synthetic context-based objects graph node cluster;

eighth program instructions to transmit only information in the cluster edge to a party that is not allowed to view contents of the graph nodes in the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein transmitting only the information in the cluster edge enhances security of the non-hierarchical graph database;

ninth program instructions to communicate the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes to a cache at a remote location, wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces communication bandwidth consumption for a network that is coupled to the cache, and wherein communicating the information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes reduces an amount of storage consumed in the cache; and

tenth program instructions to execute a computation using only information stored in the cache that came from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes, wherein execution of the computation is improved by using only information from the cluster edge without the content of the graph nodes; and

wherein

the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

eleventh program instructions generate a display of the non-hierarchical graph database, wherein the non-hierarchical graph database comprises the two graph node clusters and the cluster edge; and

wherein

the eleventh program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

16. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the graph nodes represent data nodes.

17. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the relationship between the two graph node clusters comprises a description of an upstream connection from one of the graph node clusters to an upstream node cluster.

18. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the relationship between the two graph node clusters comprises a description of a downstream connection from one of the graph node clusters to a downstream node cluster.

19. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the non-contextual data is meaningless without the context objects.