Abstract: A method is described that involves hashing a key value to locate a slot in a primary table, then, hashing the key value to locate a first slot in a secondary table, then, linearly probing the secondary table starting from the first slot.

Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for using a heartbeat signal to maintain data consistency for writes to source storage copied to target storage. A copy relationship associates a source storage and target storage pair, wherein writes received at the source storage are transferred to the target storage. A determination is made whether a signal has been received from a system within a receive signal interval. A freeze operation is initiated to cease receiving writes at the source storage from an application in response to determining that the signal has not been received within the receive signal interval. A thaw operation is initiated to continue receiving write operations at the source storage from applications after a lapse of a freeze timeout in response to the freeze operation, wherein after the thaw operation, received writes completed at the source storage are not transferred to the target storage.

Abstract: An architecture and system for integrating online transactional processing (OLTP) systems with online analytical processing (OLAP) system. The architecture includes a data access layer having one or more data access programs for accessing OLTP data, a service layer having a business intelligence (BI) platform for generating OLAP data, and a data abstraction layer providing a common meta-model for OLTP data integrated with OLAP data. The architecture further includes a user interface presentation layer configured to provide a user interface for displaying a report run on the integrated OLTP and OLAP data.

Abstract: In an information processor which records many contents or has many contents already recorded therein, and can generate an arbitrary combination of the contents, a weight is computed for each of the contents based on either data stored in a history data file (184) or data stored in a display data file (182) and data stored in a filtering data file (181), and a content is selected from the contents stored in a content file (161) based on the weight. The selected content is related with a package corresponding to the data stored in the filtering data file (181).

Abstract: A digital music library builder including an analog-to-digital converter for converting analog audio into digital audio, an optical character processor for recognizing characters within an image, a meta-data extractor for identifying meta-data for a song within the recognized characters, an audio parser for marking the start and end of a song within the digital audio, and a database manager for associating the identified meta-data with the marked song, within a digital music library. A method is also described and claimed.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling the e-commerce purchasing of grouped merchandise and/or services, known as packages, is disclosed. The subject e-commerce system and method comprises a catalog database comprising package data correlated to at least one package; a selection module coupled to the catalog database for allowing a customer to select a package for purchase; and a resolution module coupled to the catalog database for resolving unresolved attributes in the selected package. Preferably, the catalog database further comprises item data correlated to a plurality of items, wherein each item is fully resolved; product data correlated to at least one product, wherein said at least one product comprises at least one unresolved attribute; and attribute data.

Abstract: The intelligent distributed file system enables the storing of file data among a plurality of smart storage units which are accessed as a single file system. The intelligent distributed file system utilizes a metadata data structure to track and manage detailed information about each file, including, for example, the device and block locations of the file's data blocks, to permit different levels of replication and/or redundancy within a single file system, to facilitate the change of redundancy parameters, to provide high-level protection for metadata, to replicate and move data in real-time, and so forth.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods, articles of manufacture and systems for simplifying a query building process by limiting the number of fields presented to a user for building queries. The number of fields presented to the user may be limited by hiding one or more logical fields from the user based on usage characteristics. For example, a logical field that is rarely used or has not been used within a predetermined period of time may be hidden from the user. For some embodiments, a fallout manager may monitor the use of logical fields in building queries, update usage characteristics, and mark logical fields as hidden based on the usage characteristics. A graphical user interface may not present to a user logical fields that have been marked as hidden.

Abstract: A container managed persistent (CMP) enterprise java bean (EJB) framework includes support for accessing multiple data sources within one deployment. A CMP EJB includes a number of different attributes that can be a variety of values. A session EJB that acts as a front-end to the CMP EJP includes a resource reference for each of the different data sources that the entity CMP EJB may utilize. The application server environment includes a map that defines mapping information between the attributes of the CMP EJB and the resource references of the session EJB. Using the mapping information during runtime, the application server connects to the appropriate data source.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in an information retrieval system is provided, which derives related informational items that have a usage based relationship strength, and which results in an efficient and more accurate dynamic relationship association between informational items. This system comprises the steps for detecting a selection of at least a first informational item and a second informational item in an information retrieval session. A relationship type is assigned based on characteristic similarities between the first informational item and the second informational item. Additionally, a relationship strength is assigned based on historical frequency of the consecutive selection of the first and second informational items and providing an access to the second informational item upon detection of the first being accessed by a user of the information retrieval system.

Abstract: Equipment failures are diagnosed using an integrated approach of case-based reasoning (CBR) and statistical reliability analysis. The method outputs a single list of suggested failed components, ranked by an overall probability of failure, and their associated past solutions from the case base. The overall probability of failure is calculated using the combined logic of case based reasoning and statistical reliability analysis. The method is typically used in a real-time decision support system to aid equipment diagnosis by a maintenance technician working in the field.

Abstract: The present invention relates to phonetic self-improving search engines. The search engine may include a phonetic database having a plurality of phonetic equivalent formulas stored therein, each of the phonetic equivalent formulas being associated with at least one respective pronounceable unit. After an initial query in a primary database fails to produce a positive result, an error memory database may be queried with a search string to obtain a positive result based on records of previously failed searches which ultimately found a positive result. If no record is found, the search string may be parsed into at least one pronounceable unit. Phonetically equivalent formulas may be applied to the at least one pronounceable unit to create at least one phonetic search string which is re-queried into the error memory database and the primary database. Successful positive results may be stored with the search string in the error memory database.

Abstract: A query and a factoid type selection are received from a user. An index of passages, indexed based on factoids, is accessed and passages that are related to the query, and that have the selected factoid type, are retrieved. The retrieved passages are ranked and provided to the user based on a calculated score, in rank order.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for automatically classifying a multimedia artifact based on scoring, and selecting the appropriate set of ontologies from among all possible sets of ontologies, preferably using a recursive routing selection technique. The semantic tagging of the multimedia artifact is enhanced by applying only classifiers from the selected ontology, for use in classifying the multimedia artifact, wherein the classifiers are selected based on the context of the multimedia artifact. One embodiment of the invention, directed to a method for classifying a multimedia artifact, uses a specified criteria to select one or more ontologies, wherein the specified criteria indicates the comparative similarity between specified characteristics of the multimedia artifact and each ontology.

Abstract: A method for doing business, wherein a web server maintains a commercial subscriber database including a plurality of records each containing data relating to commercial subscribers including at least name, address and category, and imposes a periodic subscription fee on at least some of the commercial subscribers. On receiving from a client machine connected thereto a request to download data relating to at least one specified category of commercial subscriber, it extracts from the commercial subscriber database respective records and sends to the client machine for display thereby, allows receipt of an update from one or more commercial subscribers in respect of substitute or supplementary data to that contained in the respective database record of the commercial subscribers, and updates the commercial subscriber database as required.

Abstract: A system and method stores electronic legal documents, such as email messages, in a database system such that electronic characteristics associated a native format of the electronic legal documents are substantially preserved. The electronic characteristics that are preserved include metadata and conversational threading information, directory path information, attachments, and other electronic document information. Once in the database system, the stored electronic legal documents are indexed and can be searched by users at terminals. The users at the terminals are provided with access to the database system via a server. The terminals have user interfaces to provide the users with a variety of searching, processing, and saving capabilities, including the ability to follow conversation threads, view attachments, and index and retrieve selected electronic legal documents in a manner that allows use of the stored electronic characteristics.

Abstract: Database systems, methods and/or computer program products provide for multiple but exclusive relationships between tables in a relational database. The multiple but exclusive relationship may be enforced based on a type associated with a record in a relating table. The multiple but exclusive relationship may be a one-to-many or a many-to-many relationship. A foreign key value of a record in a relating table may be selectively associated with a specific one of a plurality of related tables based on at least one attribute of the record containing the foreign key in the relating table. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the foreign key values of a record in the relating table are selectively associated with one of the plurality of related tables by defining a foreign key of records of the relating table and defining a plurality of types of foreign key associations, each of the types corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of related tables.

Abstract: A method of searching a data page in a table space of a database for inserting a data record to a first table, wherein the table space comprises space map pages and sets of data pages, wherein each space map page comprises information about the available storage space of one set of data pages, wherein each space map page and the corresponding set of data pages is further assigned to a table range for each table to which at least one data page in the set of data pages belongs to, wherein the database further comprises a clustering index for the first table in the database management system, wherein the database management system comprises a space usage information database, and wherein the space usage information database holds space usage information for each table range.

Abstract: A method for the use of fractal semantic networks is disclosed, wherein the fractal semantic network contains both semantic units that possess respective information contents as well as link units that describe a relation content that respectively links two semantic units such that the mutual relationship of the two linked semantic units is determined through the relation content. In that case, a knowledge network consists of category units and, as the case may be, additionally of instance units and/or Janus units. For the querying of information, classification and/or selecting of semantic sub-networks in this knowledge network, the networking of semantic units taking into consideration the type, content, composition and/or distance of other semantic units in the respective network environment can be employed. Furthermore, Janus functionality can be employed for the local classification or for the local alteration of the networking of a semantic unit.

Abstract: A method of extracting information from a structured document includes the steps of assigning a partial tree identifier inclusive of a tag identifier to a selected partial tree wherein the tag identifier includes a name of a tag corresponding to a root of the selected partial tree, a name of at least one format attribute of the tag, and a value of the at least one format attribute, arranging names of format attributes in a predetermined order in the tag identifier if the at least one format attribute of the tag includes two or more format attributes, and identifying a partial tree having a partial tree identifier identical to the partial tree identifier of the selected partial tree from a list of partial tree identifiers of partial trees that exist in the structured document after updating thereof.