Abstract: In an embodiment, a portion of the execution plan is executed to produce a portion of records in a partial result set. If a first join of a table is performed that eliminates more than a first threshold number of records from the partial result set, a determination is made whether an estimated cost of a forced primary join is less than an estimated cost of a star join. If the estimated cost of the forced primary join is less than the estimated cost of the star join, then the table is moved first in a join order in the execution plan, the portion of the records in the partial result set is discarded, and the execution is re-started with a different portion of the execution plan to produce a different portion of the records.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for delivering content to a user so as to optimize and enhance the “experience” of the content. In one embodiment, an optimization and monitoring entity (OME) is used which determines, evaluates, and provides notification and/or recommendation of alternative content delivery platforms which are available to a user. The OME receives requests for content forwarded from a content server containing information identifying requesting devices and/or subscriber accounts. The OME examines the capabilities of the registered devices, and identifies/recommends alternative devices based on e.g., video/audio quality, picture size, bandwidth availability, and/or any other additional capabilities of the client devices. A notification is then sent to the client devices indicating which of the user's devices may receive the content alternatively, or in addition to, the requesting device. The notifications may be interactive, allowing the user to select one or more of the devices for delivery.

Abstract: A system for generating field values of mortgage forms. The system includes a database, a calculation module, a monitoring module. The database contains jurisdictional tax and fee information used to calculate field values for the mortgage form. The calculation module is configured to calculate field values for the mortgage form and to generate a transaction log for mortgage and related transactions. The monitoring module communicates with the database and identifies when changes in the field values of tax and fee information occur in the transaction log, and report those changes to the affected lender.

Abstract: Techniques described herein perform an index backbone join of data that is contained within two or more tables. Significantly, key data are selected from the indices constructed on the tables, and such data are filtered by the query-indicated criteria, before any data is selected from the tables themselves. Row identifiers of the rows remaining after the index filtering has been performed are then used to select the qualifying rows (only) from the tables. Data selected from the tables is joined to produce query results. Because all of the filtering is performed based on index entries prior to any table access, and because index access is typically much faster than table access, queries whose results require very large quantities of data from multiple tables can be performed much more quickly.

Abstract: Techniques are described herein for pricing access to data using contribution analysis. A user may issue a query to a store that stores data. The store may analyze a subset of the data to determine a result that is to be provided to the user in response to the query. The subset is referred to as contribution data. A data access price calculator performs a contribution analysis to determine a price to be charged to the user to access the result. The contribution analysis takes into consideration a number of rows and/or columns of data in the contribution data, a number of rows and/or columns of data in the result, functions used during the store's analysis of the contribution data, or a combination thereof. The data access price calculator may derive such information from an indicator that is received from the store and/or to some extent from the result itself.

Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for dictionary encoding data without using three-valued logic is provided. According to one embodiment of the invention, a method includes encoding data in a database table using a dictionary, wherein the data includes values representing NULLs. A query having a predicate is received and the predicate is evaluated on the encoded data, whereby the predicate is evaluated on both the encoded data and on the encoded NULLs.

Abstract: Techniques for determining whether an XML query may be written are provided. In one scenario, an XML query includes an expandable path, which is a path expression that includes a wildcard character (*) or a descendant axis (//). An XML schema is used to generate multiple expanded paths (each of which is a simple path expression) from the expandable path. The XML schema is used to compare each expanded path to another expanded path and to determine whether the nodes identified by the respective expanded paths are guaranteed to occur in a particular order in XML documents that conform to the XML schema. In another scenario, an XML query includes an order operator that takes two paths as input. Similarly, an XML schema is used to compare the two paths and to determine whether the nodes identified by the two paths are guaranteed to occur in a particular order in XML documents that conform to the XML schema.

Abstract: A computer program product that includes a computer useable storage medium to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform operations, including operations to receive a query for which a query execution plan (QEP) is to be computed, divide a search space into a plurality of subproblems for which constituent QEPs are to be created, partition the plurality of subproblems into a plurality of partitions, and allocate each of the plurality of partitions to a thread of a plurality of threads within a multiple thread architecture. Possible QEPs describe a search space. Each subproblem references one or more quantifiers and each of the subproblems within a partition references the same number of quantifiers. A partition containing subproblems referencing fewer quantifiers is executed before a partition containing subproblems referencing more quantifiers.

Abstract: It is provided a computer system for processing stream data, in which queries that are set in advance are executed to output a result. The queries include a first query, a second query and a third query. The first query is executed to output a first intermediate result. The second query is executed to output a second intermediate result. The third query is executed with inputting the first intermediate result and the second intermediate result to output the result. The computer system extracts first contribution information including part of the first stream data contribute to the first intermediate result, extracts second contribution information including part of the first stream data contribute to the second intermediate result, extracts third contribution information including part of the first stream data contribute to the result, and holds relation between the result and the third contribution information.

Abstract: A method, system and computer memory for optimally de-identifying a dataset is provided. The dataset from a storage device. The equivalence classes within the dataset is determined. A lattice is determined defining anonymization strategies. A solution set for the lattice is generated. Optimal node from the solution set is determined. The dataset is then de-identified using the generalization defined by the optimal node and can then be stored on the storage device.

Abstract: Pursuant to receipt of a data modification command or statement, such as an Update command, it is determined which fields in a data structure, such as a UDT, computed column, indexed view, or index, for example, will be changed as a result of the command. Only those fields that are affected by the command will be changed. Thus, changes are propagated to only to those dependent data structures whose content is being modified. Tree representations are used to facilitate the determination as to whether a subfield in a hierarchy is changed.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for segmenting and labeling a collection of token sequences. A plurality of segments of one or more tokens in a token sequence collection are partially labeled with labels from a set of target labels using high precision domain-specific labelers so as to generate a partially labeled sequence collection having a plurality of labeled segments and a plurality of unlabeled segments. Any label conflicts in the partially labeled sequence collection are resolved. One or more of the labeled segments of the partially labeled sequence collection are expanded so as to cover one or more additional tokens of the partially labeled sequence collection. A statistical model, for labeling segments using local token and segment features of the sequence collection, is trained based on the partially labeled sequence collection. This trained model is then used to label the unlabeled segments and the labeled segments of the sequence collection so as to generate a labeled sequence collection.

Abstract: A method for controlling a relational database system, with a query statement comprised of keywords being analyzed, with the RTN being formed of independent RTN building blocks. Each RTN building block has an inner, directed decision graph which is defined independently from the inner, directed decision graphs of the other RTN building blocks with at least one decision position along at least one decision path. The inner decision graphs of all RTN building blocks are run by means of the keywords in a selection step and all possible paths of this decision graph are followed until either no match with the respectively selected path is determined by the decision graph and the process is interrupted, or the respectively chosen path is run until the end.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method, apparatus and article of manufacture for optimizing a database query. Resource usage of one or more resources of the computer system are monitored. A condition code representative of the monitored resource usage is stored. A cost model is modified using the stored condition code. A query execution plan is generated for the database query using the modified cost model. The query execution plan is then executed in order to retrieve data from a database stored on the computer system, wherein the retrieved data is presented to a user for subsequent use and analysis.

Abstract: Query aware processing. An example method of processing mark-up language documents includes receiving a plurality of conditions and desired output format from a plurality of clients, and a mark-up language document. The method also includes determining whether the mark-up language document satisfies the plurality of conditions. If the mark-up language document satisfies at least one condition of the plurality of conditions then at least one of unparsed mark-up language document, part of the unparsed mark-up language document, a document object model of the mark-up language document, and part of the document object model of the mark-up language document is provided based on the desired output format.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention relate to oblivious transfer protocols and to system for performing oblivious transfer. Embodiments of the present invention include a private data sampling protocol that is designed to balance the competing privacy interest of a database user and a database owner. Protocol embodiments enable the database user to obtain a fixed size random sample of the available data held by the database owner without the database owner learning which bits of data were accessed.

Abstract: A computer implemented system and method includes obtaining a query referring to rows in a relational database. A sparse index of the database that has a set of rows that is a subset of the rows referred to in the query is obtained. Rows referred to in the query that are not in the sparse index are then obtained and a union of such rows and the rows of the sparse index is performed to obtain a complete row set for processing the query.

Abstract: A system and method include obtaining a query and identifying an aggregate join index (AJI) at a high level of aggregation. The dimension table may be rolled-up with the grouping key being the union of the grouping key in the AJI and the grouping key of the query. The identified AJI is joined with the rolled-up dimension table to obtain columns in the query that are not in the identified AJI. The joined AJI and rolled-up dimension table are then rolled up to answer the query.

Abstract: A method including extracting data spanning a computational interval from a plurality of database tables in an optimized manner, creating an array of each column of data that is extracted, accessing each array via a standardized programmatic interface to manipulate the data, if needed to perform computations, normalizing the accessed data to a common interval or interpolating the accessed data to derive missing items based on the common interval, performing the computations on the accessed data, and outputting results of the computations to a storage medium or an output device. A corresponding system and computer program product.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for aggregating database queries for energy efficiency. In one embodiment, queries received by a DBMS are aggregated and staged according to hard-disk drives required for query execution. Each group of queries accessing a given drive may be dispatched for execution together. Further, the queries received by a DBMS may be matched to patterns of previously received queries. The matching patterns may be used to predict other queries which are likely to be received by the DBMS. The received queries may be staged to be dispatched with the predicted queries. By aggregating queries to be executed, access to each hard-disk drive may be optimized, thus reducing the overall energy consumption required for executing the queries.

Abstract: Techniques for transforming records prior to loading the records into a data warehouse in an efficient manner. In one embodiment, instead of using lookup transformations, a database operation such as an outer join operation is used to transform records stored in a fact staging table to add foreign keys to the records corresponding to the dimension tables that are associated with a fact table in a data warehouse to which the records are to be loaded. Since the outer join operation is memory intensive, a determination is made as to which dimension tables from the multiple dimension tables associated with the fact table are suitable, from a performance perspective, for the outer join operation. Only those suitable dimension tables are outer joined to the fact staging table to add the foreign keys for the outer joined dimension tables to the fact staging table records. Lookup transformations may be used to add foreign keys to the fact staging table records for the non-suitable dimension tables.

Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, modules and clients relate to expanded, pruned sample table for testing database queries against a base table. The expanded, pruned sample table is formed from the base table by a process of initial sampling, synthesis, and pruning.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a system, method and article of manufacture for accessing data represented abstractly through an abstraction model. In one embodiment, a data repository abstraction layer provides a logical view of an underlying data repository that is independent of the particular manner of data representation. A query abstraction layer is also provided and is based on the data repository abstraction layer. A runtime component performs conversion of an abstract query (i.e., a request for results or a request to modify data) into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation. Abstract and/or physical queries are transformed according to model entities which define a relationship between logical fields of the data repository abstraction layer.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product provides improved performance for rebuild of user-defined indexes during partition maintenance operations (partition split, merge, and move). A method of maintaining a index of a partitioned database table comprises performing a partition maintenance operation on the partitioned database table wherein a plurality of rows of the partitioned database table are moved from one partition to another, storing mapping information for at least some of the plurality of moved rows, including an old mapping for each of the moved rows and a corresponding new mapping for each of the moved rows, and when rebuilding the index, replacing an old mapping in the index for each of the plurality of moved rows with the corresponding stored new mapping for each of the plurality of moved rows.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for operating a high speed data stream management system which runs a query plan including a set of queries on a data feed in the form of a stream of tuples. A predicate prefilter is placed outside the query plan upstream of the set of queries, and includes predicates selected from those used by the queries. Predicates are selected for inclusion in the prefilter based on a cost heuristic, and predicates are combined into composites using a rectangle mapping heuristic. The prefilter evaluates the presence of individual and composite predicates in the tuples and returns a bit vector for each tuple with bits representing the presence or absence of predicates in the tuple. A bit signature is assigned to each query to represent the predicates related to that query, and a query is invoked when the tuple bit vector and the query bit signature are compatible.

Abstract: In the distribution of electronic documents within an organization or across the perimeter of the organization, security is an important issue as the documents may be sensitive to a larger and a smaller degree. The distribution specifically takes place between individual persons and groups of persons either within or outside the organization, and on data communication networks including both intra nets and extra nets. In order to improve the security communication paths are determined for each distributed document on the basis of the set of all mappings of communication relations between senders or documents providers and all potential and actual recipients of the documents, including temporal parameters. Determined communication paths are used to compute a degree of sensitivity for the document, and this degree of sensitivity is used to monitor and limit the distribution of the document in compliance with an established security scheme for the organization.

Abstract: A method for storing data, comprises representing the data as a tree structure, calculating a structure ID for the tree structure, the structure ID being a representation of the tree structure and independent of node names and node values of the tree structure, and storing a mapping of the structure ID to the tree structure.

Abstract: Data aggregation systems and methods capable of processing data related to a plurality of subscribers. In an exemplary embodiment, thee data aggregation system includes a receipt system, a sever assembly, a user interface, and a data analysis system. The receipt system can enable the data aggregation system to receive data, such as sales data, from the subscribers. Such data can be aggregated and stored on the server assembly. The user interface can be an element of a website serviced by the server assembly. Through the user interface, a subscriber can pose a request. In response to the request, the data analysis system can process a portion of the aggregated data and can, thereby produce a result set. The result set can be presented to the subscriber via the user interface.

Abstract: Optimizing example-based computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) is accomplished by clustering volumes-of-interest (VOIs) (116) in a database (120) into respective clusters according to subjective assessment of similarity (S220). An optimal set of volume-of-interest (VOI) features is then selected for fetching examples such that objective assessment of similarity, based on the selected features, clusters, in a feature space, the database VOIs so as to conform to the subjectively-based clustering (S230). The fetched examples are displayed alongside the VOI to be diagnosed for comparison by the clinician. Preferably, the displayed example is user-selectable for further display of prognosis, therapy information, follow up information, current status, and/or clinical information retrieved from an electronic medical record (S260).

Abstract: A heap management system for a database uses “sets” of pages to store database information. As memory for each successive set of pages is allocated, more memory is allocated for storing rows in each page of the set. Similarly, the maximum number of rows of information storable in each page of each set is greater for each successive set of pages. The number of computer instructions needed to resolve (or calculate) the memory address for a particular row is fixed. Given a target row number, (and the number of rows in the first page, and the width of the column or column group), only a fixed number of computer instructions need to be executed to resolve the starting memory address for the target row. In addition, information of the same type (i.e., one or more columns of a table) may be stored in different pages, and these pages may be located in discontiguous memory segments. This allows space for new rows to be allocated, without requiring all pre-existing rows to be moved to a different memory segment.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for generating statistics for optimizing database queries containing user-defined functions (UDFs). In general, the statistics may be generated based on output values produced during past executions of a UDF. The statistics may also be generated based on input values received during past executions of the UDF. Additionally, the statistics may include input and output value pairs, such that a UDF output may be determined based on a UDF input. The generated statistics may be used by a query optimizer to determine an efficient query plan for executing the database query.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with selectively acquiring and utilizing query statistics are described. One example method includes selectively acquiring statistics associated with search queries submitted to a search process during a sample period. The statistics may be associated with an index and tokens associated with the index and search queries. The method may also include selecting tokens and/or queries to optimize based, at least in part, on the statistics. In one example, whether and/or how the tokens and/or queries are optimized may depend on estimating index fragmentation based, at least in part, on the statistics.

Abstract: An apparatus for enabling a user to access a dynamic attribute associated with a service point may include a processing element. The processing element may be configured to receive an indication of a dynamic attribute associated with a service point having a particular geographic location, indicate an availability of the dynamic attribute to a user, and enable the user to access the dynamic attribute in response to a user selection. The dynamic attribute may be provided from a mobile content source proximate to the particular geographic location.

Abstract: A proactive monitoring mechanism for correcting the choice of access methods (available query plans) for a given query, based on execution feedback from the same query. The mechanism exploits bypassing predicate short-circuiting inside the database server's predicate evaluation module to obtain expression cardinalities. The mechanism can also modify a plan to obtain expression cardinalities. These techniques are used judiciously by the query optimizer and/or a database administrator (DBA) so that the execution overheads are within acceptable limits.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for selecting indexes to be created over XML data are provided. The method, system, and computer program product provide for receiving a workload for the XML data, the workload including one or more database statements, and utilizing an optimizer to recommend a set of one or more path expressions based on the workload received, wherein the set of one or more path expressions is to be used to create one or more indexes over the XML data.

Abstract: A method of pre-processing an XQuery on a XML data base and may comprise parsing the XQuery to obtain an abstract syntax tree and typing the abstract syntax tree to provide at least one pointer into a schema for XML documents of the XML data base. The typing step may involve the use of schema and accumulated instance data of the XML data base. Use of the accumulated instance data in addition to schema data allows for reduction of the set of pointers to a smaller set, which in turn reduces the number of documents to be examined when the query is executed.

Abstract: An edge-covering based greedy method for shared filter ordering includes receiving a plurality of queries, wherein each query is a conjunction of filters, and each filter is shared across multiple queries of the plurality of queries, evaluating a unit price of each filter, evaluating, sequentially, each filter in order of a lowest to a highest unit price, to determine a value for each filter, and changing an ordering of the filters according to the values. An edge-covering based harmonic method for shared filter ordering includes receiving a plurality of queries, wherein each query is a conjunction of filters, and each filter is shared across multiple queries of the plurality of queries, evaluating a weight of each filter, evaluating, randomly, each filter having a probability inversely proportionally to its weight, to determine a value, and changing an ordering of the filters according to the values.

Abstract: A system and methodology providing workload management in a database cluster. In one embodiment, for example, a method for allocating workload amongst a plurality of database servers sharing access to data comprises steps of: periodically collecting information about workload at each database server; distributing the workload information to each of the plurality of database servers; in response to a client connected to a first database server requesting that work be performed, examining the workload information to determine whether the requested work should be performed at a second database server having a lower workload than the first database server; if it is determined that the work should be performed at the second database server, automatically transferring the client connection to the second database server and performing the requested work at the second database server; and otherwise, performing the requested work at the first database server.

Abstract: A database engine and optimizer framework support creation of a series of profiling indices over a column having character string data, such as a traditional “varchar” data type. The profiling indices result in a reduction of the number of records that are searched when searching for a sub-string match within that column. In some embodiments, the series of indices are created over a column that is typically searched using the LIKE predicate or some similar technique; these indices indicate for each record whether certain sub-strings may exist in that record's value in the column. Thus, the indices are used to find the rows that may match one or more portions of the particular term being queried or, in other words, eliminate those records that do not have at least a portion of the term to be matched. The number of records actually retrieved and searched for the query sub-string is thereby reduced.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically and adaptively determining query execution plans for parametric queries. A first classifier trained by an initial set of training points is generated. A query workload and/or database statistics are dynamically updated. A new set of training points is collected off-line. Using the new set of training points, the first classifier is modified into a second classifier. A database query is received at a runtime subsequent to the off-line phase. The query includes predicates having parameter markers bound to actual values. The predicates are associated with selectivities. A mapping of the selectivities into a plan determines the query execution plan. The determined query execution plan is included in an augmented set of training points, where the augmented set includes the initial set and the new set.

Abstract: Provided is a continuous query processing apparatus and method using operation sharable among multiple queries on an Extensible Markup Language (XML) data stream. The apparatus, includes: a storing unit for storing a sharable operation result; a syntactic analyzation unit for performing a syntactic analysis on the registered continuous query; a semantic analyzation unit for analyzing the meaning upon receiving a syntactic analysis result from the syntactic analyzation unit; a sharable operation extracting unit for extracting a sharable operation upon receiving a semantic analysis result from the semantic analyzation unit; and a query execution unit for storing the result of the extracted sharable operation in the storing unit and performing the continuous queries on an XML data stream based on the result of the semantic analysis and the result of the sharable operation stored in the storing unit.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate data retrieved from the logical fields of an abstract database using a timeline. The logical fields specified by a database abstraction model are extended to include attributes that specify where data corresponding to a logical field occurs on a timeline. Query results may be displayed by ordering query results as points (for an event) or segments (for a duration) on the timeline. Further, query processing techniques disclosed by the present invention allow users to include temporal operators such as “before”, “after”, “during”, and “within” in an abstract query. Temporal operators provide users with the ability to include temporal relationships in an abstract query, without having to construct a complex conditional expression from more primitive logical operators (e.g., “ands” and “ors”).

Abstract: A method for encoding XML tree data that includes the step of encoding the semi-structured data into strings of arbitrary length in a way that maintains non-structural and structural information about the XML data, and enables indexing the encoded XML data in a way that facilitates efficient search and browsing.

Abstract: The invention comprises a set of complementary techniques that dramatically improve enterprise search and navigation results. The core of the invention is an expertise or knowledge index, called UseRank that tracks the behavior of website visitors. The expertise-index is designed to focus on the four key discoveries of enterprise attributes: Subject Authority, Work Patterns, Content Freshness, and Group Know-how. The invention produces useful, timely, cross-application, expertise-based search and navigation results. In contrast, traditional Information Retrieval technologies such as inverted index, NLP, or taxonomy tackle the same problem with an opposite set of attributes than what the enterprise needs: Content Population, Word Patterns, Content Existence, and Statistical Trends. Overall, the invention encompasses Baynote Search—a enhancement over existing IR searches, Baynote Guide—a set of community-driven navigations, and Baynote Insights—aggregated views of visitor interests and trends and content gaps.