Abstract: A circuit board includes multiple signal layers, in which signal lines are routed, and reference plane layers, in which power reference planes are provided. To connect signal lines at different signal layers, vias are passed through at least one signal layer and at least one reference plane layer. At the one signal layer, a first clearance (or anti-pad) is defined around the via. At the reference plane layer, a second clearance is defined around the via. The second clearance is larger in size than the first clearance to match the impedance of the via as closely as possible with the impedance of a signal line the via is electrically connected to.

Abstract: A financial processing system that accesses account, event and organization attributes from a relational database management database, wherein: (1) the account attributes comprise data about accounts being measured, (2) the event attributes comprise data about account-related transactions, and (3) the organization attributes comprise data about the organization's financial status. Profitability calculations are performed using the account, event and organization attributes accessed from the relational database management system, as well as one or more profit factors and one or more rules. The profitability calculations include the following: Profit=Net Interest Revenue (NIR) +Other Revenue (OR) ?Direct Expense (DE) ?Indirect Expense (IE) ?Risk Provision (RP) In this calculation, the Risk Provision (RP) comprises an expected future loss that arises from one or more risk factors.

Abstract: A computer program for performing a method of providing a parameter estimate from noisy data with aperiodic data arrival. The parameter of the measurement is estimated as a numerator divided by the denominator. The method involves setting a fixed time interval and then waiting for the time interval to expire or for a measurement to occur. If a measurement occurs before the time interval expires the numerator is estimated as a previous numerator plus the new measurement, and the denominator is estimated as a previous denominator plus one. Regardless of whether the measurement occurs or the time interval expires the numerator is estimated as a previous numerator times a step size and the denominator is estimated as a previous denominator times a step size. The method can be applied to numerous applications including assessing data temperature and predicting I/O response times.

Abstract: In a method, computer program and process for administering the workload of a database system as it executes one or more requests the one or more requests are sorted into one or more workload groups. Each workload group has an associated level of service desired from the database system. The one or more requests are executed in an order intended to achieve the levels of service associated with each of the workload groups. The system resources are assigned to the one or more workload groups as necessary to provide the level of service associated with each workload group. The execution of requests is monitored on a short-term basis to detect a deviation from the level of service greater than a short-term threshold. If such a deviation is detected, the assignment of system resources to workload groups is adjusted to reduce the deviation. Monitoring is also performed on a long-term basis to detect deviations from the expected level of service greater than a long-term threshold.

Abstract: A service establishment, such as a fast-food restaurant or a bank, improves customer satisfaction by monitoring the quality of service received by the customer and compensating the customer with a personalized offer of compensation when service is inadequate. When the customer visits the service establishment, the service establishment detects the customer's presence by acquiring a signal from a device, such as an RF transponder, carried by the customer. The establishment uses information contained in this signal to identify the customer and to retrieve archived information about previous interactions with the customer. The establishment then analyzes the archived information to identify a product or service of interest to the customer and, before the customer leaves the service establishment, to offer the product or service to the customer.

Abstract: A method, database system, and computer program for collecting statistics about a table are disclosed. The table includes one or more rows and each row includes a respective value. The method includes creating zero or more histogram buckets. Each histogram bucket includes a width representing a respective range of values and a height representing a count of rows having values in the range of values. The method further includes creating one or more high-bias buckets, each high-bias bucket represents one or more values that appear in a minimum percentage of rows.

Abstract: A database system receives a transaction specifying one or more conditions to apply to a first table, and inserts data selected in the transaction into a second. The database system further generates a value list used for compressing a column of the second table, where generating the value list comprises one of inheriting entries of the value list from another value list associated with the first table, and deriving the value list based on the one or more conditions to apply on the first table.

Abstract: A Value Analyzer system is a data-driven computer-facilitated financial model that provides accurate and consistent profitability calculations using account and event data stored in a relational database managed by a relational database management system (RDBMS), wherein the account data comprises attributes of the accounts being measured and the event data comprises attributes of account-related transactions. A selector function uses selection criteria to select accounts and events from the relational database in order to generate a number of inputs for profitability calculations.

Abstract: Techniques are presented for reusing business measures within a data store. A measure is associated with a measure type. Each measure is associated with a particular data store schema or schema element and includes metadata for fields and calculations against those fields. Requestors can select existing measures, create new measures, delete existing measures, and/or modify existing measures. A measure, when processed against the data store, produces results from a data store that are associated with the data store schema or the schema element and which conform to the fields and calculations defined within the measure's metadata.

Abstract: A method and system for determining shelf life and sell-through time for retail products. The solution employs a data warehouse, a self monitoring product and product traceability. The data warehouse is utilized to track delivery information throughout the supply chain, e.g., time, quantity, product information, traceability; return information of unsold inventory returned from a retailer or customer as saleable; return information of inventory returned as unsaleable, damaged or defective; and data relating to evaluation of returned inventory. A self monitoring product is one that is capable of recording events such as number of times the product has been used, time since initial use, cumulative time and other items of interest such as stress variables, dates, min/max values, updates, etc. The solution involves evaluation of all returned product and comparing the information on the self monitoring product with known information from the supply line and return results contained in the database.

Abstract: A method, computer program, and system are disclosed for validating query plans for an upgrade. Environment information corresponding to a target system is received. A query used on the target system is received. A target query plan generated by the target system is received. The query and the environmental information are imported into a test system. The test system corresponds to an upgrade of the target system. A test query plan is generated for the query using the test system. The target query plan is compared with the test query plan.

Abstract: A database system includes an enhanced technique for performing sorts in which removals of duplicate records are performed to compact the size of segments being sorted. To enhance a query plan, the duplicate record removal is performed as early in the query plan as possible. By removing duplicate records early in the query plan, the number of input/output (I/O) operations is reduced, resulting in more efficient usage of database system resources. In example implementations, two type of sorts are performed: a heap sort (to sort successive segments of an input file, with the sorting associated with concurrent removal of duplicate records to compact each segment so that a smaller number of I/O accesses is needed); and a merge sort (in which output files from prior sorting passes are merged and sorted, with the merge sort process also associated with the removal of duplicate records to further compact the data segments and reduce the number of I/O accesses).

Abstract: A financial processing system that accesses account, event and organization attributes from a relational database management database, wherein: (1) the account attributes comprise data about accounts being measured, (2) the event attributes comprise data about account-related transactions, and (3) the organization attributes comprise data about the organization's financial status. Profitability calculations are performed in the computer using the account, event and organization attributes accessed from the relational database management system, as well as one or more profit factors and one or more rules. The profitability calculations comprise the following: Profit (ai) = Net Interest Revenue (NIR) (ai) + Other Revenue (OR) (ai) ? Direct Expense (DE) (ai) ? Indirect Expense (IE) (ai) ? Risk Provision (RP) (ai) for an account ai.

Abstract: An optical communication system (10), a method (100) for parallel modulation of an optical spectrum and a method (200) for parallel demodulation of the optical spectrum of modulated optical frequencies by the system (10) are described. The optical frequencies are provided in parallel to a modulation section (14) for modulating with data bits from a data signal source (16). The data bits are associated with an optical modulator (58) that controls passage of the optical spectrum at a plurality of predetermined optical frequencies based upon the data bits. The optical frequencies of the optical spectrum, modulated by the data bits, are then transmitted via a communication section (18) to an optical receiver (20) that is coupled to a demodulation section (22) of the system (10). Modulated optical frequencies are received as a modulated optical spectrum and demodulated in parallel by an optical demodulator (92) to derive the data bits.

Abstract: A multistage interconnect network (MIN) capable of supporting massive parallel processing, including point-to-point and multicast communications between processor modules (PMs) which are connected to the input and output ports of the network. The network is built using interconnected switch nodes arranged in 2 log.sub.b N stages, wherein b is the number of switch node input/output ports, N is the number of network input/output ports and log.sub.b N indicates a ceiling function providing the smallest integer not less than log.sub.b N. The additional stages provide additional paths between network input ports and network output ports, thereby enhancing fault tolerance and lessening contention.

Abstract: A fault tolerant disk drive matrix comprises a plurality of disk drives. A mapping method associates a subset of the disk drives with a logical RAID-5 array. Each of the disk drives in the matrix may be associated with a plurality of different logical RAID-5 arrays. Logical units of data are subdivided into blocks and stored in an interleaved manner across the disk drives of the logical RAID-5 array. The arrangement of data and parity blocks on the logical RAID-5 arrays within the matrix reduces throughput degradation when a disk drive fails. In the event of a disk drive failure, data blocks stored on the failed disk drive can be reconstructed using redundancy blocks and data blocks from the surviving disk drives within the logical RAID-5 array. Replacement disk drives may also be provided to substitute for the failed disk drive in the logical RAID-5 array.

Abstract: A multiprocessor system intercouples the processors with an active logic network having a plurality of priority determining nodes. Messages applied concurrently to the network in groups are sorted, using the data content of the messages, to a single or common priority message which is distributed to all the processors with a predetermined total network delay time. Losing messages are again retried concurrently in groups at a later time. Message routing is determined by local acceptance or rejection of messages at the processors, based upon destination data in the messages. All messages occupy places in a coherent priority scheme and are transferred in contending groups with prioritization on the network. Using data, status, control and response messages, and different multiprocessor modes, the system is particularly suited for configuration in a relational data base machine having capability for maintaining an extended data base and handling complex queries.

Abstract: A multiprocessor system intercouples the processors with an active logic network having a plurality of priority determining nodes. Messages applied concurrently to the network in groups are sorted, using the data content of the meassages, to a single or common priority message which is distributed to all the processors with a predetermined total network delay time. Losing messages are again retried concurrently in groups at a later time. Message routing is determined by local acceptance or rejection of messages at the processors, based upon destination data in the messages. All messages occupy places in a coherent priorty scheme and are transferred in contending groups with prioritization on the network. Using data, status, control and response messages, and different multiprocessor modes, the system is particularly suited for configuration in a relational data base machine having capability for maintaining an extended data base and handling complex queries.

Abstract: A multiprocessor system intercouples the processors wtih an active logic network having a plurality of priority determining nodes. Messages applied concurrently to the network in groups are sorted, using the data content of the messages, to a single or common priority message which is distributed to all the processors with a predetermined total network delay time. Losing messages are again retried concurrently in groups at a later time. Message routing is determined by local acceptance or rejection of messages at the processors, based upon destination data in the messages. All messages occupy places in a coherent priority scheme and are transferred in contending groups with prioritization on the network. Using data, status, control and response messages, and different multiprocessor modes, the system is particularly suited for configuration in a relational data base machine having capability for maintaining an extended data base and handling complex queries.

Abstract: A system for dynamically partitioning processors in a multiprocessor system intercoupled by a network utilizes, in association with each processor, a network accessible, locally changeable memory section. An available one of a number of common dynamic group addresses in each of the memories is reserved for a subgroup for the performance of subtasks within an overall task, and members of the group are designated as they receive messages to be processed. The members then locally update status words which establish membership, group validity and semaphore conditions, so that transactions may be initiated, coordinated and terminated with minimum involvement of processors that have no relevant subtasks. When the full task is completed the dynamic group is relinquished for use when a new task is to be undertaken. The system enables many tasks to be carried out concurrently with higher intercommunication efficiency.