Abstract: Novel tools for updating data structures in a database are presented. In an aspect, the tools are used to update a database's structures in response to the update of an application (such as an enterprise application) that uses the database. In another aspect, the tools may convert a data set to a new format when the updated application attempts to access the data set; in some cases, other data sets within the database might remain unconverted until their use. Advantageously, this allows for a database (and/or a table within a database) to be updated incrementally and/or on demand. This feature can mitigate the impact of the update on users, for example, by avoiding the need to take the database (and/or application) offline to perform a batch process to update the database.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of systems and methods for generating composite mediasets from mediasets, each comprising media items, associated with a plurality of users. In some embodiments, individual and/or group recommendations are provided for creating a group playlist by aggregating user taste data for a plurality of users in a group. In other embodiments, systems and methods are provided which allow for sharing and playing of a group playlist by users in a group, each of which has a media playback device. Each media item, such as a song, is played from one of the individual user devices for the benefit of all users in the vicinity at the time. Music thus can be “shared” without transferring files potentially in violation of copyrights.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for ranking of products related to a product category in online shopping. A search query for one or more products is received from a user. A set of attributes and features of each attribute are extracted related to a product category for each of the one or more products. A score of each attribute is calculated based on the features. Further, the weights are assigned to each of the one or more attributes and a product rank is generated for each of the one or more products based on assigned weights and the score by using a predefined relevancy-ranking algorithm.

Abstract: An optimization engine allows website publishers and other network document publishers to view and navigate statistics and scoring methodologies of a search engine. Publishers may thus gain a better understanding of how their website or network document is scored and how to optimize those documents to increase a search engine score. The user is thus able to navigate the network from the perspective of a search engine, viewing webpages, websites, and links in the same way a search engine would analyze them. Upon making changes to a website or network document, publishers may further request on-demand re-crawling of their website or network document to view changes in the score. Alerts may also be activated by a user to notify the user when certain conditions are met.

Abstract: A data collection system is provided. The system comprises a plurality of data sources that produce data. At least some of the plurality of data sources produce data in different formats. The system also comprises a plurality of listeners stored in a computer readable storage medium that, when executed by a processor, receive the data from the plurality of data sources, identify the data, parse the data, convert the data into a generic format, and validate the converted data. The plurality of listeners are implemented using a script programming language. The system further comprises a loader stored in a computer readable storage medium that, when executed by a processor, loads the converted data into a database. The loader is implemented using an object oriented programming language.

Abstract: Embodiments of articles, apparatuses, devices and/or systems for manipulating hierarchical sets of data are disclosed. In particular embodiments, the hierarchical information may be expressed as trees. Such hierarchical information expressed as a tree may be transformed to an array. Likewise, hierarchical information expressed in an array may be expanded as a tree.

Abstract: A relational processor (RP) to create, maintain and query a relational database by assigning, storing and retrieving a unique associate for each instance of a relation for one or more relations and a plurality of instances of a relation. The associate may contain one or more semantic tokens. The RP comprises an input for receiving and processing relations, relation instances and queries, at least one associate processor (AP) for storing the associate and retrieving associate sets by domain, at least one set processor (SP) for performing set operations on associate sets to satisfy a query, and output which outputs the associates responsive to a query. The RP further includes an associate array manager (AAM) for managing the APs, and the SPs (which are arranged in the sieve architecture) and a response collector (RC) that collects the associate sets that satisfy a query. An alternative architecture uses an associate switch (AS), which routs associates from the APs to the SPs based on associate value.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for visualization of context-based search results, including a plurality of neurons, the neurons being associated with words and documents; a plurality of connections between the neurons; a map that displays at least some of the neurons to a user, wherein the display of the neurons on the map corresponds to their relevance to a search query; a display of the links to the relevant documents; and means for changing positions of the neurons relative to each other based on input from the user. Changing a position of one neuron relative to other neurons also changes positions of other contextually relevant neurons, and displays different relevant documents. The map displays the neurons with their relevance identified by any of font type, color, transparency and font size. The map includes icons in proximity to the displayed word neurons for identifying those neurons as irrelevant. Links to the documents are obtained from a search engine having an input query.

Abstract: A computer system and computer program product for optimizing an aspect of an Information Technology (IT) structure of an IT system. The aspect of the IT structure is optimized with respect to at least one control parameter. The IT structure includes a plurality of elements. Each element independently is a hardware element, a software element, or a combination of a hardware element and a software element. Each control parameter has a value that is specific to each element of the IT structure.

Abstract: A reference-counting garbage collection system utilizing overlooking roots injects eager reference-counting updates into the program. An overlooking roots reference-counting subsumption optimization tool identifies redundant reference-counting updates and removes them, lowering the number of reference-counting update calls and improving execution throughput. The optimization tool also includes new overlooking root relationships in order to permit other unnecessary reference-counting updates to be removed during optimization. Reference-counting updates which are specialized based on the overlooking root information are also included in the program.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for configuring, designing, and/or implementing database tables is detailed that provides a framework into which a remainder of database tables are developed. Also detailed is a method to develop this framework of database tables. This so developed framework provides a platform for integrating data from multiple databases. A method is also provided for maintaining and managing master data as a single source of reference data to multiple databases that are based upon this framework.

Abstract: The present invention enables a large number of files to be processed for evidence of malicious content, independently of the file system that maintains the files. The processed files can be obtained from live data or a point-in-time copy (e.g., a snapshot) of the data, based on mapping information that maps the files to the physical storage device. In one embodiment, a method involves accessing mapping information corresponding to a set of data. The mapping information maps at least a portion of a file to a physical storage location. The portion of the file can be read from the physical storage location using the mapping information, without accessing a file system. The portion of the file can then be analyzed for evidence of malicious content.

Abstract: According to a general aspect, a method includes maintaining rating groups, each rating group providing a rating for content compiled based on information received from a user evaluating the content. The method also includes receiving, from a first user, a selection of a first rating group, from among the rating groups, to be applied to a set of users associated with the first user. The method also includes receiving, from a user, a request for a piece of content from the content. The method also includes determining that the user from which the request was received belongs to the set of users associated with the first user. The method also includes, based upon the determination that the user belonged to the set of users associated with the first user, accessing information associated with the first rating group and determining whether the first rating group includes a rating for the requested piece of content.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided relating to a decentralized algorithm for managing replicas of a resource in a peer-to-peer network to satisfy quality of service requirements. Individual nodes within the network storing a resource replica continually monitor the node performance against quality of service (QoS) parameters and when necessary, take appropriate action to either add or delete the resource, all the while informing the other nodes within the network that maintain a replica of the resource of the particular action for dynamic fluctuation of the count of resource replicas therein.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for restoring data of sparse volumes, where one or more block pointers within the file system structure are marked as ABSENT, and fetching the appropriate data from an alternate location on demand. Client data access requests to the local storage system initiate a restoration of the data from a backing store as required. A demand generator can also be used to restore the data as a background process by walking through the sparse volume and restoring the data of absent blocks. A pump module is also disclosed to regulate the access of the demand generator. Once all the data has been restored, the volume contains all data locally, and is no longer a sparse volume.

Abstract: The embodiments contemplate a system and method for obtaining related results for a portion of a query and for generating an updated set of queries for a cache of a server. Other queries beginning with the portion of the query may be identified and obtained from a data structure that includes a server cache and a set of common queries. Once the other queries are identified, results for the other queries are obtained from the server cache or from a back-end database. A set of common queries, which may include deleted and additional queries, may be utilized to generate the updated set of queries for the server. Both missing queries and deleted queries that may belong to the server based on an assignment function are inserted into a queue, which is later delivered to the cache of the server. The transfer may occur during a low-activity or idle state.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to data processing, and more specifically to executing a query against a partitioned database. The query may be executed against each partition of a database to retrieve results from each partition. The results from the partitions may be integrated to provide the results of the query. Each partition may take different amounts of time to retrieve results for the query. Embodiments of the invention allow adjusting the execution of the query for faster executing partitions to allow execution of other tasks, thereby increasing query throughput.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for identifying pages that can be authoritatively, to some confidence level or another, associated with a geographic location, and are provided for grouping documents such that authoritative location associations can be propagated from pages with higher location confidence to pages with lower location confidence. Pages might be identified with authoritative indicators, groups of pages identified including at least one addressed page and at least one unaddressed page, wherein an addressed page is a page having a higher confidence level than an unaddressed page, and at least one processing step performed that is location specific. The confidence level assigned to a page as part of the process represents the confidence that the page is associated with an identifiable geographic location.

Abstract: A method and system for accessing a file in a directory structure associated with an application includes a method of accessing a file in a directory structure associated with an application. A request by an application for access to a file is intercepted. The request is redirected to a first isolation environment. A determination is made that the requested file does not exist in the first isolation environment. The request is redirected to a second isolation environment responsive to a determination that the file is identified in an enumeration of a directory structure including a plurality of application files residing on a remote machine. The requested file is retrieved from a file server, responsive to a determination that the second isolation environment does not contain the file and that the file is identified in the enumeration.

Abstract: A system and method for performing File System checKing (FSCK) allows a file system to be accessed while the file system is being checked for consistency in the background. In the event that a file is accessed prior to having been checked for consistency by the background FSCK process, the background FSCK process is interrupted, and an in-context FSCK is performed on the accessed file. In addition, an in-context FSCK method and system is described which uses a snapshot block bitmap, FSCK block bitmap and FS block bitmap to check block consistency in the context of handling a block access to handle consistency and corruption issues as part of the file access.