Abstract: A virtual bookshelf system provides a user a way to browse and locate information associated with a plurality of documents. The virtual bookshelf system contains classification information to classify the documents in a hierarchical structure that includes a plurality of hierarchical levels based on pre-defined categories. The virtual bookshelf system displays a portion of the hierarchical structure including a representation of the categories. A user of the virtual bookshelf system may browse through the categories in the hierarchical levels to learn the general topics of the available documents. The user is permitted to select a particular category, and in response, the virtual bookshelf system displays document information for documents classified in the category selected. When selected, peripheral themes or issues are displayed such that the themes relate to the main issues covered by the documents classified under the selected category.

Abstract: The present invention provides a uniqueness-required index and a corresponding non-uniqueness count to support deferred uniqueness constraint enforcement. A uniqueness-required index stores duplicate occurrences of indexed data values that occur during statement or transaction processing. The non-uniqueness count associated with the uniqueness-required index provides a count of the number of indexed data values that occur more than once in the index. Where a non-uniqueness count is not equal to zero, a uniqueness constraint violation remains unresolved. Where an unresolved constraint violation exists at enforcement time, the effects of the processing are removed. A currently non-unique count can be used to represent the number of uniqueness-required indexes that are "currently non-unique". The currently non-unique count can be examined to determine whether there are any unresolved uniqueness constraint violations.

Abstract: Apparatus, and accompanying methods for use therein, for an ISDN LAN modem that is suited for small user environments and which contains an internal ISDN router having a self-contained network hub for inter-connecting multiple network devices, such as workstations, to each other through a local area network and for permitting each of those devices to each gain access through the router to any one of a number of different remote networks. The LAN modem includes an internal web server for autonomously constructing and downloading a web page, through dynamic selective insertion of predefined event-specific web page components into a web page template, to the workstation. The resulting page informs a user stationed at the workstation of a failure condition or other operational event that then occurred at the LAN modem. The specific page components inserted into the template are selected based on the particular failure condition or other operational event which occurred.

Abstract: A method for locating data anomalies in a k dimensional data cube that includes the steps of associating a surprise value with each cell of a data cube, and indicating a data anomaly when the surprise value associated with a cell exceeds a predetermined exception threshold. According to one aspect of the invention, the surprise value associated with each cell is a composite value that is based on at least one of a Self-Exp value for the cell, an In-Exp value for the cell and a Path-Exp value for the cell. Preferably, the step of associating the surprise value with each cell includes the steps of determining a Self-Exp value for the cell, determining an In-Exp value for the cell, determining a Path-Exp value for the cell, and then generating the surprise value for the cell based on the Self-Exp value, the In-Exp value and the Path-value.

Abstract: A method and system for the creation, enhancement and update of data on a customer database using data from a central database and persistent keys that are linked to each data structure is disclosed. The persistent keys allow the matching of equivalent data structures between the remote and central databases so that enhancement data from the central database can be overlaid onto the customer database. The persistent keys also make the update of data on the customer database more efficient, since key matching allows the transfer of only the data that is needed to update the customer database. The central database may physically contain all of the enhancement data, or may use a central database manager to transparently link a group of physically remote databases using the persistent keys. Data may be transferred from the central database to the customer database either in batch mode or in a near real-time mode through a direct table join.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating, storing, identifying, transferring, managing and searching databases of information related to subjective works, such as art, music, film, dance, theater or other fields generally recognized as requiring subjective human judgment by an "expert" to make subjective, objective, or mixed decisions regarding value, interest, and relationships one to another. The invention may be embodied in a general purpose digital computer programmed to host routines operating by deterministic logic, fuzzy logic, or both. A user may input information related to the nature or type of item requested and receive identification of a subjective match for the item. The routines may utilize a thesaurus and processes for relaxing search requirements to assure a match. In one embodiment, an expert system resident in a computer may create, manage and rapidly search databases of subjectively characterized items, such as art works, music, or real estate, for example, by unique characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dynamic organizational database as an underlying information system to support collaborative computing in a global enterprise. This information system is built based on the Organizational Modeling and Management model (OMM) and provides a system architecture and a graphical user interface for easy manipulation of organizational objects. Contrary to traditional approaches, the present invention separates the organization model from the process model, the application model and the data model. Thus, independent and flexible enterprise modeling and design is allowed to reflect more realistically a rapidly changing business environment.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented query optimizer. A query is to be executed containing user defined functions and abstract data type parameters to retrieve data from a database. Optimization information is received from a user. Then, the execution of the query is optimized based on the received optimization information for execution within a massively parallel, shared nothing architecture.

Abstract: A user interface is provided to a relational database to provide simplified data access for users. A user input/output device interacts with an application tool accessible via a computer. A template accessible to the application tool via an API or native interface provides a selection of attributes corresponding to a particular category. The attributes specify information obtainable from data stored in the relational database and are selectable using the application tool. The template is responsive to attributes selected using the application tool, for retrieving data from the relational database and forwarding the data to the application tool via the API or native interface. The template is independent of the application tool, thereby enabling the user interface to access information from the relational database using any of a plurality of different application tools.

Abstract: A system for creating, displaying, and editing an intermediate data structure (IDS) that maintains a portion of a categorized data set (CDS) based upon an original set of hierarchically-related objects. A property of the objects is selected. The lowest-level objects matching the selected property are incrementally added to the IDS along with objects in a parent/child relationship with each added lowest-level object so long as those objects are not already within the category of the added lowest-level object. Special category objects are added to the IDS representing an object group with one value of the selected property. Objects stored within the IDS with this value are in a parent relationship with the category object. The objects stored within the IDS are displayed in an outline structure to show the functional relationships between the objects in each category.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dynamic connection for distributed applications that need to locate application development tools, including but not limited to debuggers, trace collection tools, compilers, etc.) which may be running on different machines, and to send the tools messages. The program requesting debugging service (i.e., a debugger client) sends, to a tool locator, criteria which specifies the properties of a desired debugger. The tool locator maintains a registry of all tools, e.g. debuggers, and their properties, which remain active within the network by receiving tool registration information from each tool as it is started on any machine within the network.

Abstract: A method for creating a class hierarchy containing categories for classification of documents. The class hierarchy is initialized to contain a root category node within a tree data structure. The root category node is defined by a user-defined category name. The class hierarchy is displayed to assist a user in entering a command for manipulating the class hierarchy. A user may select a category command, resulting in the class hierarchy containing a plurality of category nodes. In addition, a user may select a terms command to manipulate terms defining one of the plurality of category nodes.

Abstract: An attribute update section includes attribute update list information in which update requests are preset and an attribute rewrite section for rewriting file attribute information. The attribute rewrite section rewrites the attribute information at a predetermined time according to the attribute update list information, thereby preventing the user from forgetting the change, and reducing the user load. The attribute rewrite section rewrites the attribute information when the attribute information is accessed, or at every constant time intervals or at a predetermined time, whereby the processing load of the system can be reduced and the processing efficiency can be improved.

Abstract: Traditional information extraction processes are usually implemented on a programmed general purpose computer. The process looks for certain information, and organizes the information into a database record. The database created is usually stored in a searchable format such as a structured relational database or an object-orientated structured database, which can be accessed, research, and analyzed by computer-implemented database research systems. However, generic information extraction processes only input the extracted information into the database, in the last step of the process and do not address the problem of compiling large and comprehensive database from a plurality of source documents. Furthermore, information extraction processes are not focused on how the information extracted will be used in the construction of a large database.

Abstract: Data exchange system includes at least one portable data processing unit (5) having data communication elements (14), processing device (15) and memory elements (16). The latter includes an executive program (17) and one or more application descriptions (18(1) . . . 18(n)). Each application description has at least one interaction context (19(1) . . . ) comprising commands, data elements, data references, procedures, access conditions, and external references. The structure of the data elements and the data references, as well as other references, is chosen in such a way that a very efficient use of the restricted memory space of, for example, smart cards is obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for managing links between documents and other data structures, such as applications. Search mechanisms may include a directory services search engine for locating objects. A directory object data structure search engine may evaluate, search, or the like, various objects to obtain important information contained in attributes or data members thereof. An association list handler may be a search engine for searching association lists stored as attributes of objects for identifying desired documents. A standard query data structure may be applied by a query resolver to a document location table identified by a document location object. A query generator may be responsible to formulate the standard query data structure, or for formulating queries for all three types of search engines. A directory services database may be searched for an object. An object may be searched for a particular data member or attribute.

Abstract: A system and method of efficiently replicating data structures in a distributed system of replicas. Each replica in the distributed system maintains a cursor indicative of the extent to which other replicas in the system are consistent with one another. By examining the information in its cursor, a destination replica requesting replication from a source replica is able to determine the extent to which it has been made consistent with that source replica via indirect paths, thus potentially improving the starting point of replication. The source replica similarly examines its cursor to potentially improve the starting point of replication with respect to the starting point requested by the destination replica. In this manner, redundant information transmitted from a source replica when replicating a destination replica is reduced.

Abstract: This invention is directed to relational extenders for a computer-based relational database. Each relational extender includes at least one column, in a first, business table containing a user defined application database, dedicated to object handles for defining the complex data type of an object; a second, attribute, table containing at least one column defining a unique characteristic associated with the one object and one column dedicated to containing the object handle; and a third, metadata, table containing at least one column defining a common characteristic associated with all objects defined within the business table and one column dedicated to containing the object handles and at least one column dedicated to containing a reference to object data associated with the object.

Abstract: This invention relates to automatic test equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductors and to the storage and searching of the named device parameter data used in the testing. A spreadsheet workbook has one or more spreadsheets containing nested levels of named device parameter data. A data manager stores the named data in a memory and searches for the stored named data when appropriate. The data manager has one or more containers each having a mode for storing nested levels of the named data in the form of a binary tree, and also in an ordered sequence vector. The data in the tree is mapped into the ordered sequence vector with numerical indicia defining the position of the named data in the ordered sequence vector. The containers are nested the same as the nested levels of the named data. Each container has a search mode which searches the tree for the named data and uses the mapping indicia associated with the named data to find the named data in the ordered sequence vector.

Abstract: The present invention provides a uniqueness-required index and a corresponding non-uniqueness count to support deferred uniqueness constraint enforcement. A uniqueness-required index stores duplicate occurrences of indexed data values that occur during statement or transaction processing. The non-uniqueness count associated with the uniqueness-required index provides a count of the number of indexed data values that occur more than once in the index. Where a non-uniqueness count is not equal to zero, a uniqueness constraint violation remains unresolved. Where an unresolved constraint violation exists at enforcement time, the effects of the processing are removed. A currently non-unique count can be used to represent the number of uniqueness-required indexes that are "currently non-unique". The currently non-unique count can be examined to determine whether there are any unresolved uniqueness constraint violations.