Abstract: Provided are a system and article of manufacture for searching documents for ranges of numeric values. A number of posting lists is generated, wherein each posting list is associated with a range of consecutive values within the set of values and includes document identifiers for documents including at least one value within the range of consecutive values associated with the posting list, and wherein each document identifier is associated with one value in the set of values included in the document identified by the document identifier. The generated posting lists are stored. A query on a query range of values within the set of values is received and a determination is made of a minimum number of posting lists associated with consecutive values that together include the query range of values. The determined posting lists are merged.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for storing and rendering a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes a display area for specifying result fields and operators to define an abstract query. Each result field corresponds to a logical field specification of a data abstraction model abstractly describing data in a database. The GUI further includes a display area for specifying classification fields for the abstract query, each classification field including a result field and a classification definition, and the display area including a result field window displaying available result fields and graphical elements configured to allow specification of classification definitions for one or more selected result fields. The classification definition is suitable for dividing data into a plurality of categories.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, to provide clustering of users in which users are each represented as a set of elements representing items, e.g., items selected by users using a system. In one aspect, a program operates to obtain a respective interest set for each of multiple users, each interest set representing items in which the respective user expressed interest; for each of the users, to determine k hash values of the respective interest set, wherein the i-th hash value is a minimum value under a corresponding i-th hash function; and to assign each of the multiple users to each of the respective k clusters established for the respective user, the i-th cluster being represented by the i-th hash value. The assignment of each of the users to k clusters is done without regard to the assignment of any of the other users to k clusters.

Abstract: One embodiment includes receiving user input specifying a plurality of result fields for an abstract query. Each result field corresponds to a logical field specification of a data abstraction model abstractly describing the data in the database. The method further includes receiving user input selecting one of the plurality of result fields, and receiving user input specifying a classification definition for the selected result field. The classification definition is suitable for dividing data to be returned for the selected result field into a plurality of categories. Then, a classification field for the abstract query is generated on the basis of the selected result field and the classification definition. The classification field is included with the abstract query. The method further includes receiving a user request for execution of the abstract query against the database.

Abstract: Provided is a method, for using schemas to generate application specific business objects for use in an integration broker. A schema is accessed defining an application specific data structure for one application. A business object is generated including fields corresponding to elements and attributes indicated in the accessed schema. A determination is made of application specific information for the generated business object indicating a correspondence of the fields in the business object to the application specific data structure. The business object is written out with the determined application specific information in a format that is understandable to an integration broker that communicates business objects to a plurality of applications, wherein the business object is capable of being processed by an adapter enabling communication with the application for which the accessed schema is provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling devices for searching homology of queries in a base sequence in parallel, includes: a memory for storing a base sequence and an appearing frequency of each of first strings each having a fixed length appearing in the base sequence; and a processor for executing a process including: obtaining queries for searching homology in the base sequence; retrieving each of second strings each having a longer fixed length then that of first strings and partially appearing in each of the queries; determining an approximate appearing frequency of each of the second string on the basis of the appearing frequency of the first strings; evaluating for each of the query sequences a load of task for searching homology; and allocating each task for searching homology for each of the queries among the devices on the basis of the result of evaluation of the load of the each task.

Abstract: A method and system for ranking relevancy of metadata associated with media on a computer network, such as multimedia and streaming media, include categorizing the metadata into sets of metadata. The categories are broad categories relating to areas such as who, what, when, and where, such as artist, media type, and creation date, creation location. Weights are assigned to each set of metadata. Weights are related to technical information such as bit rate, duration, sampling rate, frequency of occurrence of a specific term, etc. A score is calculated for ranking the relevancy of each set of metadata. The score is calculated in accordance with the assigned weight and category. This score is available for search systems (e.g., search engines) and/or users to determine the relative ranking of search results.

Abstract: A relational database warehouse system with query optimization capabilities is described that allows for speedy identification of sets of records of interest from amongst tens of millions of records. The records of interest may include complex derived attributes, generated, at least in part, by aggregating data from a plurality of records in base data tables. In various embodiments, the query optimization capabilities allow the database warehouse system to identify conditions under which normal query execution may be replaced by one or more optimized execution methods, including, for example, eliminating unnecessary inner join operations on base data tables specified by a query, re-ordering the execution of group-by operations and left-outer join operations to greatly reduce the size of join tables produced while processing a query, and/or consolidating a set of segmentation queries for execution in one pass over the records of the database.

Abstract: File system objects of unknown type are backed up and restored. A list of file system objects is received from a file system. The file system objects are to be backed up. For each file system object that has a file type that is unknown, the following is performed. First, the file system is queried to obtain information regarding the file system object that is sufficient for the file system to later recreate the file system object if necessary. Second, the file system object and the information regarding the file system object are stored. Examples of file system object types of the file system that may be unknown to an application running on a Microsoft Windows® operating system include symbolic links, named pipes, and special device files.

Abstract: A system provides images or questions to multiple game participants and receives labels or answers in response thereto. The system uses the labels or answers for various data gathering purposes.

Abstract: A software update method permits a local software update server to act as a update source for client computer systems in its local network. The local update server provides updates for one or more specified groups of client computers.

Abstract: In a networked information system, a portion of the information processing is offloaded from servers to a storage system to reduce network traffic and conserve server resources. The information system includes a storage system storing files or objects and having a function which automatically extracts portions of text from the files and transmits the extracted text to the servers. The text extraction is responsive to file requests from the servers. The extracted text and files are stored on the storage system, decreasing the need to send entire files across the network. Thus, by transmitting smaller extracted text data instead of entire files over the network, network performance can be increased through the reduction of traffic. Additionally, the processing strain on physical resources of the servers can be reduced by extracting the text at the storage system rather than at the servers.

Abstract: A logical file system that distributes copies of files across various different physical storage resources yet provides a consistent view to the user of his or her data, regardless of which machine the user is accessing the files from, and even when the user's computer is offline. The distributed file system uses smart data redundancy to enable a virtually infinite amount of storage as long as additional storage resources are made available to the distributed file system. The result is a reliable storage system that does not necessarily tie the user's data to the user's particular computer. Instead, the user's data is associated with the user—for life—or for however long the user would like the data to be maintained, regardless of whether the user's computer or data storage components are replaced or destroyed.

Abstract: A data structure for representing information as a binary directional graph comprising a set of points connected by three distinct types of directed edges. Each point must have a unique left (parenting) edge and a unique right (parenting) edge with end points, and an identity edge that can be null (i.e. have no end point). All connected paths of edges upwards eventually converge at a maximal point in the structure. The points are uniformly assigned a fixed set of data as their content. Rules are defined to construct the structure and allow representation of information, with methods described for translating conventional forms of representation, such as tables, properties, classes, relations, and functions. The structure can be represented as a single relation (i.e. a single table with a fixed structure) and can be implemented using a conventional relational database.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, to provide clustering of users in which users are each represented as a set of elements representing items, e.g., items selected by users using a system. In one aspect, a program operates to obtain a respective interest set for each of multiple users, each interest set representing items in which the respective user expressed interest; for each of the users, to determine k hash values of the respective interest set, wherein the i-th hash value is a minimum value under a corresponding i-th hash function; and to assign each of the multiple users to each of the respective k clusters established for the respective user, the i-th cluster being represented by the i-th hash value. The assignment of each of the users to k clusters is done without regard to the assignment of any of the other users to k clusters.

Abstract: A relationship among data in a tree data structure is effectively traced by assigning nodes respective unique node identifiers, a parent-child relationship is represented by a C->P array containing node identifiers for parent nodes associated with node identifiers for non-root nodes that are nodes other than a root node, a list of vertex nodes is provided by storing node identifiers for respective vertex nodes in order to represent one or more node groups, each node group including a particular node, which is the vertex node, and descendant nodes of the particular node, and the node identifier for the vertex node belonging to other vertex nodes are deleted from the list of vertex nodes by referring to the C->P array such that neither vertex nodes nor respective descendant nodes of the vertex nodes duplicate each other across vertex nodes identified by the node identifiers included in the list of vertex nodes.

Abstract: An embodiment relates to a computer-implemented data processing system and method for storing a data set at a plurality of data centers. The data centers and hosts within the data centers may, for example, be organized according to a multi-tiered ring arrangement. A hashing arrangement may be used to implement the ring arrangement to select the data centers and hosts where the writing and reading of the data sets occurs. Version histories may also be written and read at the hosts and may be used to evaluate causal relationships between the data sets after the reading occurs.

Abstract: A method of storing data related to a first entity in a relationship and a second entity in the relationship in a database is disclosed. The method may include entering a name description of the second entity in the relationship into a second converse relationship field of a relationship entity, storing the name description of the second entity entered in the second converse relationship field of the relationship entity, storing a name description of the first entity in the relationship into a first converse relationship field of a relationship entity, allowing access to the stored name description of the second entity stored in the second converse relationship field of the relationship entity by accessing the first entity in the relationship and allowing access to the stored name description of the first entity stored in the first converse relationship field of the relationship entity by accessing the second entity in the relationship.

Abstract: A relational database warehouse system with query optimization capabilities is described that allows for speedy identification of sets of records of interest from amongst tens of millions of records. The records of interest may include complex derived attributes, generated, at least in part, by aggregating data from a plurality of records in base data tables. In various embodiments, the query optimization capabilities allow the database warehouse system to identify conditions under which normal query execution may be replaced by one or more optimized execution methods, including, for example, eliminating unnecessary inner join operations on base data tables specified by a query, re-ordering the execution of group-by operations and left-outer join operations to greatly reduce the size of join tables produced while processing a query, and/or consolidating a set of segmentation queries for execution in one pass over the records of the database.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for enabling a plurality of table columns arranged to be associated with large objects (LOBs) to share a single LOB data segment within a database are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for allocating space associated with at least a first column arranged to accommodate LOB data and a second column arranged to accommodate LOB data includes allocating a first LOB data segment. The method also includes associating both the first column and the second column with the first LOB data segment.