Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for subscribing to dynamic attributes. One or more users are notified of information having a plurality of attributes, including at least one dynamic attribute. According to one aspect of the invention, a user can enter a subscription request to be notified when the at least one dynamic attribute changes a value. For example, the subscription request can notify the user when the dynamic attribute (i) changes a value to one or more predefined values; (ii) changes to satisfy a user specified condition; or (iii) changes to a value within a specified range of values. The subscription request can optionally include one or more temporal conditions. For example, the temporal conditions can evaluate whether the dynamic attribute satisfied a value constraint during a given time interval.

Abstract: XML Schema design often involves repeating work already done by others. Schema designers benefit from a system that helps designers choose from a set of candidate XML tags already in use by others. Mechanisms are described for providing decision support in the selection of candidate XML tags based on tags that are in use within a collection of XML documents. The approaches presented include a static analysis of tags which reflects the use of such tags in documents considered to be of high quality. A real-time analysis of tags considers the shared context of candidate XML tags with the set of tags already selected for use in the schema under design. Measure values resulting from the static analysis and/or the real-time analysis are used to derive an overall ranking measure for each candidate tag, and the candidate tags may be displayed in rank order of their measure values.

Abstract: A system and method for managing the ordering, maintenance and delivery of documents (e.g., technical publications, journals, etc.) in a copyright-compliant manner. A company having a plurality of users having a significant need to access a plurality of documents, order a large number of documents, may utilize the system and method to centrally manage the company's document ordering needs. The system and method provides for the end-to-end management of the access to the plurality of the documents and the entire document delivery supply chain from the publisher to the user anywhere, anytime on any of the user's devices. Use of the system and method enables a company to efficiently control the automated distribution of content in compliance with copyright restrictions set forth by document publishers.

Abstract: A query optimizing system and methods employ contextual knowledge about the types and use of data and/or applications in tables underlying a relational database to provide improved queries and/or make recommendations to a query optimizer of a database based upon knowledge of the data and/or application gathered. A multi-tenant database, in which querying is conducted on multiple tenant data stored in a single table, provides for determining tenant-level statistics, data sharing, user/tenant views, user-level access/capacities, custom entities, custom fields and/or other contextual information about users and tenants, and for providing query optimization and/or query optimizer recommendations corresponding to such information.

Abstract: A method for communicating data includes selecting a portion of data for communication to a remote computer with the data portion in device-dependent format and comprising at least an integer, a real number, or a binary value. A portable buffer is generated based on the selected data portion, the portable buffer comprising at least one device-independent data representation. The portable buffer is communicated to the remote computer for processing the data portion in a second device-dependent format.

Abstract: A manager program for managing virtual machines includes a process which receives a notification message indicating an occurrence of an event affecting a data storage unit in a data storage system that supports a shared file system. The notification message might have come from a virtual machine host or resulted from a hardware reconfiguration. The manager program then determines whether another virtual machine host is sharing the data storage unit. The manager program might make this determination by polling each of the virtual machine hosts it manages or by checking information previously collected and stored in a database. If another virtual machine host is sharing the data storage unit, the manager program sends a refresh message to that virtual machine host that causes the virtual machine host to update information relating to the data storage unit in a cache associated with the virtual machine host.

Abstract: A system and method for generating query refinement suggestions may include collecting refinement data for at least one received source query. The collected refinement data is then clustered to form at least one cluster. At least one potential refinement query suggestion is identified from the refinement data within the at least one cluster.

Abstract: A system and method for managing the ordering, maintenance, and delivery of documents (e.g., technical publications, journals, etc.) in a copyright-compliant manner. A company having a plurality of users having a significant need to order a large number of documents, may utilize the system and method to centrally manage the company's document ordering needs. The system and method provides for the end-to-end management of the entire document delivery supply chain from the publisher to the user. Use of the system and method enables a company to efficiently control the automated distribution of content in compliance with copyright restrictions set forth by document publishers.

Abstract: Methods and computer-readable media are provided for interleaving multiple sets of blended search results to identify a preferred set of blended search results for a search query or for a category of search queries. A search query is received and routed to multiple ranking systems, which return search results that are blended into sets of blended search results. Interleaving experiments are performed to determined, based on user preferences, which set of blended search results are preferred for that particular search query. Based on the outcome, a preferred blending algorithm is identified.

Abstract: An apparatus and method autonomically refreshes a materialized query table (MQT) in a computer database to improve database performance and utility. In preferred embodiments, the query optimizer autonomically initiates a refresh of MQT depending on an estimated time for the query to access the base tables. In other preferred embodiments, the query optimizer estimates the time for the query to access the base tables and compares it to the estimated time to refresh the MQT to determine whether to refresh the MQT and run the query over the MQT rather than the base tables.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates performing a cost-based optimization of authorization checks in a database system. During operation, the system receives a query at the database system. Next, the system estimates a cost for executing the query, which involves estimating a cost for evaluating authorization checks, which involve functional evaluations of access rights for data accessed by the query. The system then rewrites the query to include evaluating authorization checks within the query. The system also estimates a cost for executing the rewritten query. Next, the system determines if executing the rewritten query has a lower cost than executing the query and performing the authorization checks. If so, the system executes the rewritten query. However, if not, the system executes the query.

Abstract: A system identifies a document, performs a search to identify web documents relating to an attribute associated with the document, and provides information associated with the web documents and the document.

Abstract: A computer implemented system for integrating, searching, and updating media related databases comprising a first server for receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources, a second server for receiving queries from at least one of a plurality of user computing devices, and a database access layer being utilized by the first and second servers to read and write to a plurality of databases. The plurality of databases comprise a content database and a media database. The content database receives at least one article of digital content from the first server via the database access layer and stores the at least one article. The media database contains at least one journalist data and media outlet data. A mapping module matches journalist data and media outlet data to at least one journalist data and media outlet data contained in the media database.

Abstract: A method and system disclosed herein can be used to determine relationships between objects, determining which of those relationships are significant for a specific action, and determining physical dependencies between the objects. The method and system can be used to perform actions consistent with integrity constraints, and therefore, performs the actions in the correct order with a reduced likelihood of errors. The method and system are highly beneficial in that they can significantly enhance content management and can be implemented without having to write new or edit existing applications. Also, existing content data and applications may be used without any changes.

Abstract: An e-mail based content import system imports content into a content management system using an e-mail application. A user selects values for address fields of an e-mail, enters a content item in a body of the e-mail, enters content metadata in a body text of the e-mail, and selects files as an attachment to the e-mail. The user sends the e-mail to the content management system. An e-mail processing engine processes the e-mail body to extract the content item and content metadata and maps the values of the address fields to content metadata to generate content comprising the content item, content metadata, and associated files. The mapping of the system comprises a predetermined customizable mapping of the address fields to the content metadata.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus has a storage device provided for a plurality of operators for storing files and run history on the files for each of the plurality of operators. Operators among the plurality of operators can be related. A display device displays information on files which were dealt with by a group including an operator and other operators related to the operator among the plurality of operators when the operator instructs to display the information on files. In a modified example, the information on files is displayed when the operator accesses said storage device.

Abstract: A node device connected to other node devices has a particular obtaining unit that obtains search information including, a first determination unit that applies a predetermined rule to determine whether the search information obtained by the particular obtaining unit is required to be stored in the node device. The node device has a first storage unit that stores search information when required, and a second determination unit that determines whether the search information obtained by the particular obtaining unit is newly published in the network. A second storage unit stores the search information when the second determination unit determines that the storage information is newly published. A search unit searches the content data, based on the search information stored in at least one of the first storage unit and the second storage unit.

Abstract: A computer implemented system for integrating and searching media related databases comprising a first server for receiving digital content from at least one of a plurality of sources, a second server for receiving queries from at least one of a plurality of user computing devices, and a database access layer being utilized by the first and second servers to read and write to a plurality of databases. The plurality of databases comprise a content database and a media database. The content database receives at least one article of digital content from the first server via the database access layer and stores the at least one article. The media database contains at least one journalist data and media outlet data. A mapping module matches journalist data and media outlet data to at least one journalist data and media outlet data contained in the media database.

Abstract: A database system usable in a high user concentration environment includes a central database containing content relating to associated users. Software is configured for loading onto associated portable computers carried by the users. The software when executed on one of the associated portable computers performs a method including: (i) downloading from the central database a selected sub-set of the content before the associated portable computer enters the high user concentration environment; (ii) generating modifications or additions to the downloaded sub-set of the content; and (iii) at least while the associated portable computer is within the high user concentration environment, occasionally wirelessly connecting with the central database to upload at least some of the generated modifications or additions to the central database and to download other modifications or additions to the selected sub-set of content.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for generating reports and other outputs from a computer program. A user first defines a focus area, composed of chosen data types and then creates a row definition for the focus area. In defining the row definition the user defines groups and subgroups from the data represented by the focus. This definition process allows the user to generate reports from data organized in similar rows. The user has the ability to define the data to be included in the report through the use of an expression. The expression can also be used to exclude data from the report. Additional embodiments allow the user to verify the use of data and if the data has been used multiple times, and to capture on the output the missings and duplicates.