Abstract: A method for compressing (16) and decompressing files is provided. The method includes creating a list of shift-invariant focal points (108) of neighborhoods in the stream and comparing those focal points (108) to a list of focal points (106) created using the same method on the reference stream. The method of the present invention searches for the longest sequence of focal points (108) that appear in both files (102, 104). The method of the present invention also verifies that neighborhood contain the same focal points (108). The changed data and references to the reference stream are then encoded (114). The decompression process decodes the encoded stream of data (114), and using the reference stream recreates the new version of stream.

Abstract: A system evaluates a first data cleansing application and a second data cleansing application. The system includes a test data generator, an application execution module, and a results reporting module. The test data generator creates a dirty set of sample data from a clean set of data. The application execution module cleanses the dirty set of sample data. The application execution module utilizes the first data cleansing application to cleanse the dirty set of sample data and create a first cleansed output. The application execution module further utilizes the second data cleansing application to cleanse the dirty set of sample data and create a second cleansed output. The results reporting module evaluates the first and second cleansed output. The results reporting module produces an output of scores and statistics for each of the first and second data cleansing applications.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to the use of an evolutionary algorithm to locate optimal solution subspaces. The evolutionary algorithm uses a point-based coding of the subspace determination problem and searches selectively over the space of possible coded solutions. Each feasible solution to the problem, or individual in the population of feasible solutions, is coded as a string, which facilitates use of the evolutionary algorithm to determine the optimal solution to the fitness function. The fitness of each string is determined by solving the objective function for that string. The resulting fitness value can then be converted to a rank, and all of the members of the population of solutions can be evaluated using selection, crossover, and mutation processes that are applied sequentially and iteratively to the individuals in the population of solutions.

Abstract: A database operation mechanism includes the capability of specifying a predefined database operation as a source of data for a different database operation. When the different database operation needs to be performed, the database operation mechanism determines whether the different database operation can use a predefined database operation as a data source. If so, the predefined database operation is specified as the source of data for the different database operation. If the different database operation cannot use a predefined database operation as a data source, the database operation mechanism determines whether the different database operation can use a modified form of a predefined database operation as a data source. If so, the different database operation may use the modified predefined database operation as a source of data.

Abstract: The invention proposes a directory server, capable of interacting with entries organized in a tree structure. Each entry has attributes, these attributes comprising real attributes each having a value stored in the entry. The directory server comprising: a mechanism capable of associating a virtual attribute to an entry, subject to a virtual attribute condition being verified, the virtual attribute condition being derived from data located elsewhere in the tree structure, and a resolving function, capable of receiving a first filter expression, based on a virtual attribute, for converting it into one or more second filter expressions, containing real attributes, and being computed from the first filter expression and from the virtual attribute condition.

Abstract: A system and method for processing documents, such as XML documents, wherein the method includes the steps of: receiving a query comprising search criteria; receiving at least a portion of a document; modifying the search criteria such that constraints specifying a backward relation may be reformulated into constraints specifying a forward relation; processing the document using the modified criteria; and locating one or more nodes that satisfy the search criteria; and, emitting the selected nodes as output.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing data structures associated with large files are provided. With the apparatus and method, region control blocks for a data file are allocated on demand from an array of control blocks and are organized into a tree data structure. The tree data structure includes a base region control block and zero or more extended region control blocks. The base region control block includes a pointer to a root of the tree data structure and information about the data file. The extended region control blocks have pointers to the base region control block, to a successor region control block, and pointers to zero to four child region control blocks. Using this tree data structure, the operating system may perform various operations on the region control blocks with improved performance.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for associating information with an object in a file are disclosed. One method involves associating a search key with the object in the file, and scheduling a search for the information using the search key, for automatic future execution by a searching mechanism operable to execute scheduled searches. Another method involves initiating a pre-scheduled search for the information at a pre-scheduled time, using a search key associated with the object, and associating with the object a result of the search.

Abstract: According to this invention, upon managing a plurality of data by individually appending meta data used to search for the data, an input sheet that describes predetermined candidates of meta data is prepared, the user selects meta data from the candidates of meta data, and the selected meta data is saved in association with the data. Upon making a search, a data search is conducted using meta data, and after the data found by search are partially provided to the user, the user selects desired data. In this way, everyone can easily and efficiently append information for a search to data to be managed.

Abstract: A data display apparatus and data display method for displaying relationships between sets of data are described. Sets of data and similarity values representing similarities between the sets of data are received, and a display is controlled to display representations for the sets of data separated in accordance with the similarity values and so as to display, in a first style, links between representations which correspond to sets of data having a strong similarity value and, in a second style, links between the representations which correspond to sets of data having a weak similarity value.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a system for adaptively identifying data to be stored in a document-processing system that includes an identification processor programmed for identifying the existence of a new and previously absent stored data object in at least one of a plurality of file directories. The identified new stored data object being associated with a particular medical entity, a decision processor programmed for comparing at least a portion of a filename of an identified new stored data object with stored predetermined filename data, and identifying a new stored data object containing data indexing information in response to a filename data match. A communication processor is programmed for providing communication among the identification processor, the decision processor and the document-processing system for processing an identified new stored data object containing data indexing information differently from other identified new stored data objects.

Abstract: Virtual storage systems and virtual storage system operational methods are described. According to one aspect, a virtual storage system includes a physical storage space configured to store data, a virtual storage space adapted to provide a representation of data stored within the physical storage space to a host, a memory configured to store a plurality of pointers utilized to implement addressing intermediate the physical storage space and the virtual storage space, and a controller configured to extract selected ones of the pointers from the memory and to provide the selected pointers in another storage location different than the memory at a first moment in time and to extract the selected pointers from the another storage location and to provide the selected pointers in the memory at a second moment in time subsequent to the first moment in time.

Abstract: An answer wizard drop-down menu for providing users quick and efficient access to help utilities, including help files and wizards provided by a software application, is provided. An answer wizard drop-down edit control and interface is located in a conspicuous, but non-obstructive location on a software application graphical interface. An edit control allows a user to enter a question regarding some desired functionality of the application. In response to the user's question, the user is presented with a list of potential answers to the question in a drop-down menu. If the user finds an acceptable answer to her question in the list of potential answers, the user selects the acceptable answer, and an appropriate help file application is launched to provide the user assistance with the functionality about which the user has questions. Each question so asked by the user is saved in a list of most recently used items.

Abstract: A method of enabling a user to obtain a printed copy of a document previously printed by the user, the method including: maintaining a history list in a computer system of documents previously printed by the user; printing the history list, or a portion of the history list, in a list document including at least one user interface element associated with at least one history item in the history list, to allow the user to indicate a request for a copy of the previously printed document associated with the history item by interacting with the interface element using a sensing device which is adapted to transmit request data to the computer system; retrieving the copy via the computer system; and printing the copy.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating a focused data. An original data set contains lines of data that are of interest to a user. The data set is filtered using inclusive filters, exclusive filters, and markers to identify the lines of interest to the user without losing the context of those lines with respect to other lines in the data set. The lines of interest are then displayed in a focused view, where only the lines of interest are displayed to the user, or in a contextual view, where additional lines of data that are related to the lines of interest are also displayed to the user. In the contextual view, the lines of interest are usually highlighted to distinguish them from the lines that provide context. Also, the other lines in the data set are usually not displayed, even though they may be included in the focused data set.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically detecting deviations in a data table comprising a multitude of records and a multitude of columns. A column of the data table is selected as a classification column and a classification tree is calculated with respect to the classification column. Each edge of the classification tree is associated with a predicate. The leaf nodes of the classification tree are associated with a leaf record set comprising the subset of records for which the class predicate comprising all predicates along a path from a root node of the classification tree to the leaf nodes evaluates to TRUE. Leaf nodes are associated with a leaf label representing an expected value in the classification column for the corresponding leaf record sets. From the leaf record sets all records deviating with respect to the corresponding classification column from the leaf label are determined as deviation sets.

Abstract: The invention describes a method and apparatus for structuring, maintaining, and using families of data. According to the invention, given one or more sets of partitioning data, one may construct a set of families based on the values of fields and attributes of the records in a database system. The families are stored and managed in separate tables. The records in data tables are identified as belonging to one or more families. Furthermore, families may be represented in a hierarchical structure. Families may also inherit from each other based on a parent to child relationship also stored in the database. The invention provides means for fast and organized retrieval of sets data from a database. These and other features greatly facilitate automatic and consistent document generation.

Abstract: A system and method for normalizing encoded text data such as Unicode which is extensible without use of character definition tables through the use of metadata tagging. First, metadata characters, which have no effect on the interpretation of the raw text data, are used to express higher order protocols of encoded two text strings. Next, meta normal form conversion is performed on one or both of two strings to be compared, if both strings are not already in the same meta normal form. Finally, content equivalence determination is performed in which the characters in each string are compared to each other. If a string contains a metadata character, that character is ignored for purposes of equivalence comparison. The remaining characters represent the pure content of the string, e.g. characters without any particular glyph representation.

Abstract: This is a method of using a computer to facilitate decision making where a database can be searched with feed forward information provided to the user. A number of criteria are provided to a user of the system. Each time the user makes a particular selection from a choice of options in a given criteria, the system shows the user how many hits remain for each choice of options in each remaining criteria, based on the particular selection. Each time a particular selection is made within a criteria, the remaining choices are narrowed throughout all remaining criteria. Preferably, the criteria can be selected and/or prioritized by the user.