Abstract: A dynamic message engine allows the merging of data using a variety of databases to deliver mail items to selected recipients, wherein the mail items include content which is filtered or otherwise limited by the system. In one embodiment, invitations to seminars (e.g., seminars directed at pharmaceuticals) are prepared and sent to a plurality of physicians selected from a physician database, wherein the content of the invitation includes text selected from a predetermined set of acceptable text items and/or wherein the content is filtered in accordance with predetermined criteria.

Abstract: A method is provided for sharing a file among a plurality of hosts; the file is stored in a disk device shared among the plurality of hosts, each of which uses an operating system (OS) having a different format. In general, a management system of a file is different depending on the OS. Therefore, because a stored location of the file is unknown, it is not possible to view the file, which is managed by a management system of a certain OS, from the other OSs. Therefore, a method is provided whereby stored-location information of the file, which is managed by a management system of a first OS, is converted into stored-location information that is managed by a second OS format. Then, the second OS reads the file on the basis of the stored-location information that has been converted.

Abstract: The technology includes the steps of: associating material-object identification code identifying each individual material object with material-object information representing information about material object identified by identification code and storing identification code and material-object information in material-object information database in each of business categories; sending code and information stored in database in each business category; integrating items of information having same code with each other among codes and items of information received from database in each business category to generate integrated material-object information, associating identification code with integrated material-object information identified by code and storing identification code and integrated material-object information in integrated database; requesting to send integrated material-object information associated with given identification code; reading requested integrated material-object information from integrat

Abstract: A method for processing distribution channel data integrating business information with geographic data to produce integrated data, wherein the integrated data has greater resolution than the business information. Distribution channel data is captured and correlated with the integrated data to increase the resolution of the distribution channel data.

Abstract: A target database is synchronized with a source database in a database replication system. Key ranges of blocks of data to be replicated are used in the replication process. Also, synchronization occurs simultaneously with replication.

Abstract: Methods and systems for enriching information streams with supplemental content are disclosed. A contextual publisher may eavesdrop on an information distribution service, such as a news wire, and detect the presence of particular messages having subject matter in which the contextual publisher has expertise. The contextual publisher may thus generate content that is supplemental to the messages, and forward this supplemental content to the original recipients of the messages. In this way, users may receive timely information about topics in which they have a current interest.

Abstract: A method for locating and retrieving distributed remote resources. A request (2) for a resource is received by a server (3). The request may be received from another server or from a user device (1). The request may include an identifier for the resource in the form of a Uniform Resource Name. The server (3) searches for the resource in a local storage device (4). If the resource is found the server may send access information for the resource or the resource itself to the original requester. If the server (3) cannot locate the resource on the local storage device (4) it will send the request to a plurality of servers (5, 8, 13). These servers may be those on a list (24) of neighbouring servers or those accessible by sending (35) the request via a multicast method. A server and system for implementing the method are also disclosed.

Abstract: In the preparation of a characteristic word list as one method of text mining, means for selecting an unnecessary word group that requires to be removed in advance is provided. Document IDs and a user ID are received from a client, and a characteristic word list is prepared from the document IDs and document information obtained in advance. Next, selected book IDs are obtained referring to the user ID and a user attribute table. On the basis of the obtained book IDs, unnecessary words are removed from the characteristic word list prepared by characteristic word list preparation program, and the characteristic word list from which the unnecessary words are removed is returned to the client as mining results.

Abstract: A method, computer program, database system and data structure are disclosed for compressing a decimal type field in a database including one or more tables. Each of the one or more tables includes one or more rows. Each of the one or more rows includes an instance of the decimal type field. Space is allocated in one of P amounts to an instance of the decimal type field in a row, the amount being chosen based on the size of the value being stored in the instance of the decimal type field. One or more presence bits are set in the row to identify the amount of space allocated.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program for enabling parametric searches on source data using text search engine. The invention is generally divided into a build-time process and a run-time process. During the build-time process, a crawler extracts data units from source data. A data translator then translates data units into keyword parametric entries that are submitted to the text search engine. During the run-time process, a query translator translates parametric search queries into keyword search entries. A metadata refiner then filters intermediate search results from the search engine based on the parametric search query.

Abstract: This disclosure describes leveraging workload information associated with executed database queries for estimating the result of a current database query. The workload information is analyzed to determine the usage of tuples in a database during query execution, such as how often a tuple is accessed and the number of different queries that accessed the tuple. A tuple is assigned a weight value that is based on the analyzed workload information. The particular tuples sampled for estimating a result for the current query is based on each tuple's weight value. The workload information may also be leveraged to generate an outlier index that identifies outlier tuples associated with the executed queries or that identifies outlier tuples associated with particular queries that are executed more frequently than other queries. The result for the current query can also be estimated using the sampled values along with the outlier tuples from the outlier index.

Abstract: A file system is migrated from a source file server to a target file server in a data network while permitting clients to have concurrent read/write access to the file system. The target file server issues directory read requests and file read requests to the source file server in accordance with a network file access protocol to transfer the file system from the source file server to the target file server. Concurrent with the transfer of the file system from the source file server to the target file server, the target file server responds to client read/write requests for access to the file system. In a preferred embodiment, the target file server maintains a hierarchy of on-line nodes off-line nodes. The online nodes represent file system objects that have been completely migrated, and the offline nodes representing file system objects that have not been completely migrated.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for performing data mining applications in a relational database management system. A relational database management system, executed by the computer, manages a relational database stored on data storage devices of the computer. At least one analytic algorithm is performed by the computer, wherein the analytic algorithm includes SQL statements performed by the relational database management system directly against the relational database and optional programmatic iteration, and the analytic algorithm creates at least one analytic model within an analytic logical data model from the data residing in the relational database. A parallel deployer is executed by the computer for managing parallel invocations of the analytic models.

Abstract: A method of and a system for collecting, data about an event and describing the event, which for example, might be an entertainment event, a sports event, or a political event. Identifying characteristics of the event, characteristics of types of data about the event, and a record of the event are acquired by a description generator. A person wishing to view a particular type of data utilizes an interactive receiver to select the type of data, and characteristics of the selected type of data within the record of the event are located so as to locate data of the selected type. The located data are then collected and displayed. By storing characteristics of different types of segments that occur in the event, a viewer can select segments of a particular type for viewing. Characteristics of the selected type of segments are then located within the record of the event so as to locate segments of the selected type, and the located segments are then displayed.

Abstract: A system and method for effectively implementing a personal channel for interactive television comprises a personal channel manager that may include a configuration module, a search module, and a content packaging module. A system user may utilize the configuration module to perform a personal channel configuration procedure to specify personal channel configuration data for performing a content record search procedure. The search module may manage the content record search procedure according to one or more search parameters that may be defined during the personal channel configuration procedure. The search module may selectively locate and access one or more content records from one or more remote content databases during the foregoing content record search procedure. The content packaging module may then responsively coordinate a content record sorting procedure according to user-specified sorting criteria to thereby organize the located content records into a personal channel program.

Abstract: In a database synchronization process, a block of data is read from a source database at the first node. A marker is assigned to the block of data, and the marker is then written to an audit trail at the first node. The marker is sent from the audit trail to a second node having a target database. The block of data is sent from the first node to the second node without passing the block of data through the audit trail. At the second node, the block of data is stored in the target database upon receipt at the second node of the block of data and the marker assigned to the block of data. This process is repeated for additional blocks of data in the source database, wherein a marker is assigned to each subsequent block of data. In this manner, some or all of the source database may be replicated to the target database without having to store or pass any data in the source database in or through the audit trail at the first node.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for synchronizing databases in a network environment. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method of using a set of hierarchical rules to enable an efficient and speedy synchronization between multiple copies of a database. The present invention enables an “n-way” synchronization of databases where “n”, the number of databases synchronized, is essentially any number more than two. In one embodiment, the present invention provides rule-based, n-way, synchronization by selecting a focus copy of the database, comparing the data records of the focus copy against the same records in other copies of the database to identify those deleted and modified; removing all the records indicated to be deleted, modifying those to be modified, and adding new record identifiers in the case of multiple modifications to the same record.

Abstract: A method of searching multimedia data is disclosed. In the present invention, an image is searched based upon normalized feature information which has been normalized. By normalizing the feature information, the weights of features used in searching an image can be more efficiently determined, thereby allowing a more accurate image search.

Abstract: A database link control method and apparatus capable of establishing a link between records related to each other and a database system including a database control function. The data base system includes a function for storing information regarding at least one record and a link relating records to each other holds at least one link generating information item necessary to generate a link to relate records to each other. The database system includes a database server including a storage to store information regarding at least one record and a storage to store links relating records to each other and a database client. The client holds at least one link generating information item necessary to generate a link to relate records to each other.

Abstract: A search system and method for one agent or for multiple agents using a space-filling curve provides a way to control one or more agents to cover an area of any space of any dimensionality using an exhaustive search pattern. An example of the space-filling curve is a Hilbert curve. The search area can be a physical geography, a cyberspace search area, or an area searchable by computing resources. The search agent can be one or more physical agents, such as a robot, and can be software agents for searching cyberspace.