Abstract: Methods, articles of manufacture and systems for managing execution of a multi-step workflow in which one or more steps are repeatedly executed on data of a database. One embodiment provides a method comprising receiving current input for execution of a step of the workflow on relevant data of the database, wherein the step has been previously executed on the relevant data using previous input identical to the current input and wherein the previous execution of the step produced previous output; determining whether the step is deterministic, whereby the step generates identical output for given input in repeated executions of the step on the relevant data; and, if the step is deterministic, returning the previous output produced during the previous execution of the step without re-executing the step.

Abstract: A method determines whether a structural indicator of a first table of results generated from a first data repository query matches a corresponding structural indicator of a second table of results generated from a substantially identical second data repository query. If the first and second table structural indicators match, then values from at least two corresponding cells from each of the first and second tables are aggregated. If the aggregated values from the first and second tables are identical, then an indication is provided indicating that the first data repository query results are accurate. Related apparatuses, computer program products, and computer systems are also described.

Abstract: A system includes a first device that runs an archiving master program. The first device includes available storage for use by the archiving master program. A second device runs a computer program that generates log files for storage on the second device. The second device runs an archiving slave program. The archiving slave program sends the log files to the archiving master program. The archiving master program receives the log files from the archiving slave program and stores the log files in the available storage.

Abstract: Many different users may access, revise and update the same shared object simultaneously through several different transports. Revisions to the shared object are automatically synchronized such that all users can view the revisions to the shared object. Conflicting revisions are reconciled and merged into a current version of the shared object. A client may request the current version of the shared object from a store when the current version of the shared object is not available from the store. The current version of the shared object is synchronized with the client when the store receives the current version of the share object.

Abstract: A method and a system for providing snippets of source documents of an answer to a fact query are disclosed. Snippets of source documents may be provided in response to a user request for the source documents from which the fact answer to a fact query was extracted. The snippets include the terms of the fact query and terms of the answer. The snippets may be displayed along with Uniform Resource Locators (URL's) of the source documents.

Abstract: A computerized method and system for analyzing a multitude of items in a high dimensional (n-dimensional) data space Dn each described by n item features. The method uses a mining function f with at least one control parameter Pi controlling the target of the data mining function. The method selects a transformation function T for reducing dimensions of the n-dimensional space by space-filling curves mapping said n-dimensional space to a m-dimensional space (m<n). The method determines a transformed control parameter PT i controlling the target of the data mining function in the m-dimensional space. The method applies the selected transformation function T on the multitude Dn of items to create a transformed multitude Dm of items, executes the mining function f controlled by the transformed control parameter PT i on the transformed multitude of items Dm, and stores the result.

Abstract: In an information retrieval system, a query optimization method transforms maximum or minimum function aggregation predicates on a non-indexed column into a single sort function. The method evaluates the query to identify a table and a predicate equating a column of the table to a sub-query that applies a maximum or minimum aggregation function to the column to return an aggregate value for the column. The aggregate value is used for selecting rows from the table to produce a query result. A determination is then made whether an index has not been created using the column of the table. In response to these steps of evaluating and determining, the method reforms the query as a sort function on the column. The sort function scans the table once to provide the query result.

Abstract: A computer unit 71 disposed at a vehicle assembly plant 70 sends to an information providing center 40 chassis number information and MAC address information and phone number information of a communication unit 15 of a vehicle. A computer unit 81 at a vehicle sales shop 80 transmits to the center 40 chassis number information and information representing the number plate of the vehicle. The center 40 registers the sent information pieces as movable-body-specifying information and user-specifying information, respectively. By use of an apparatus 10, a user requests the center 40 to provide information. The center 40 authenticates the movable-body-specifying information and the user-specifying information sent from the apparatus 10, checks whether or not the present location of the vehicle coincides with a predetermined location, and specifies the user. Then, the center 40 provides information to the specified user.

Abstract: The invention relates to indexing of digitized entities in a large and comparatively unstructured data collection, for instance the Internet, such that text-based searches with respect to the data collection can be ordered via a user client terminal. Index information is generated for each digitized entity, which contains distinctive features being ranked according to a rank parameter. The rank parameter indicates a degree of relevance of particular distinctive feature with respect to a given digitized entity and is derived from fields or tags associated with one or more copies of the digitized entity in the data collection. The index information is stored in a searchable database, which is accessible via a user client interface and a search engine. The derived distinctive features and the rank parameter thus provides a possibility to carry out text-based searches in respect of non-text digitized entities, such as images, audio files and video sequences and obtain a highly relevant search result.

Abstract: A query progress indicator that provides an indication to a user of the progress of a query being executed on a database. The indication of the progress of the query allows the user to decide whether the query should be allowed to complete or should be aborted. One method that may be used to estimate the progress of a query that is being executed on a database defines a model of work performed during execution of a query. The total amount of work that will be performed during execution of the query is estimated according to the model. The amount of work performed at a given point during execution of the query is estimated according to the model. The progress of the query is estimated using the estimated amount of work at the given point in time and the estimated total amount of work. This estimated progress of query execution may be provided to the user.

Abstract: Graphical user interfaces, computer readable media, and computer systems for monitoring a chemical process. An administration module sets a plurality of user preferences associated with the chemical process. A people management module defines a user role in the chemical process. An organization module defines an organizational structure of an organization that runs the chemical process. An equipment module defines equipment used in the chemical process. A material module controls a chemical used in the chemical process. A process module defines a chemical reaction in the chemical process.

Abstract: Analogies among entities may be detected by obtaining associative counts among the entities and computing similarity measures among given entities and other entities, using the associative counts. First and second entities are then identified as being analogies if the first entity has a strongest similarity measure with respect to the second entity and the second entity also has a strongest similarity measure with respect to the first entity. The similarity measures may be calculated using a normalized entropy inverted among a given entity and other entities.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling UDDI client applications to interactively obtain taxonomy information from a UDDI server and thereby present that information to a user, such as to enable navigation through the taxonomy. An application programming interface is provided by which a client application sends a unique taxonomy identifier and a relationship qualifier (e.g., root, parent and/or child) to a server. The client may also identify a reference node within the taxonomy. The server receives the (e.g., XML) request message, and extracts the data to query a database based on the relationship qualifier (or qualifiers) and the taxonomy/reference node. Based on the query results, the server returns a response that provides relationship information to the client, such as information on root, parent and/or child nodes that satisfy the request. The client interprets the response to present the taxonomy, such as for user navigation through the taxonomy.

Abstract: An auto-completion list for a cascading style sheet (CSS) selector is generated based on user input and contextual information associated with a target document. The user input that triggers the generation of the auto-completion list is entered while creating a CSS selector. A CSS block in the target document is parsed to determine the contextual information associated with the target document corresponding to the user input. The contextual information and the user input are analyzed to determine appropriate elements to add to the CSS selector to complete CSS selector syntax. The appropriate elements are provided in the auto-completion list. The auto-completion list is displayed proximate the location where the user entered the input that triggered generation of the auto-completion list. The user may then select one of the elements displayed in the auto-completion list to add the selected element to the CSS selector syntax.

Abstract: Name disambiguation by using private/global directories and communication contexts.

Abstract: A commercial information search system includes an information center and a search interaction platform. The information center includes an information database storing a plurality of web data characterized by a plurality of languages respectively, wherein the information center is adapted for a user accessing through a public communication network. The search interaction platform is communicatively linking with the information center, wherein when a search request with a selected language is sent to the information center through the public communication network, the information center sorts out the web data to match with the search request to generate a search result based on the web data with the selected language, so as to eliminate unrelated web data with other languages being translated into the selected language to be shown in the search result.

Abstract: A method and system are provided in which data may be multityped using a schematized data model. A standardized schema in a schematized data model includes at least one base construct for representing data that is common across multiple types of an object that the model represents. An extension to the standardized schema is at least one extension construct for representing data that is specific to a single type of the multiple types of the object. Instances of the extension construct are directly or indirectly associated with exactly one instance of the base construct without impacting the behavior and functionality of the base construct. Multiple extensions may be used to represent data that is specific to each of the corresponding multiple types of the object.

Abstract: A method of providing relevant search information comprises receiving a search term. The method also comprises locating a first search result that matches the search term, wherein the first search result is associated with a first measure of reputation, locating a second search result that matches the search term, wherein the second search result is associated with a second measure of reputation, and preferentially presenting the first and the second search results based on the first and the second measures of reputation.

Abstract: For a software component to be installed on a target computer system a product dependency graph is determined which identifies additional software components required by the to-be-installed software component as prerequisite or corequisite software components. For each of these software components a corresponding installation facility is determined. Then a process model is generated being executable by a Workflow Management System (WFMS). The WFMS process model comprises a directed graph of activities, wherein each software component of the product dependency graph is associated with an activity such that when the activity is executed the installation facility corresponding to each of the software components is performed. Moreover, the WFMS process model is generated in a way that the sequence of activities in the directed graph is not violating the dependencies of the software components in the product dependency graph. Finally the WFMS process model is inserted in the WFMS as the provisioning process.

Abstract: Providing persisting search folders within a computer that continuously identify data items having metadata matching a query of search criteria. A query of search criteria formulated via a graphical user interface is applied to a search filter to create a search folder. When the search folder is made live, the search filter is used to search one or more data stores for data items having metadata matching the query of search criteria. Upon finding these data items, the search folder is populated with a link to each data item having metadata matching the query of search criteria. The search folder detects when any new data items are added to a data store and when a change occurs to any metadata of data items previously stored in a data store. Upon detection, the search folders store links to matching new or changed data items.