Abstract: The present invention is directed to a data mining method and apparatus that dynamically initiates the counting of sets of items (itemsets) at any time during the pass over the records of a database and terminates the counting at the same location in the next pass. In this manner, the present invention begins to count itemsets early and finishes counting early while keeping the number of different itemsets which are being counted in any pass relatively low.

Abstract: Search of video images in a database is enhanced by specification of at least one object and a background in stored frames and in queries of the database. Video information is stored in the database by means of representative frames that include at least one object and a background. A query of the database is executed by determining whether a representative frame in the database having at least one object and a background is similar to a search image having at least one object and a background.

Abstract: A cluster-wide database system includes a shared disk array (20) comprising an object oriented database (18). A plurality of nodes (10) are connected to the shared disk array (20). Each of the nodes (10) includes a copy of a portion of the object oriented database stored in a shared virtual address space (26) and applications (14). Each application capable of accessing the shared virtual address space (26).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a network based customer service is provided. In response to a client requesting help, a menu including three levels of interaction is displayed. One level of interaction is self-help searching in a database of information. A second level of interaction is asynchronous help, requesting help and receiving a reply. The third level of interaction is synchronous help, interaction with an advisor. If the client selects synchronous help, the method includes the steps of alerting the advisor and displaying a list of previously visited sites by the client to the advisor. The synchronous help method further includes providing a synchronized display between the client and the advisor, such that the advisor sees an identical display to the client.

Abstract: Database management method and system, for a database having a central database and a plurality of partially replicated databases. The database management method and system determine the visibility of a user of a separate replicated database to the central database from a set of visibility rules stored at a central location.

Abstract: An architecture and method of operation for servicing data queries within a distributed data warehouse system composed of a plurality of physical servers housing the data to be accessed. Queries are generated by data accessing and processing applications executing on client computers within the distributed data warehouse system. The method enables queried data to be requested by, and delivered to respective client computers without having to pass through a middle-tier server. The method further provides a manageable and scalable system architecture which will readily support a variety of physical servers, including legacy databases, and query format translations when required.

Abstract: A file system is distributed over a plurality of computers connected to each other by a network. The plurality of computers execute user programs, and the user programs access files stored on a plurality of physical disks connected to the plurality of computers. The file system includes a plurality of file servers executing on the plurality of computers as a single distributed file server layer. In addition, the file system includes a plurality of disk servers executing on the plurality of computers as a single distributed disk server layer, and a plurality of lock servers executing on the plurality of computers as a single distributed lock server to coordinate the operation of the distributed file and disk server layers so that the user programs can coherently access the files on the plurality of physical disks.

Abstract: A system software solution for controlling an enterprise having one or more components for controlling one or more aspects of an industrial environment. The software includes one or more components for controlling one or more aspects of an industrial environment with code that creates a database of components from existing schematics and timing diagrams. Each of the components have control, diagnostic and resource information pertaining to enterprise resources utilized in the industrial environment. The system also generates code that controls resources comprising cognitive and timing information that synchronizes events throughout the enterprise. The database of components including code that updates the database to reflect changes in the enterprise that manages the design, simulation, implementation and maintenance of a manufacturing enterprise utilizing the database of components.

Abstract: Intervals between a plurality of indexes are determined in accordance with the total number of data items and the number of data items corresponding to each of the plurality of indexes. The plurality of indexes are displayed at the intervals thus determined so that the user can readily know the number of data items associated with respective indexes and the distribution of the plurality of indexes.

Abstract: A method for automatically defining aggregates for use in a datamart is described. The datamart includes fact and dimension tables. The method comprises accessing a schema description and an aggregates description for the datamart. The schema description specifies a schema, which in turn, defines the relationships between the fact tables and dimension tables of the datamart. The aggregates description specifies the aggregates, which define, from the schema definition, which aggregate tables are to be created from the fact tables and dimension tables in the datamart. The data in the aggregates correspond to the pre-computed results of specific types of queries. In response to a query, the aggregates can be searched to determine an appropriate aggregate to use in response to that query. The schema description is used to create a first set of commands to create and populate the fact and dimension tables.

Abstract: The present invention provides a facility for identifying the unknown language of text represented by a series of data values in accordance with a character set that associates character glyphs with particular data values. The facility first generates a characterization that characterizes the series of data values in terms of the occurrence of particular data values on the series of data values. For each of a plurality of languages, the facility then retrieves a model that models the language in terms of the statistical occurrence of particular data values in representative samples of text in that language. The facility then compares the retrieved models to the generated characterization of the series of data values, and identifies as the distinguished language the language whose model compares most favorably to the generated characterization of the series of data values.

Abstract: A method uses a plurality of hash tables to provide an object repository for object oriented application development and use. The method includes storing an object identifier and a representation of the object in a first hash table and storing data about the object and the object identifier in a plurality of paired hash tables with the hash tables organized in mirrored table pairs. The data about the object include an object's class name, object methods, return types, and the data values returned by object methods. The non-inverse hash tables of the mirrored table pairs support fuzzy searches for objects while the inverse hash tables of the mirrored table pairs support searches for objects by object identifier. A system that implements the inventive method includes a first hash table for storage of data representing the object with an object identifier used as a key for storage of the representing data and a plurality of mirrored table pairs for the storage of data about objects.

Abstract: Method for transmission of information to the user, in which a search terminal (1) is used for sending an information query, which is received and processed. Further in the method, information is searched for, and the retrieved information is transmitted to the search terminal (1). The information is received and displayed to the user by the search terminal (1). A system for transmitting information to a user comprises a search terminal (1) for sending an information query, means (3, 4, 4', 4") for receiving and processing of the information query, means (3, 4, 4', 4') for retrieving information, means (2) for transmitting the information to the search terminal (1), and means (1) for receiving the information and presenting it to the user on the search terminal (1), The information retrieval is arranged to be conducted at least partly on the basis of the location and/or travel route of the user.

Abstract: A plurality of steps, which are intended to modify the data in a transaction, form a transaction (40) comprising statements (41, 42, 43). In the method according to the invention there is formed a data exchange space (47) common to the transaction in order to make the parameters available to the statements belonging to the transaction and in order to transmit data between the statements belonging to the transaction. The system (30) maintaining the first version of the database is arranged to store the modifications to be made in the database as transactions, which comprise statements as well as parameters, both regarding the statements and regarding the transaction.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recognizing an input identifier by comparing a recognized identifier based on the input identifier to a set of reference identifiers maintained in memory. When a match is found between the recognized identifier and one of the reference identifiers, a user is prompted with the matched reference identifier. If the user confirms that the matched reference identifier corresponds to the input identifier, a transaction is executed based on the matched reference identifier. If the user rejects the matched reference identifier, the recognized identifier is compared again to the set of reference identifiers, but for this comparison, the previously rejected reference identifier has been excluded from the set of reference identifiers.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for operating a computer system to minimize the number of disk storage access operations used in creating an inverted database. This method divides a database into several smaller subdatabases. The documents of the subdatabases are decomposed into subdocuments. A postings list for each subdatabase is then created in which all the terms for the subdatabase are associated with the identity of each subdocument of the subdatabase in which the terms occur. The resulting postings lists for the subdatabases are then merged. The merge process sorts the postings of the subdatabases and merges common terms. The non-common terms are merged after the common terms. The process of sorting the postings list and then merging the common terms followed by the non-common terms minimizes the number of disk storage access operations required for creating the inverted database from a series of inverted subdatabases.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for integrating a file system with a RAID array that exports precise information about the arrangement of data blocks in the RAID subsystem. The file system examines this information and uses it to optimize the location of blocks as they are written to the RAID system. Thus, the system uses explicit knowledge of the underlying RAID disk layout to schedule disk allocation. The method uses separate current-write location (CWL) pointers for each disk in the disk array where the pointers simply advance through the disks as writes occur. The algorithm used has two primary goals. The first goal is to keep the CWL pointers as close together as possible, thereby improving RAID efficiency by writing to multiple blocks in the stripe simultaneously. The second goal is to allocate adjacent blocks in a file on the same disk, thereby improving read back performance. The method satisfies the first goal by always writing on the disk with the lowest CWL pointer.

Abstract: A method is described for identifying pages that are near duplicates in a linked database. In the linked database, pages can have incoming links and outgoing links. Two pages are selected, a first page and a second page. For each selected page, the number of outgoing links is determined. The two pages are marked as near duplicates based on the number of common outgoing links for the two pages.

Abstract: The individual functionality of a first computer controlled switching system can be replicated by a second system if the operational data for the first system is merged with the system-specific data for the second system. Databases for both systems can be merged by copying specific data items from the preexisting database into the appropriate data structures for system specific data. Predefined rules for the location, use, type and other requirements of missing and requisite data elements are used to locate and merge the two databases together.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing a hierarchical database. An objects framework models the database as one or more objects. An Internet-enabled generic application program accesses the database via the objects framework. The present invention introduces an Internet-enabled generic application program for accessing hierarchical databases, such as an IMS.TM. database, by modeling the database into an objects framework and then accessing the database via the objects framework using standard tools, such as the DL/I.TM. query language for the IMS.TM. database. The Internet-enabled generic application program dynamically builds a DL/I.TM. query string based on web browser inputs. The generic application program loads the objects framework to instantiate IMS.TM. objects and dynamically constructs DL/I.TM. calls to access the IMS.TM. database. The generic application program can be used in a number of different environments, such as: (1) DL/I.TM.