Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for processing an input sequence of a plurality of function calls on at least one processor. Each function call of the plurality of function calls is associated with an abort probability, and each function call is also associated with a processing cost per function call on the basis of a number of processor instructions of the respective function call and the abort probability of the respective function calls. During processing of the function calls according to an input sequence, the abort probability for at least some of the function calls may be updated taking into consideration whether or not the processing of the respective function call caused an abort. The processing cost per function may be updated during processing, and an updated input sequence may be determined by rearranging the order of the function calls based on the processing cost.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for processing an input sequence of a plurality of function calls on at least one processor. Each function call of the plurality of function calls is associated with an abort probability, and each function call is also associated with a processing cost per function call on the basis of a number of processor instructions of the respective function call and the abort probability of the respective function calls. During processing of the function calls according to an input sequence, the abort probability for at least some of the function calls may be updated taking into consideration whether or not the processing of the respective function call caused an abort. The processing cost per function may be updated during processing, and an updated input sequence may be determined by rearranging the order of the function calls based on the processing cost.

Abstract: Methods, search platforms, systems, and storage media for handling queries in a database system. The database system includes at least one client and at least one search platform. The search platform maintains pre-collected search results which are associated which confidence factors. A confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid. The search platform receives a query indicating at least one search criterion to the search platform. The confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results are utilized to increase the mean probability of pre-collected search results returned to the client. For example, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold are returned to the client.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating pre-computed database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the cached database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating cached database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the cached database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: A faring system includes a production facility including at least one fare shopping server, a staging facility including at least one fare shopping server, and an entry point for conducting bi-directional communications with customers. The staging facility further includes a database storing transformation rules and a traffic generation subsystem configured to receive a transaction via the entry point from a customer, to determine if the received request is one suitable for use in generating simulation data for the fare shopping server of the staging system and, if so, to modify the received transaction in accordance with at least one rule retrieved from the database to create at least one modified transaction, and to send the at least one modified transaction to the fare shopping server of the staging facility for processing. The fare shopping server of the staging facility processes the modified transaction for evaluating a potential new or modified functionality of the faring system.

Abstract: Methods, search platforms, systems, and storage media for handling queries in a database system. The database system includes at least one client and at least one search platform. The search platform maintains pre-collected search results which are associated which confidence factors. A confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid. The search platform receives a query indicating at least one search criterion to the search platform. The confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results are utilized to increase the mean probability of pre-collected search results returned to the client. For example, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold are returned to the client.

Abstract: The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a pre-shopping reservation tool which allows storing entire catalogs of air travels from many providers, while ensuring a high cache accuracy at limited operational costs. The system makes use of the fares knowledge to merge identical travel recommendations coming from different travel providers (airline, travel agencies) when possible, i.e. when fares are public and not negotiated for a specific travel provider. This prevents redundant prices to be stored in the system and improves its cost effectiveness. The system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention relies on several dedicated data analysis engines to optimize the cost of data pre-computations while at the same time maintaining good data accuracy.

Abstract: A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the cached database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating cached database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the cached database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Abstract: A method and a system for maintaining coherence of cache contents in a multi-tiered architecture of servers are described. This includes a front tier of satellite servers, each operating a local cache, and a middle tier of central servers each operating a central cache. Central servers interface with databases through database servers to retrieve the data elements used to construct objects and store them in central caches. Once constructed, objects are attributed a time-to-live (TTL) and stored in central caches then, forwarded to the satellite servers where they are stored in local caches before being delivered to the software applications that have requested them. They are invalidated when outdated and reconstructed from a central server from where they are forwarded to all central caches and to the local caches where they are needed.

Abstract: The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a pre-shopping reservation tool which allows storing entire catalogues of air travels from many providers, while ensuring a high cache accuracy at limited operational costs. The system makes use of the fares knowledge to merge identical travel recommendations coming from different travel providers (airline, travel agencies) when possible, i.e. when fares are public and not negotiated for a specific travel provider. This prevents redundant prices to be stored in the system and improves its cost effectiveness. The system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention relies on several dedicated data analysis engines to optimize the cost of data pre-computations while at the same time maintaining good data accuracy.

Abstract: The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention allows an improved travel request service to end-users who request proposals for a trip from a Global Distribution System (GDS). This uses a new travel request which comprises a wider range for each search parameter than previous travel requests from the prior art. The new travel request includes many different ranges of parameters in the same travel request whereas the prior art travel request has to be repeated for each different requested value for each search parameter. The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a combination of two modules, a master module and a worker module, to carry out the improved travel request service.

Abstract: A faring system includes a production facility including at least one fare shopping server, a staging facility including at least one fare shopping server, and an entry point for conducting bi-directional communications with customers. The staging facility further includes a database storing transformation rules and a traffic generation subsystem configured to receive a transaction via the entry point from a customer, to determine if the received request is one suitable for use in generating simulation data for the fare shopping server of the staging system and, if so, to modify the received transaction in accordance with at least one rule retrieved from the database to create at least one modified transaction, and to send the at least one modified transaction to the fare shopping server of the staging facility for processing. The fare shopping server of the staging facility processes the modified transaction for evaluating a potential new or modified functionality of the faring system.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method and a system for maintaining consistency of a cache memory, accessible by multiple independent processes. The processes can share common data. The processes perform simultaneous data searching operations optionally followed by providing the data to the processes, a removal of same or an insertion of new data. The searching, removal and insertion operations, are comprehensively executed once they have been initiated by the independent processes. They are executed excluding one another when they must operate on common data. The removal or insertion operations are each completely reversible. In that context, the invention provides that the operations for providing, removing or inserting the data have a finite or bound duration of execution so as to prevent any locking.

Abstract: A method and a system for maintaining coherence of cache contents in a multi-tiered architecture of servers are described. This includes a front tier of satellite servers, each operating a local cache, and a middle tier of central servers each operating a central cache. Central servers interface with databases through database servers to retrieve the data elements used to construct objects and store them in central caches. Once constructed, objects are attributed a time-to-live (TTL) and stored in central caches then, forwarded to the satellite servers where they are stored in local caches before being delivered to the software applications that have requested them. They are invalidated when outdated and reconstructed from a central server from where they are forwarded to all central caches and to the local caches where they are needed.

Abstract: A method and a system maintain consistency of a cache memory, accessible by multiple independent processes. The processes can share common data, and perform simultaneous data searching operations optionally followed by providing the data to the processes, and data removal/insertion. The searching, removal and insertion operations are comprehensively executed once initiated by processes, excluding one another when they must operate on common data. Removal and insertion are reversible. Providing, removing and inserting the data have a finite execution duration, preventing locking. Particularly, insertion (including a step of releasing an input when a partition of the cache memory is full) if requiring browsing through the entire partition to make a selection, is possibly interrupted if maximum browsing time is reached. Here, the most appropriate input among those already browsed is released.