Method, article and system for time dependent search

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9996594-B2
Application number	US-49248209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2009
Priority date	Jun 26, 2009
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A method and system for time dependent search is described. A search manager may receive a query for time dependent information relating to a base object and a time period. The search manager may search a search optimized storage system of technical objects for a technical object that matches the query. Each technical object may include a reference to time dependent information stored by a base object and a validity period. The validity period for each technical object is chosen by time stretching logic such that valid time dependent information is available for all time periods.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-implemented method for searching for time dependent information implemented by at least one computing device having one or more data processors, the method comprising:
clustering, by at least one data processor, a plurality of base objects into respective logical groups, wherein each base object includes time dependent information and wherein each logical group is organized into a plurality of validity time periods containing time slices of valid time dependent information;
establishing, by the at least one data processor, links between a plurality of technical objects and the plurality of base objects by associating fields of the plurality of technical objects with the plurality of base objects;
storing, by the at least one processor, the linked plurality of technical objects and the plurality of base objects in a storage system;
receiving, by the at least one data processor, a query relating to time dependent information;
searching, by the at least one data processor, the storage system for a technical object that matches the query;
identifying, by the at least one data processor in response to the technical object being outside a validity time period of the technical object, logical groups whose time slices cumulatively cover discontinuous time periods;
for the identified logical groups, stretching, by the at least one data processor, the validity time period for select technical objects associated with the identified logical groups, each of the plurality of technical objects having at least one reference to a base object, the validity time period for the select technical object being stretched by time stretching logic to extend backwards in time from an earliest beginning time of the time dependent information and to extend forwards in time from a latest end time of the time dependent information to cover all time periods, wherein the stretching results in valid time dependent data being available for each logical group;
storing the stretched validity time period in a storage system;
retrieving the base object referenced by the technical object;
receiving a notification, by the at least one data processor, that the time dependent information stored by the base object has been updated to reflect the stretched validity time period;
determining, by the at least one data processor, that the stretched validity time period is below a threshold level; and
choosing, by the at least one data processor, a new validity time period for each technical object based upon the stretched validity time period being below the threshold level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage system of technical objects is a search-optimized persistency.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the time dependent information is organized into logical groups.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object starts after a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a first date in the future that the time dependent data is valid is retrieved.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object overlaps a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a current date is retrieved.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object expired before a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a last date in the past that the time dependent information was valid is retrieved.

7. An article comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one data processor forming part of at least one computing device implement operations comprising:
clustering a plurality of base objects into respective logical groups, wherein each base object includes time dependent information and wherein each logical group is organized into a plurality of validity time periods containing time slices of valid time dependent information;
establishing links between a plurality of technical objects and the plurality of base objects by associating fields of the plurality of technical objects with the plurality of base objects;
storing the linked plurality of technical objects and the plurality of base objects in a storage system;
receiving a query relating to time dependent information;
searching the storage system of technical objects for a technical object that matches the query;
identifying, in response to the technical object being outside a validity time period for the technical object, logical groups whose time slices cumulatively cover discontinuous time periods;
for the identified logical groups, stretching the validity time period for select technical objects associated with the identified logical groups, each of the plurality of technical objects having at least one reference to a base object the validity time period for each technical object being stretched by time stretching logic to extend backwards in time from an earliest beginning time of the time dependent information and to extend forwards in time from a latest end time of the time dependent information to cover all time periods, wherein the stretching results in valid time dependent data being available for each logical group;
storing the stretched technical objects in a storage system;
retrieving the base object referenced by the technical object;
receiving a notification, by the at least one data processor, that the time dependent information stored by the base object has been updated to reflect the stretched validity time period;
determining, by the at least one data processor, that the stretched validity time period is below a threshold level; and
choosing, by the at least one data processor, a new validity time period for each technical object based upon the stretched validity time period being below the threshold level.

8. The article of claim 7 , wherein the storage system of technical objects is a search-optimized persistency.

9. The article of claim 7 , wherein the time dependent information is organized into logical groups.

10. The article of claim 7 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object starts after a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a first date in the future that the time dependent data is valid is retrieved.

11. The article of claim 7 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object overlaps a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a current date is retrieved.

12. The article of claim 7 , wherein if the validity time period of the time dependent information stored by the base object expired before a queried time period, time dependent information associated with a last date in the past that the time dependent information was valid is retrieved.

13. A system comprising:
at least one data processor; and
memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one data processor, implement operations comprising:
clustering, by at least one data processor, a plurality of base objects into respective logical groups, wherein each base object includes time dependent information and wherein each logical group is organized into a plurality of validity time periods containing time slices of valid time dependent information;
establishing, by the at least one data processor, links between a plurality of technical objects and the plurality of base objects by associating fields of the plurality of technic

Assignees

• Richter Matthias
• Dentzer Ralf
• Dominguez Anzuinelli Gisella
• Sap Se

Inventors

• Richter Matthias
• Dentzer Ralf
• Dominguez Anzuinelli Gisella

Classifications

• G06F16/2477 Primary

  Temporal data queries · CPC title

• G06F16/2474

  Sequence data queries, e.g. querying versioned data · CPC title

• G06F16/285

  Clustering or classification · CPC title

• G06F17/30548

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30551 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic