Identification of data objects within a computer database

摘要

Provided are, among other things, systems, methods and techniques for identifying matching objects in a computer database. In one representative technique, a set of attribute-value pairs corresponding to a query data object are input, with individual ones of the attribute-value pairs including an identified attribute and a value for the identified attribute; multiple characteristic fingerprints are assigned to individual ones of the attribute-value pairs in the set, the characteristic fingerprints having been selected from an attribute-specific field of available characteristic fingerprints based on the value for the identified attribute; a subset of at least one characteristic fingerprint is selected from across the characteristic fingerprints for the query data object, based on a selection criterion, and a database is queried using the subset of at least one characteristic fingerprint to identify any matches.

主权项

1. A method of identifying matching objects in a computer database, comprising:
inputting a query data object as a set of attribute-value pairs, individual ones of the attribute-value pairs including an identified attribute and a value for the identified attribute; after inputting the query data object, assigning a plurality of characteristic fingerprints to individual ones of the attribute-value pairs in the set of attribute-value pairs to yield a set of characteristic fingerprints, said characteristic fingerprints having been selected from an attribute-specific field of available characteristic fingerprints based on the value for the identified attribute; after assigning the characteristic fingerprints, selecting a subset of at least one characteristic fingerprint from across the characteristic fingerprints for the query data object, based on a selection criterion, the subset of the at least one characteristic fingerprint that is selected being lesser in number than the set of characteristic fingerprints; and after selecting the subset, searching the computer database for the objects in the computer database that match the query data object as originally input as the set of attribute-value pairs by using the subset of at least one characteristic fingerprint to query the database, and not using any characteristic fingerprint not in the subset, to yield database results regarding the query object, wherein for the identified attribute, the characteristic fingerprints are assigned to values of the identified attribute based on:
a first parameter specifying a number of allowable values that the identified attribute can have;a second parameter specifying how far apart the values of the identified attribute can be to not have any commonality with respect to the identified attribute; anda third parameter specifying a size of a field of potential fingerprints from which the characteristic fingerprints are selected for assignment to the values of the identified attribute, the third parameter based on the first parameter and the second parameter.