SYSTEM AND METHOD OF INTEGRATING TIME-AWARE DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES

摘要

A time-aware union operator is disclosed for consistent integration of time-aware data, wherein the time-aware union produces a time-aware consistent integrated view of underlying sources according to specified key constraints and policies. The implementation of time-aware union is idempotent, commutative, and associative, thus making it suitable for data integration, and it produces the same integrated outcome, modulo representation of time, regardless of the order in which sources are integrated.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method for processing a set of data records having time conflicts, the data records representing respective versions of an entity for which there can be only one preferred value at any given point in time, wherein each of the data records has an n-dimensional time record, the computer-implemented method comprising:
defining a policy from among a plurality of candidate policies, said defined policy designed to resolve time conflicts between those data records having time conflicts; comparing all data records in a cumulative, pair-wise fashion; identifying time-based conflicts between pairs of records and identifying time-conflicted pairs; determining which record in every time-conflicted pair of records is to be adjusted in accordance with said defined policy; adjusting the time interval of every said determined record in accordance with said defined policy; and outputting a modified set of data records having said adjusted time intervals, wherein (i) said modified set of data records contains no time conflicts and (ii) said adjusted time intervals in the modified set of data records do not depend on the order in which the data records are processed by said computer-implemented method.