Merging of items from different data sources

摘要

A digital processing system provided according to an aspect of the present invention processes items received from different data sources, specifically when a second set of items received from a second data source is related to corresponding ones of a first set of items received from a first data source. In one embodiment, each of the items in the first set and the second set is first assigned a corresponding digital value and then sorted according to a sort order of the assigned digital values to form a sorted output. The digital values are assigned such that items in the second set are grouped with related corresponding ones of the first set of items. Thus, items from different sources are merged (and sorted) based on the relation between the items.

主权项

1. A method of processing items from different data sources, said method comprising:
receiving a first set of items from a first data source and a second set of items from a second data source, each of said second set of items being related to a corresponding one of said first set of items; assigning each of said first set of items a corresponding one of a first set of digital values and each of said second set of items a corresponding one of a second set of digital values, wherein said assigning assigns a first digital value of said first set of digital values to a first item of said first set of items, wherein said assigning assigns a second digital value of said second set of digital values to a second item of said second set of items; and sorting all of said first set of items and said second set of items according to a sort order of the assigned digital values containing said first set of digital values and said second set of digital values to form a sorted output, wherein said sorted output is a one-dimensional list containing both of said first set of items and said second set of items according to said sort order, wherein said first set of items and said second set of items are in an output sequence in said one-dimensional list after said sorting, with each item of said one-dimensional list having a corresponding position in said output sequence, wherein each of said first set of digital values and said second set of digital values and said sort order determines the relative position of each item in said output sequence, wherein said first item is positioned before said second item in said output sequence if said first digital value is before said second digital value in said sort order, wherein said first item is positioned after said second item in said output sequence if said first digital value is after said second digital value in said sort order, wherein said first set of digital values and said second set of digital values are assigned such that items of said second set of items are grouped with related ones of corresponding ones of said first set of items such that at least one item of one of the first set of items and the second set of items would be located between two items of the other one of the first set of items and the second set of items in said one-dimensional list.