Patent ID: 6308172
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: C06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A computer executed method for discovering trends in a database, comprising:mapping words in a plurality of words to a data-sequence of data contained in a data field and identifiable by a position identifier, the data-sequence having transactions where a transaction includes a set of items, a word being mapped to a single-item transaction in a data-sequence; andmapping phrases to a sequential-pattern of data contained in a data field and identifiable by a position identifier, the sequential-pattern of data having sets of items, a phrase being mapped to a sequential-pattern having one item in each set of items;partitioning a database into data fields based upon a timestamp, the timestamp specifying a data field location within the database;determining support values for phrases;identifying frequent phrases in a partition, a phrase being frequent if the presence of the phrase in data fields included in the partition exceeds a support value for the phrase;generating a history of the frequency of occurrence of each phrase; andfinding phrases in the history that satisfy a trend.