Patent ID: 7065524

Claim:
A computer implemented method of identifying a confounder, the method comprising the steps of: building a model of information that characterizes relationships under many different conditions between influencers and outcomes; storing metadata in a computer readable storage medium as a part of the model, the metadata specifying, whether a relationship exists between an influencer and an outcome, and a characteristic of that relationship, including whether the influencer represents a confounder of the outcome; inputting to a user interface a query that specifies a set of conditions; determining a relationship between the set of conditions specified in the query and a particular outcome that is represented in the model; identifying, based on the metadata of the model, at least one potential influencer of the particular outcome, and whether the potential influencer represents a confounder of the particular outcome; and if the potential influencer represents a confounder of the particular outcome, reporting the confounder to the user interface.