Patent ID: 8832120

Claim:
A computer-based method of determining a weirdness score for variables within a data set, said method performed using a computer coupled to a database, said method comprising: receiving a selection of a first variable included within the data set, wherein the first variable is defined by a measure, a time period, and a plurality of entities; calculating a plurality of parameters for the first variable, wherein each of the plurality of parameters is calculated based at least in part on a deviation of a measured value of the first variable from a predicted value of the first variable; calculating a rank for each of the plurality of parameters for the first variable by: identifying all other variables in the data set that have the same measure as the first variable and the same time period as the first variable; identifying, for each of the other variables, a plurality of parameters that correspond to the plurality of parameters for the first variable; and for each parameter of the plurality of parameters for the first variable, ranking the parameter for the first variable relative to the corresponding parameters for the other variables; and calculating a weirdness score for the first variable, wherein the weirdness score is indicative of how unexpected the measured value of the first variable is, and wherein the weirdness score depends on the calculated rank of each of the plurality of parameters for the first variable.