Patent ID: 8412755

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving, by a processor, a copy of a database containing records, each record having a plurality of attributes; determining, by the processor, which records have a first attribute that results in a predetermined value in modulo P when hashed with a key; and determining, by the processor, which records have a second attribute that results in a predetermined value in modulo P when hashed with a key; for at least a first record whose first attribute results in the predetermined value in modulo P when hashed with a key and at least a second record whose second attribute also results in the predetermined value in modulo P when hashed with a key, swapping by the processor said second attributes between the first and second records; and wherein a plurality of records have a second attribute that results in the predetermined value in modulo P when hashed with a key, and the method further comprises applying, by the processor, a distance function to help determine which of such second records to select as the second record for swapping the second attributes.