Understanding tables for search

A method for use at a computer system, a first one or more tuples and a second one or more tuples forming a table at the computer system, the method comprising:

• constructing a set of candidate tuple names for the first one or more tuples;
• for each candidate tuple name in the set of candidate tuple names:
• searching a plurality of other tables for use of the candidate tuple name;
• calculating a first metric that indicates how many of the plurality of other tables comprise the candidate tuple name used as a tuple name or a first row of data;
• and
• calculating a second metric that indicates how many of the plurality of other tables comprise the candidate tuple name used as something other than a tuple name or a first row of data;
• and
• selecting a tuple, from among the second one or more tuples, as a header tuple for the first one or more tuples when a fraction of values in the tuple for which the first metric is greater than the second metric exceeds a defined threshold value.

A system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• system memory coupled to one or more hardware processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors;
• the one or more processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:
• receive one or more tables, wherein the one or more tables include tuples that are not expressly defined as one of a subject tuple or a non-subject tuple;
• calculate a distinctness metric for a tuple from a table of the one or more tables, wherein the distinctness metric indicates distinctness of cell values in the tuple and includes one or more of a ratio of a number of distinct cell values to total number of cells and a number of occurrences of a most repeated value;
• select the tuple as potentially being a subject tuple of the table based at least in part on determining that the distinctness metric for the tuple exceeds a threshold;
• determine a co-occurrence for values in the tuple by determining how often the values in the tuple are included in subject tuples in a plurality of other tables, the determined co-occurrence indicating a likelihood of the tuple being a subject tuple;
• calculate a co-occurrence score for the values in the tuple based on the co-occurrence and a number of occurrences of the values in the plurality of other tables;
• classify the tuple as one of a subject tuple of the table or a non-subject tuple of the table based on the determined co-occurrence score;
• modify an index based on the classification of the tuple;
• and
• provide the index for use by a search system that receives user searches.