# US 12,222,916 B2 · Coupling table specification system, coupling table search device, method, and program

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- Number: US 12,222,916 B2
- Document ID: US12222916B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/024,163
- Filed: 2020-09-02
- Published: 2023-12-07
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-09-02
- Assignees: NEC Corporation
- Applicants: NEC Corporation
- Inventors: Yuyang Dong; Masafumi Oyamada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222916B2

## CPC

- G06F 16/221: {Column-oriented storage; Management thereof}
- G06F 16/24542: {Plan optimisation}
- G06F 16/2455: Query execution
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

A coupling table search device 530 includes: input means 531 that receives an input of a coupling index from a coupling index storage unit 520; search plan generation means 532 that calculates, for each coupling index, the number of results that is the number of couplable record pairs estimated in a case where a record in a target column is found using the coupling index for each similarity function, and generates a search plan that defines a use order of the coupling index in descending order of the calculated number of results; and record search means 533 that searches for a record in the target column by using the coupling index in the order defined in the search plan, and specifies the external table in which records whose number is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold have been found as a coupling table.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A coupling table specification system comprising:
a memory storing instructions; and
one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to perform processing comprising:
receiving a target column;
generating a search plan defining a use order of each of indexes based on a number of records in external tables to be joined with a target column, the number calculated by using each of the indexes; and
searching, in the use order defined in the search plan, one or more tables to be coupled with the target column in the external tables, wherein
each of the indexes defines records in the external tables, the records being selected based on similarity functions calculating a score between the records, and
the processing further comprises:
extracting from each external table, a coupling column candidate that is a column including a record serving as a key of coupling to another table among the external tables included in an external table group; and
generating a coupling index of the extracted coupling column candidate for each similarity function, and storing the generated coupling index in a coupling index storage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The coupling table specification system according to claim 1, wherein the processing further comprises:
estimating each of at least one column type included in each external table; and
determining whether or not a column of each estimated column type is couplable to a column of another table.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The coupling table specification system according to claim 2, wherein the processing comprises, for each estimated column type, in a case where the each estimated column type indicates a predetermined meaning or is an attribute of a predetermined character, extracting the column of the each estimated column type as the coupling column candidate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The coupling table specification system according to claim 1, wherein the processing comprises constructing each index for searching for a record of an external table of which the score calculated by the similarity functions is greater than a predetermined threshold.

### Claim 5

A coupling table specification method performed by a computer and comprising:
receiving a target column;
generating a search plan defining a use order of each of indexes based on a number of records in external tables to be joined with a target column, the number calculated by using each of the indexes; and
searching, in the use order defined in the search plan, one or more tables to be coupled with the target column in the external tables, wherein
each of the indexes defines records in the external tables, the records being selected based on similarity functions calculating a score between the records, and
the coupling table specification method further comprises:
extracting from each external table, a coupling column candidate that is a column including a record serving as a key of coupling to another table among the external tables included in an external table group; and
generating a coupling index of the extracted coupling column candidate for each similarity function, and storing the generated coupling index in a coupling index storage.

### Claim 6

A non-transitory computer readable information recording medium storing a coupling table search program executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving a target column;
generating a search plan defining a use order of each of indexes based on a number of records in external tables to be joined with a target column, the number calculated by using each of the indexes; and
searching, in the use order defined in the search plan, one or more tables to be coupled with the target column in the external tables, wherein
each of the indexes defines records in the external tables, the records being selected based on similarity functions calculating a score between the records, and
the method further comprises:
extracting from each external table, a coupling column candidate that is a column including a record serving as a key of coupling to another table among the external tables included in an external table group; and
generating a coupling index of the extracted coupling column candidate for each similarity function, and storing the generated coupling index in a coupling index storage.