Operating on time sequences of data

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database,
• the records being associated with respective times that are spaced apart by time intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to imply a putative record with respect to a time interval that is not among the time intervals with which the records of the table are associated,
• the response of the database management system to the query including a computation of a value of an attribute of the putative record from at least one non-null value of the attribute derived from evaluating an expression, the computation being based on an interpolation policy.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database,
• the records being associated with respective values of a sequence attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to imply a putative record with respect to a sequence attribute interval that is not among the attribute intervals with which the records of the table are associated,
• the response of the database management system to the query including a computation of a value of a data attribute of the putative record from at least one non-null value of the data attribute for one of the records of the table, the computation being based on an interpolation policy.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• using a database management system to store and update information in records in at least two tables of a database and to process information from the records in response to a query posed on behalf of a user,
• the records of each of the tables being associated with respective times that are spaced apart by time intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to invoke a join of records of the two tables,
• the response of the database management system to the query including consideration of relative times associated with records of the two tables.

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• using a database management system to store and update information in records in at least two tables of a database and to process information from the records in response to a query posed on behalf of a user,
• the records of each of the tables being associated with respective values of a sequence attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to invoke a join of records of the two tables,
• the response of the database management system to the query including consideration of relative values of the sequence attribute associated with records of the two tables.

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database,
• the records being associated with respective values of an attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is posed on behalf of a user and is phrased to imply attribute interval spacings among data items that are different from the attribute interval spacings of the records,
• the response of the database management system to the query including a generation, by the database management system, of data items having the attribute interval spacings that are implied by the query.

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database,
• the records being associated with respective times that are spaced apart by time intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to imply a putative record with respect to a time interval that is not among the time intervals with which the records of the table are associated,
• the response of the database management system to the query including a computation of a value of an attribute of the putative record from at least one non-null value of the attribute derived from evaluating an expression, the computation being based on an interpolation policy.

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• a database management system storing and updating information in records in a table of a database,
• the records being associated with respective values of a sequence attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to imply a putative record with respect to a sequence attribute interval that is not among the attribute intervals with which the records of the table are associated,
• the response of the database management system to the query including a computation of a value of a data attribute of the putative record from at least one non-null value of the data attribute for one of the records of the table, the computation being based on an interpolation policy.

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• using a database management system to store and update information in records in at least two tables of a database and to process information from the records in response to a query posed on behalf of a user,
• the records of each of the tables being associated with respective times that are spaced apart by time intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to invoke a join of records of the two tables,
• the response of the database management system to the query including consideration of relative times associated with records of the two tables.

A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• using a database management system to store and update information in records in at least two tables of a database and to process information from the records in response to a query posed on behalf of a user,
• the records of each of the tables being associated with respective values of a sequence attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals,
• the database management system responding to a query that is phrased to invoke a join of records of the two tables,
• the response of the database management system to the query including consideration of relative values of the sequence attribute associated with records of the two tables.

A database management system configured to store and update information in records in a table of a database comprising:

• a plurality of records associated with respective values of an attribute that are spaced apart by attribute intervals;
• means for responding to a query that is posed on behalf of a user and is phrased to imply attribute interval spacings among data items that are different from the attribute interval spacings of the records;
• and
• means for responding to the query including a generation, by the database management system, of data items having the attribute interval spacings that are implied by the query.