Methods and apparatus to search datasets
AssigneeThe Neilsen Company (US), LLC
InventorsKenneth Rabolt, Nagarajan Karuppiah
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and apparatus to search datasets are disclosed. Example methods include in response to a search request including first and second logically related criteria, determining a first number of records in a database satisfying the first criterion and a second number of records in the database satisfying the second criterion; when the first number is less than the second number, selecting the first criterion as a basis for generating a subset of the records of the database; when the second number is less than the first number, selecting the second criterion as the basis for the identification of the subset of the records of the database; and searching the subset of the records.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- in response to a search request including first and second logically related criteria, determining a first number of records in a database satisfying the first criterion and a second number of records in the database satisfying the second criterion;
- when the first number is less than the second number, selecting the first criterion as a basis for generating a subset of the records of the database;
- when the second number is less than the first number, selecting the second criterion as the basis for the identification of the subset of the records of the database;
- and
- searching the subset of the records.
A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:
- reference statistics associated with a dataset to identify which criterion of a group of logically related criteria of a search request satisfies a least amount of records in the dataset;
- selecting the identified criterion of the group of logically related criteria as a driving criterion for the group of logically related criteria;
- using the driving criterion to form a subset of records of the dataset;
- and
- searching the subset of records for a non-driving criterion of the group of logically related criteria.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a count generator to generate a plurality of counts each indicative of a number of records in a database satisfying a respective one of a plurality criteria present in the database;
- a grouper to assign first and second criteria of a search request to a first group according to a logical relationship between the first and second criteria;
- an identifier to determine, via the plurality of counts, which of first and second criteria in the first group is satisfied by a least amount of records in the database;
- and
- a reduced set generator to form a reduced set of records to be searched based on the determined one of the first and second criteria satisfying the least amount of records in the database.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.