Data storage, retrieval, manipulation and display tools enabling multiple hierarchical points of view

A computer-readable medium containing data structure for defining the set theory used to describe sets of data in the data structure, the data structure comprising:

• data elements linked in sets wherein the sets include lists of data elements,
• like word arrays of data elements with associated relativity factors,
• generative descriptions for executing procedures to determine criteria for inclusion of data elements as set members based on the relativity factors,
• assertive attributes for obtaining the generative descriptions, the assertive attributes assigned to the sets of data when the sets of data are defined by a system incorporating the data structure,
• proposed attributes for obtaining the generative descriptions, the proposed attributes assigned to the sets of data when the sets of data are defined by a user of the data structure, and
• fitness functions for executing procedures using the criteria to determine fitness of a data element for being a member of a set, the data elements within sets being linked by degrees of matching determined by the fitness function,
• wherein at least one of the set members and the degrees of matching is presented to the user of the data structure.

A system for enabling multiple hierarchical points of view, comprising:

• a host processor;
• a user interface controlled by the host processor for inputting points of view to the system;
• a connections generator controlled by the host processor and in communication with the user interface to receive the points of view and generate connections between elements in the points of view and metadata of data sources;
• a connections database operated on by the connections generator in generating the connection and having a data structure including degrees of matching between data elements in the connections database and the metadata;
• and
• matching applications controlled by the host processor and operating on the data sources to determine sets of data elements in the data sources having at least pre-selected degrees of matching with the elements in the points of view, the user interface displaying the data elements and degrees of matching for the data elements according to the points of view.

A computer program tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and configured to cause a computer to enable searching of data records, the computer program comprising instructions to:

• receive input from a user;
• determine at least one hierarchy having components matching the input;
• present the at least one hierarchy to the user for manipulation and selection by the user to obtain a selected hierarchy;
• obtain significance and interest relations for components of the selected hierarchy based on a structure of the hierarchy;
• apply a connections generator to a connections database having a data structure including degrees of matching between data elements in the connections database and metadata of data sources to obtain connectivity data between elements in the selected hierarchy and the metadata of the data sources, the connectivity data identifying connected data sources;
• search the connected data sources for data matching the components of the selected hierarchy based on the connectivity data to obtain matching data;
• determine confidence levels for the matching data based on the significance and interest relations;
• and
• present the matching data and the confidence levels to the user in the context of the selected hierarchy.

A computer program tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium and configure to cause a computer to enable a user interface for encoding a configuration of a similarity engine, the computer program comprising instructions to:

• receive input from a user defining an individual point of view (iPOV) related to categories of data;
• obtain, based on the iPOV, significance and interest values and a match threshold to encode an equation;
• manipulate the confirmation based on the iPOV to obtain a modified configuration of the similarity engine, the modified configuration limiting matching by the similarity engine to data resources consistent with the significance and interest values and the match threshold;
• obtain, using the modified configuration, data sets having varying relationships to the categories and data of the categories, wherein each relationship represents a position along a similarity vector determined by the modified configuration of the similarity engine;
• determine confidence levels for membership of data items in the categories along each similarity vector;
• combine, utilizing the equation, the confidence levels into a relativity score for the data items, the relativity score providing a measure of a similarity distance of the data item to at least one the categories and the data of the categories;
• and
• present the relativity scores to the user in a context of the iPOV.