Configuration-Independent Indexing for Hierarchical Product Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for indexing hierarchical product structures are inefficient, leading to data explosions due to revisions and configurations, which require extensive caching and result in increased storage and management complexities.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for indexing hierarchical data structures generates a packed configuration-independent index by enumerating unconfigured value paths from the data root to each value, maintaining only unique paths, and incorporating spatial-bounding boxes to handle spatial relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If caching approaches are used to improve search performance, then search speed is improved, but storage requirements and data management complexity increase due to multiple caches for different configurations and revisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential path information from configured product structures, separating the search indexing function from the configuration data. By taking out only the unconfigured value paths (the structural skeleton) and discarding the configuration-specific details, the system achieves search performance without requiring multiple caches for different configurations and revisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The unconfigured value path index serves as a universal structure that can support multiple configurations, revisions, and users simultaneously. This single index structure replaces the need for multiple configuration-specific caches, providing multi-functionality that handles diverse search queries without requiring separate storage for each configuration scenario.
2Measurement precision
If configured product caches are maintained for different users and groups, then search accuracy for specific configurations is improved, but device complexity and management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the product structure into unconfigured value paths (structural elements) and configured instances (specific implementations). The index operates on the segmented unconfigured paths, which are independent of user-specific configurations. This segmentation allows the index to maintain structural integrity while accommodating multiple configurations without managing complex cache hierarchies.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating multiple copies of the entire configured product structure for different users and groups, the system creates a single copy of the unconfigured value path index and generates configured instances on-demand during query processing. This eliminates the need to maintain multiple full configuration caches while still providing accurate search results for each user's specific configuration needs.
3Measurement precision
If historical configuration caches are maintained for revisions, then historical search accuracy is improved, but storage requirements and data proliferation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-computing and indexing only the unconfigured value paths, which represent the structural skeleton that remains constant across revisions. By preparing this structural index in advance, the system can efficiently handle historical search queries without requiring storage of multiple configured versions, as the structure itself serves as the persistent historical record.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method of indexing a hierarchical data structure or product structure is disclosed. For a product structure including a product and a plurality of items associated with the product, each item shares a parent-child relationship with at least one other item or the product. The method includes generating a packed configuration-independent index of the product structure by enumerating an unconfigured item-path from the product to an item for each item. Then, when one or more unconfigured item-paths are identical, only one of the identical unconfigured item-paths is maintained. The index may also be combined with an unconfigured item-path spatial-bounds index. Both product structure and spatial location queries may be filtered against the combined index.