Probabilistic Data Structures for Scalable Text Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-dimensional text data from log records in large-scale computing environments poses challenges for real-time analysis due to the high resource and time requirements of conventional methods for storing and reducing term occurrence frequencies, making it difficult to process and classify large volumes of text data within desired time frames.

Innovation Solution

The use of probabilistic data structures is employed to generate approximate representations of term occurrence information, reducing storage and processing needs, which are then input into machine learning pipelines for dimensionality reduction and classification, allowing for more efficient resource utilization and faster analysis.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional methods for storing and reducing term occurrence frequencies are used, then analysis accuracy is maintained, but resource consumption and processing time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanalysis accuracyVSAvoidprocessing speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses probabilistic data structures (Bloom filters, Count-Min sketches) that provide approximate rather than exact term occurrence frequencies. These structures consume significantly less memory and can be processed faster, trading off exactness for speed and resource efficiency in high-volume log analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of term occurrence representation from exact counts to probabilistic approximations. By adjusting parameters like hash function counts and data structure sizes, the system can tune the balance between accuracy and processing efficiency for different analysis scenarios

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If exact term occurrence frequencies are stored, then measurement precision is maintained, but device complexity and storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveterm frequency accuracyVSAvoiddata structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex exact frequency matrices with simpler probabilistic structures like Bloom filters and Count-Min sketches. These structures use bit arrays and hash functions instead of full term-frequency matrices, reducing both storage requirements and computational complexity while providing sufficient accuracy for log analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces probabilistic data structures as intermediary representations between raw log data and machine learning models. These intermediaries aggregate term occurrences in a compressed format that reduces downstream processing complexity while preserving enough information for effective analysis

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If high-volume text data is processed in real-time, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate due to resource constraints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time processing capabilityVSAvoidterm analysis accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs probabilistic approximations that enable real-time processing of high-volume logs. By using structures like Count-Min sketches with configurable error bounds, the system achieves near-real-time analysis with controlled precision loss, making real-time monitoring feasible for large-scale systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by processing and aggregating term occurrences in streaming fashion rather than waiting for complete datasets. This allows real-time detection of patterns and anomalies while using probabilistic structures to handle the inherent uncertainty of incomplete data

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS10878335B1Scalable text analysis using probabilistic data structures
Publication Date: 2020.12.29 AMAZON TECH INC
  • US10878335B1 patent drawing
  • US10878335B1 patent drawing
  • US10878335B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A mapping function is used to identify one or more entries of a probabilistic data structure to be updated to indicate a presence of a particular term in a text record. Some entries of the data structure may correspond to more than one term. The data structure is used as input for a machine learning algorithm which provides an indication of similarity between the text record and other text records.