Question Answering System Structured Unstructured Data Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional question answering systems are limited in their ability to effectively address questions that require information from both structured and unstructured data sources, as they often rely solely on one type of data source, which can lead to incomplete or inaccurate answers.
Innovation Solution
A method that analyzes user input questions to identify portions answerable from structured and unstructured data sources separately, constructs queries for each type of source, and merges the retrieved information to provide comprehensive answers, utilizing entailment analysis to identify supporting evidence from unstructured data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a QA system relies solely on structured data sources, then query processing is efficient and straightforward, but the system cannot answer questions requiring unstructured information
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the question analysis process into segments: identifying structured data portions and unstructured data portions separately. This segmentation allows the system to process each type of data source appropriately while maintaining overall system manageability and avoiding overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The QA system is designed with multi-functionality to handle both structured and unstructured data sources through a unified architecture. The system can adaptively select and process different data types based on question requirements, enhancing versatility without requiring entirely separate systems.
2Loss of information
If a QA system uses only unstructured data sources, then comprehensive information can be retrieved, but query processing becomes inefficient and less precise
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different processing qualities to different portions of the question: structured data portions are processed with precise, efficient query methods, while unstructured data portions receive comprehensive text analysis. This local quality approach ensures optimal processing efficiency for each data type while maintaining complete information retrieval.
3Reliability
If a QA system attempts to process both structured and unstructured data simultaneously, then complete answers can be provided, but the processing complexity and computational resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the data processing pipeline into distinct pathways for structured and unstructured data, with separate processing logic for each. This segmentation maintains answer accuracy by applying appropriate processing methods to each data type while reducing overall processing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis to identify which portions of the question require structured data and which require unstructured data before initiating full processing. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare appropriate processing strategies in advance, reducing computational complexity while ensuring accurate and complete answers.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for question answering involve receiving, from a user, a text input expressing a question in natural language. The text input may be analyzed, including identifying in the question at least one first portion answerable from at least one structured data source, and at least one second portion answerable from at least one unstructured data source. At least one first query configured for the structured data source(s) may be constructed from the at least one first portion of the question and applied to the structured data source(s) to retrieve first answer information for the at least one first portion of the question. At least one second query configured for the unstructured data source(s) may be constructed from the at least one second portion of the question and applied to the unstructured data source(s) to retrieve second answer information for the at least one second portion of the question.