Table API for Heterogeneous Data Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data management systems lack efficient methods for creating and manipulating heterogeneous tables with diverse data types, making it difficult to handle and integrate data with varying formats and structures.
Innovation Solution
A table application programming interface (API) is developed that allows for the creation of heterogeneous tables, accommodating variables of different types, sizes, and units, enabling easy data import, export, and manipulation by providing intuitive APIs for programming environments like MATLAB, which supports dynamic typing and array-based operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional data management systems are used to handle heterogeneous data, then data processing can be performed, but the complexity of managing diverse data types and structures increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a table API as an intermediary layer between the user and the underlying data storage system. This table API provides a unified interface for creating, reading, updating, and deleting heterogeneous data, while the actual data may be stored in various formats (JSON, CSV, database tables) underneath. The table API handles the complexity of data heterogeneity internally, presenting a simple consistent interface to users.
Solution Approach 2:
The table API is designed to be universal, supporting multiple data types (strings, numbers, booleans, nested objects, arrays) and various operations (create, read, update, delete, query) through a single unified interface. This multi-functional design allows the same API to handle diverse heterogeneous data without requiring separate management systems for each data type.
2Manufacturing precision
If specialized systems are created to handle each data type separately, then data management precision improves, but the overall system complexity and difficulty of integration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple specialized data handling capabilities into a single table API. Instead of having separate systems for managing strings, numbers, nested objects, and arrays, the table API combines all these capabilities into one unified interface. The API internally handles type conversion and data structure management, allowing precise management of each data type while presenting a simplified unified interface to users.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manual methods are used to create and manipulate heterogeneous tables, then flexibility is maintained, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The table API performs preliminary actions by automatically inferring table schemas from sample data, pre-validating data types, and pre-organizing heterogeneous data into structured formats before user operations. This preliminary processing reduces the time required for subsequent data manipulation operations, as the heavy lifting of schema creation and data organization is already completed.
Solution Approach 2:
The table API enables self-service data manipulation through automated features such as automatic schema inference, type conversion, and data validation. The system serves itself by automatically handling complex operations like creating tables from diverse data sources, converting between data formats, and maintaining data integrity without requiring manual intervention for each operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A device receives, in a technical computing environment (TCE), a first variable with a first data type and a particular number of rows, and receives a second variable with a second data type and the particular number of rows. The second data type may be different than the first data type. The device receives a command to create a table based on the first variable and the second variable, and creates, based on the command, a heterogeneous table that includes the first variable and the second variable. The device stores the heterogeneous table, and/or provides the heterogeneous table for display.