IP Library Granted Patent US 12670218
Granted Patent B2
US 12670218 · App. 18/057,783 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Rules-based schema-linking

Inventors: G P Shrivatsa Bhargav (Bengaluru, IN); Saswati Dana (Bangalore, IN); Dinesh Khandelwal (Indore, IN); Dinesh Garg (Beawar, IN)
Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
G06F16/90344
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12670218
App. No.
18/057,783
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

One or more systems, devices, computer program products and/or computer-implemented methods of use provided herein relate to a process for matching a word subset to a database entity. A system can comprise a memory that stores computer executable components, and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components can comprise an identification component that outputs a word subset based on a word-based input file, and a mapping component that, based on a rules-based process employing soft matching, maps the word subset to a category comprising a value for being correlated to the word subset. The rules-based process employed by the mapping component can comprise word vector matching or fuzzy string matching.

Claims (48)

1 . A system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer executable components; and

a processor that executes at least one of the computer executable components:

outputs a word subset based on a word-based input file; and

performs, based on a rules-based process employing soft matching implemented without using any trained machine learning model and without using any training dataset or predefined ontology for a domain beyond column names and values of a database schema, a mapping of the word subset to a category comprising a value for being correlated to the word subset, wherein performing the mapping comprises:

computing, using the rules-based process, respective linking scores between the word subset and a plurality of categories of a database;

applying one or more defined score thresholds to discard linkings having linking scores that do not satisfy the one or more defined score thresholds; and

iteratively removing, from a group of remaining pairings between the word subset and the plurality of categories, all but a single pairing such that a final mapping of the word subset to the category is non-overlapping with respect to other categories of the plurality of categories.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the rules-based process comprises word vector matching or fuzzy string matching.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the computer executable components further:

assigns a linking score to the word subset and category pair based on the rules-based process, wherein the mapping uses the linking score to map the word subset to the category.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mapping maps the word subset to the category based on a pairing of the word subset and the category having a higher linking score than a second pairing of the word subset with a second category.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the iteratively removing comprises:

removing, from a group of pairings of the word subset and categories, including the category and a second category, a pairing between the word subset and the second category, wherein the pairing has a lower linking score defining the pairing than a linking score defining the word subset and the category pair.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mapping between the word subset and the category comprises the non-overlapping mapping such that the word subset does not share any word with any other word subset that is mapped to a different category.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein performing the mapping occurs in response to the rules-based process resulting in a linking score for a pairing of the word subset and the category that satisfies a defined threshold.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the value comprises a word match that relates to the word subset.

9 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:

outputting, by a system operatively coupled to a processor, a word subset based on a word-based input file; and

performing, by the system, based on a rules-based process employing soft matching implemented without using any trained machine learning model and without using any training dataset or predefined ontology for a domain beyond column names and values of a database schema, a mapping of the word subset to a category comprising a value for being correlated to the word subset, wherein performing the mapping comprises:

computing, using the rules-based process, respective linking scores between the word subset and a plurality of categories of a database;

applying one or more defined score thresholds to discard linkings having linking scores that do not satisfy the one or more defined score thresholds; and

iteratively removing, from a group of remaining pairings between the word subset and the plurality of categories, all but a single pairing such that a final mapping of the word subset to the category is non-overlapping with respect to other categories of the plurality of categories.

10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the rules-based process comprises word vector matching or fuzzy string matching.

11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising:

assigning, by the system, a linking score to the word subset and category pair based on the rules-based process; and

using, by the system, the linking score to map the word subset to the category.

12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the mapping comprises:

mapping the word subset to the category based on a pairing of the word subset and the category having a higher linking score than a second pairing of the word subset with a second category.

13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein a first pairing of the word subset and the category has a lower linking score than a second pairing of the word subset with a second category, and wherein the category has associated therewith a defined priority over the second category.

14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein performing the mapping occurs in response to the rules-based process resulting in a linking score for a pairing of the word subset and the category that satisfies a defined threshold.

15 . A computer program product facilitating a process for matching a word subset to a database entity, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

output, by the processor, the word subset based on a word-based query; and

perform, by the processor, based on a rules-based process employing soft matching implemented without using any trained machine learning model and without using any training dataset or predefined ontology for a domain beyond column names and values of a database schema, a mapping of the word subset to a category comprising a value for being correlated to the word subset, wherein performing the mapping comprises:

computing, using the rules-based process, respective linking scores between the word subset and a plurality of categories of a database;

applying one or more defined score thresholds to discard linkings having linking scores that do not satisfy the one or more defined score thresholds; and

iteratively removing, from a group of remaining pairings between the word subset and the plurality of categories, all but a single pairing such that a final mapping of the word subset to the category is non-overlapping with respect to other categories of the plurality of categories.

16 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the rules-based process comprises word vector matching or fuzzy string matching.

17 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

assign, by the processor, a linking score to the word subset and category pair based on the rules-based process; and

use, by the processor, the linking score to map the word subset to the category.

18 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the mapping comprises:

mapping the word subset to the category based on a first pairing of the word subset and the category having a higher linking score than a second pairing of the word subset with a second category, or

mapping the word subset to the category wherein the first pairing of the word subset and the category has a lower linking score than a second pairing of the word subset with the second category, and wherein the category has associated therewith a defined priority over the second category.

19 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the processor to:

correlate, by the processor, the word subset to the value of the category to which the word subset has been matched.

20 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the iteratively removing comprises:

removing from a group of pairings of the word subset and categories, including the category and a second category, a pairing between the word subset and the second category, wherein the pairing has a lower linking score defining the pairing than a linking score defining the word subset and the category pair.