METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DEFINING AND POPULATING SEGMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention provide tools and facilities for definition and population of segments to facilitate automated data analysis and automated experimentation based on user interaction with web pages, web sites, and other user interfaces, as well as for carrying out automated tasks related to users who can be partitioned into well-defined segments. Embodiments of the present invention provide a segment-definition language (“SDL”) that allows users and developers to abstractly define segments in a data-independent manner. The SDL provides many operators and constructs for creating and defining segments. SDL-based subsystem components execute SDL segment definitions to assemble segments on behalf of application programs.
1 . A segment-definition-language based segment subsystem of a computer system, the segment-definition-language based segment subsystem comprising:
a segment-administration component that
receives segment descriptions encoded in the segment-definition language from executing application programs,
stores segment descriptions encoded in the segment-definition language in one or more of electronic memory, one or more mass-storage devices, and database-management systems,
retrieves segment descriptions encoded in the segment-definition language from one or more of electronic memory, one or more mass-storage devices, and database-management systems,
returns segment descriptions to executing application programs, and
generates, from a segment description encoded in the segment-definition language, one or more queries and/or routines that, when executed, extract visitor data objects from one or more data sources corresponding to the segment defined, by the segment description; and
a segment-execution component that executes one or more queries and/or routines generated by the segment-administration component to retrieve data from one or more data sources and to assemble, from the retrieved data, a set of visitor data objects.