Generating a unified database from data sets

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a unified clinical database, comprising:

receiving a structured set of clinical data, the set comprising one or more records, each record having one or more fields;

aggregating values within a first field of the records;

automatically applying, by a processor, a set of rules to the first field values to determine correlations among the first field values;

wherein applying the set of rules includes comparing the first field values to known text entries from a clinical dictionary;

calculating a confidence level regarding a label for the first field;

if the confidence level meets or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

providing the label to the first field;

storing the first field values in the first field in the unified database; and

receiving more information to increase the confidence level; and

if the confidence level does not exceed the pre-determined threshold, receiving more information and recalculating the confidence level.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the set of rules to the first field values comprises using inclusion and exclusion criteria.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

calculating a statistical distribution of the first field values; and

comparing the statistical distribution of the first field values with statistical distributions of stored data measures.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

determining a closest data measure having a statistical distribution substantially the same as the statistical distribution of the first field values.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising calculating the statistical distributions of the stored data measures.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

aggregating values within a second field of the records;

automatically applying the set of rules to the second field values to determine correlations among the second field values and first field values; and

determining a label for the second field values.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said determined correlations increase the confidence level regarding the label for the first field values.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

calculating a statistical distribution of the second field values; and

comparing the statistical distribution of the second field values with statistical distributions of stored data measures.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

determining a closest data measure having a statistical distribution substantially the same as the statistical distribution of the second field values.

10. A system for generating a clinical database, comprising:

a processor;

a database generator; and

a rules generator for generating rules to be used in the database generator to determine correlations among data input to the database generator,

wherein the database generator:

receives a structured set of clinical data, each set made up of records having one or more fields;

aggregates values within a first field of the records;

automatically applies the rules to the first field values, which includes comparing the first field values to known text entries from a clinical dictionary;

calculates a confidence level regarding a label for the first field;

if the confidence level meets or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

provides the label to the first field;

stores the first field values in the first field in the clinical database; and

receives more information to increase the confidence level; and

if the confidence level does not exceed the pre-determined threshold, receives more information and recalculates the confidence level.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the rules are refined based on the received data.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the rules comprise inclusion and exclusion criteria.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the rules comprise statistical distributions of known clinical measures.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein if the records in each set comprise a second field, the database generator:

aggregates values within the second field of the records;

applies the rules to the second field values to determine correlations among the second field values and first field values; and

determines a label for the second field values.

15. A computer-implemented method for generating and using a unified clinical database, comprising:

automatically generating the unified clinical database by:

receiving a structured set of clinical data, the set comprising one or more records, each record having one or more fields;

aggregating values within a first field of the records;

automatically applying, by a processor, a set of rules to the first field values, the rules comprising inclusion and exclusion criteria from at least one prior clinical trial;

wherein applying the set of rules includes comparing the first field values to known text entries from a clinical dictionary;

designing a placebo arm of a clinical trial using the inclusion and exclusion criteria and the clinical data in the unified clinical database; and

calculating a confidence level regarding a label for the first field;

if the confidence level meets or exceeds a pre-determined threshold,

providing the label to the first field;

storing the first field values in the first field in the unified database; and

receiving more information to increase the confidence level; and

if the confidence level does not exceed the pre-determined threshold, receiving more information and recalculating the confidence level.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said inclusion and exclusion criteria come from protocol databases.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

aggregating values within a second field of the records; and

automatically applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria to the second field values.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the rules further determine correlations among the first field values to determine a label for the first field values.