Structured document indexing and searching

Abstract

Searching for data contained in a structured data structure. A method includes receiving a query. The query includes a structured data structure path and a first element related to the structured data structure path. One or more patterns are created comprising at least a portion of the structured data structure path and one or more elements related to the first element. For each of the one or more patterns, a hash is created. The created hashes are looked-up in a hash index to identity one or more structured data structures correlated to the hashes. The one or more structured data structures are identified to a user.

1 . A system for indexing data contained in a structured data structure, the system comprising:
 at least one processor; and   at least one computer readable medium coupled to the processor comprising computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor implement:
 a pattern generator, wherein the pattern generator is configured to:
 identify a structured data structure path in a structured data structure comprising a plurality of records, each of the records comprising data values, wherein a particular record can be reached by following the structured data structure path; 
 identify a first data value from the record; 
 create one or more patterns comprising at least a portion of the structured data structure path combined with one or more elements related to the first data value such that at least one of the patterns comprises the structured data structure path and the first data value; 
 
 a hasher configured to, for each of the one or more patterns, including at least one pattern that includes the first data value and at least a portion of the structured data structure path, create a hash; and 
 an indexer configured to index created hashes in a hash index by correlating the hashes in the hash index with the structured data structure, including indexing the hash created for the at least one pattern comprising both the structured data structure path and the first data value. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the structured data structure comprises an XML document. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the structured data structure comprises a decision tree. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the structured data structure is a JSON document. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the structured data structure is an XML document. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first data value is included in a structured data element. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first data value is included in an unstructured data element contained in the structured data structure. 
     
     
         8 . In a data storage environment, a method of indexing data contained in a structured data structure, the method comprising:
 identifying a structured data structure path in a structured data structure comprising a plurality of records, each of the records comprising data values, wherein a particular record can be reached by following the structured data structure path;   identifying a first data value from the record;   creating one or more patterns comprising at least a portion of the structured data structure path combined with one or more elements related to the first data value such that at least one of the patterns comprises the structured data structure path and the first data value;   for each of the one or more patterns, including at least one pattern that includes the first data value and at least a portion of the structured data structure path, creating a hash; and   indexing created hashes in a hash index by correlating the hashes in the hash index with the structured data structure, including indexing the hash created for the at least one pattern comprising both the structured data structure path and the first data value.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structured data structure comprises an XML document. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structured data structure comprises a decision tree. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structured data structure is a JSON document. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structured data structure is an XML document. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first wherein the first data value is included in a structured data element. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first data wherein the first data value is included in an unstructured data element contained in the structured data structure. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein creating one or more patterns comprises excluding one or more patterns that include a container tag that indicates one or more subrecords in the container tag. 
     
     
         16 . In a data storage environment, a method of searching for data contained in a structured data structure, the method comprising:
 receiving a query, wherein the query comprises a structured data structure path and a first data value;   for the at least a portion of the structured data structure path combined with the first data value, creating a hash;   looking up the created hash in a hash index to identity one or more structured data structures, wherein the hash index comprises a correlation of hashes with structured data structures, including the hash for the at least a portion of the structured data structure path combined with the first data value, the hashes in the hash index being based on hashes of structured data structure paths combined with values in records of the structured data structure that are reached by following the structured data structure paths to the records;   identifying to a user the one or more structured data structures correlated to the hash for the at least a portion of the structured data structure path combined with the first data value.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising providing a confidence level indicating a confidence that the structured data structure matches the query. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the query comprises an XPath query. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first data value comprises one or more structured data elements. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first data value comprises one or more unstructured data elements contained in the structured data structure.