David D Meeks

US Patent:

8166000, Apr 24, 2012

Filed:

Jun 27, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/769639

Inventors:

Jacques Joseph Labrie - Sunnyvale CA, US
David Thomas Meeks - Ashland MA, US
Mary Ann Roth - San Jose CA, US
Yannick Saillet - Stuttgart, DE

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 17/00

US Classification:

707694, 706 46

Abstract:

Provided are a method, system, and article of manufacture for using a data mining algorithm to generate format rules used to validate data sets. A data set has a plurality of columns and records providing data for each of the columns. Selection is received of at least one format column for which format rules are to be generated and selection is received of at least one predictor column. A format mask column is generated for each selected format column. For records in the data set, a value in the at least one format column is converted to a format mask representing a format of the value in the format column and storing the format mask in the format mask column in the record for which the format mask was generated. The at least one predictor column and the at least one format mask column are processed to generate at least one format rule. Each format rule specifies a format mask associated with at least one condition in the at least one predictor column.