Amadeus S.a.s.

Guillaume Legrand

Damien Ciabrini

Luc Isnardy

Charles-Antoine Robelin

Rudy Daniello

Marc Patoureaux

Benoit Janin

Claudine Reynaud

Rémy Gole

Bénédicte Isnardon

Nicolas Maillot

Rémy Gole′

Francois Laburthe

Sébastien Gibergues

Damien Clabrini

Jean-Philippe Aubry

Luc Viguie

Methods, systems, and computer program products for re-computing pre-computed search results, such as pre-computed priced recommendations. Pre-computed search results stored in a search platform are subdivided into shares of related pre-computed search results including a first share. A re-computation controller determines a validity trend indicating a change rate of a validity probability of a pre-computed search result over time and an instantaneous validity rate for the pre-computed search results. If a difference between the instantaneous validity rate and the validity trend exceeds a given extent, the re-computation controller adjusts the validity probabilities being associated with other pre-computed search results included in a second share correlated with the first share. The re-computation controller issues re-computation orders to a computation platform to re-compute a part of the pre-computed search results, the part being selected by the re-computation controller on the basis of the validity probabilities associated with the pre-computed search results.

Managing pre-computed search results

Handling data requests directed to a database environment including a first platform, a second platform, and a control unit. The control unit receives a request, determines a prepared result corresponding to the data request and compares an update indicator of the determined prepared result with a threshold value. In response to the comparison, the control unit either retrieves the prepared result from the second platform and returns it or retrieves an updated version of the at least one prepared result from the first platform, updates the prepared result in the second platform and the associated update indicator, and returns the updated version of the prepared result. The update indicator may be defined by (1&#x2212;acc)&#xb7;t, wherein acc is a probability that the associated prepared result is valid and t is an age of the associated prepared result.

Handling data requests

Methods, search platforms, systems, and storage media for handling queries in a database system. The database system includes at least one client and at least one search platform. The search platform maintains pre-collected search results which are associated which confidence factors. A confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid. The search platform receives a query indicating at least one search criterion to the search platform. The confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results are utilized to increase the mean probability of pre-collected search results returned to the client. For example, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold are returned to the client.

Increasing search result validity

Methods, systems, and computer program products for maintaining up-to-date pre-computed search results, such as travel recommendations, stored in a data cache maintained, for example, by a global distribution system. Pre-computed search results are re-computed to provide long-term accuracy. A re-computation controller assigns a re-computation indicator to any of the pre-computed search results. The re-computation indicator for a pre-computed search result is based on at least on a probability that the pre-computed search result is still valid, and on a re-computation frequency of the search result. Within a given time interval, a computation platform re-computes these pre-computed search results having a re-computation indicator indicating the highest need for re-computation. The number of pre-computed search results re-computed by the computation platform is limited by the computation resources of the computation platform that are available for the re-computation within the given time interval.

Long-term validity of pre-computed request results

A data cache platform maintains pre-computed database query results computed by a computation platform based on data maintained in the computation platform and is configured to determine probabilities of the cached database query results being outdated, to automatically issue re-computation orders to the computation platform for updating cached database query results on the basis of the determined probabilities of the pre-computed database query results being outdated and to receive the updated pre-computed database query results as results of the re-computation orders. The probability determination depends on a probabilistic model and on the occurrence of asynchronous real-time events. The real-time events are indeterministic with regard to the expiration of the cached database query results and only have a probabilistic influence on the discrepancies between the cached database query results maintained in the data cache platform and presumed actual database query results.

Updating cached database query results

The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a pre-shopping reservation tool which allows storing entire catalogs of air travels from many providers, while ensuring a high cache accuracy at limited operational costs. The system makes use of the fares knowledge to merge identical travel recommendations coming from different travel providers (airline, travel agencies) when possible, i.e. when fares are public and not negotiated for a specific travel provider. This prevents redundant prices to be stored in the system and improves its cost effectiveness. The system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention relies on several dedicated data analysis engines to optimize the cost of data pre-computations while at the same time maintaining good data accuracy.

Method and system for a pre-shopping reservation system with increased search efficiency

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Waltham, MA, United States of America

Guillaume Legrand