An approach is provided in which a knowledge manager identifies training entities in a training question answer pair and identifies database paths a database that link the training entities. The knowledge manager then generates a generalized query based upon the identified database paths. In addition, the knowledge manager generates a generalized syntactic pattern based upon syntactic relationships between the training entities in the training question answer pair. When the knowledge manager receives a question and matches the syntactic pattern of the received question to the generalized syntactic pattern, the knowledge manager generates a custom query from the generalized query and queries the database using the custom query.
Please help me write a proper abstract based on the patent claims. CLAIM: 1. A method implemented by an information handling system that includes a memory and a processor, the method comprising: creating a generalized query based upon one or more database paths that link a first training entity to a second training entity in a database, wherein the first training entity and the second training are also included in a plurality of training entities within in a training question answer pair; formulating a generalized syntactic pattern based upon one or more syntactic relationships between the plurality of training entities; constructing a custom query based upon the generalized query in response to matching the generalized syntactic pattern to a syntactic pattern of a question; and generating one or more answers to the question in response to using the custom query to query the database. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the training question answer pair includes a training question and a training answer, the method further comprising: creating a focus phrase that includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and a third training entity, wherein the first training entity and the third training entity correspond to the training question, and the second training entity corresponds to the training answer; and generating a training syntactic pattern, based upon the focus phrase, which includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising: selecting one of the paths that link the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity; creating a training query based upon the selected path. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: replacing, in the training query, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized query; and replacing, in the training syntactic pattern, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized syntactic pattern. 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising: generating the syntactic pattern of the question, wherein the question's syntactic pattern includes a plurality of question entities from the question; selecting a first one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the first generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; selecting a second one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the third generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; and replacing, in the generalized query, the first generalized variable with the first question entity and the third generalized variable with the second question entity, resulting in the customized query. 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: assigning a unique synthetic event identifier to each of a plurality of parent/child hierarchies included in a semi-structured database; generating a plurality of triples based upon the synthetic event identifiers; and creating the database from the plurality of triples. 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising: identifying a plurality of paths that link the first training entity to the second training entity; creating a plurality of generalized queries that are each based upon one of the plurality of database paths; creating a plurality of custom queries from the plurality of generalized queries; and using each of the plurality of custom queries to query the database. 8. An information handling system comprising: one or more processors; a memory coupled to at least one of the processors; and a set of computer program instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of: creating a generalized query based upon one or more database paths that link a first training entity to a second training entity in a database, wherein the first training entity and the second training are also included in a plurality of training entities within in a training question answer pair; formulating a generalized syntactic pattern based upon one or more syntactic relationships between the plurality of training entities; constructing a custom query based upon the generalized query in response to matching the generalized syntactic pattern to a syntactic pattern of a question; and generating one or more answers to the question in response to using the custom query to query the database. 9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the training question answer pair includes a training question and a training answer, and wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: creating a focus phrase that includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and a third training entity, wherein the first training entity and the third training entity correspond to the training question, and the second training entity corresponds to the training answer; and generating a training syntactic pattern, based upon the focus phrase, which includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity. 10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: selecting one of the paths that link the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity; creating a training query based upon the selected path. 11. The information handling system of claim 10 wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: replacing, in the training query, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized query; and replacing, in the training syntactic pattern, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized syntactic pattern. 12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: generating the syntactic pattern of the question, wherein the question's syntactic pattern includes a plurality of question entities from the question; selecting a first one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the first generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; selecting a second one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the third generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; and replacing, in the generalized query, the first generalized variable with the first question entity and the third generalized variable with the second question entity, resulting in the customized query. 13. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: assigning a unique synthetic event identifier to each of a plurality of parent/child hierarchies included in a semi-structured database; generating a plurality of triples based upon the synthetic event identifiers; and creating the database from the plurality of triples. 14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the one or more processors perform additional actions comprising: identifying a plurality of paths that link the first training entity to the second training entity; creating a plurality of generalized queries that are each based upon one of the plurality of database paths; creating a plurality of custom queries from the plurality of generalized queries; and using each of the plurality of custom queries to query the database. 15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium, comprising computer program code that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising: creating a generalized query based upon one or more database paths that link a first training entity to a second training entity in a database, wherein the first training entity and the second training are also included in a plurality of training entities within in a training question answer pair; formulating a generalized syntactic pattern based upon one or more syntactic relationships between the plurality of training entities; constructing a custom query based upon the generalized query in response to matching the generalized syntactic pattern to a syntactic pattern of a question; and generating one or more answers to the question in response to using the custom query to query the database. 16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the training question answer pair includes a training question and a training answer, and wherein the information handling system performs additional actions comprising: creating a focus phrase that includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and a third training entity, wherein the first training entity and the third training entity correspond to the training question, and the second training entity corresponds to the training answer; and generating a training syntactic pattern, based upon the focus phrase, which includes the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity. 17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the information handling system performs additional actions comprising: selecting one of the paths that link the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity; creating a training query based upon the selected path. 18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the information handling system performs additional actions comprising: replacing, in the training query, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized query; and replacing, in the training syntactic pattern, the first training entity, the second training entity, and the third training entity with a first generalized variable, a second generalized variable, and a third generalized variable, respectively in response to determining that the first training entity and the third training entity are included in both the training query and the training syntactic pattern, resulting in the generalized syntactic pattern. 19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the information handling system performs additional actions comprising: generating the syntactic pattern of the question, wherein the question's syntactic pattern includes a plurality of question entities from the question; selecting a first one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the first generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; selecting a second one of the plurality of question entities corresponding to the third generalized variable in the generalized syntactic pattern; and replacing, in the generalized query, the first generalized variable with the first question entity and the third generalized variable with the second question entity, resulting in the customized query. 20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the information handling system performs additional actions comprising: assigning a unique synthetic event identifier to each of a plurality of parent/child hierarchies included in a semi-structured database; generating a plurality of triples based upon the synthetic event identifiers; and creating the database from the plurality of triples.