Structurecombine

Structurecombine is a conceptual operation used in data management and software design to merge two or more structured entities into a single composite structure. It aims to preserve the hierarchical organization of input data, including nested objects, records, or graph nodes, while reconciling differences between sources. Structurecombine can be applied to trees, graphs, or tabular-like structures, and is often parameterized by a merging policy that governs how elements are combined.

A typical structurecombine process involves aligning corresponding elements by keys, identifiers, or positions, and then merging their contents according to a chosen policy. Common modes include deep merge, which recursively merges subcomponents; shallow merge, which operates at the top level; and union, which includes fields from all inputs. Conflict resolution strategies may select a precedence order, apply a user-defined merge function, or annotate conflicts for downstream handling.

When applied to graph-like data, structurecombine must address cycles and reference integrity, using traversal markers or identity maps to avoid infinite recursion and to maintain consistent references across the merged structure. Implementations often maintain metadata about identities, invariants, and compatibility to guide the merge and prevent structural violations.

Applications of structurecombine include configuration management, where multiple sources are merged into a single configuration set; data integration and schema evolution; and knowledge graphs, model composition, and AST or DOM merges in compilers and tooling. Benefits include reduced duplication and improved consistency, while challenges involve potential data loss from conflicts, performance considerations, and the need for explicit merge policies or metadata. See also deep merge, union, overlay, and reconciliation.