Query translation for searching complex structures of objects

• US 10,210,203 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2015
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Brette, Marc, Ciminera, Frederic, Marquie, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Amresh
• Application Number:
  US14/719,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20150278300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2452 Query translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24549 Run-time optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Searching stored content is disclosed. A first mapping is created from an object to one or more stored relational database tables. A second mapping is created from the object to an indexer schema. One or both of the following is done: 1) using the first mapping to translate a search request expressed in an abstract query language to a first query language associated with the relational database; and 2) using the second mapping to translate the search request to a second query language associated with the indexer schema.

Claims

1. A system of searching stored content comprising:

a processor configured to;

create a first mapping from an object to one or more stored relational database tables;

create a second mapping from the object to an indexer schema;

translate a search request, comprising;

use the first mapping to translate the search request expressed in an abstract query language to a first query language associated with the relational database; and

use the second mapping to translate the search request to a second query language associated with the indexer schema;

determine, transparent to a user that submitted the search request, an order for performing a query against the first mapping and the second mapping, wherein the query corresponds to the search request;

select the first query language or the second query language to execute the query, wherein selection of the first query language or the second query language is based at least in part on the order for performing the query, and wherein the first query language is used in connection with performing a first portion of the query for a first set of one or more types of objects, and the second query language is used in connection with performing a second portion of the query for a second set of one or more types of objects; and

execute, to receive a set of results, the query using the selected first query language for the first portion of the query, and the selected second query language for the second portion of the query, wherein the query is executed based at least in part on the determined order, and wherein in the case of a later executed portion of the query executed after an earlier executed portion of the query, executing of the later executed portion of the query is based at least in part on results of the earlier executed portion of the query, the later executed portion of the query and the earlier executed portion of the query being determined based at least in part on the determined order; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein translating the search request is transparent to a search requestor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a complex object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a content management system stored object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein translating the search request comprises translating a portion of the search request.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface to receive the search request.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the translating is transparent to a search requestor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first query language is associated with a relational database system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second query language is associated with a full text index search system.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first query language is selected in the event that full text search is not supported.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second query language is selected in the event that full text search is supported.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the query is a first query, wherein the set of results is a first set of results, wherein in the event that the first query language is selected, the processor is further configured to:

execute a second query on the first set of results using the second query language to receive a final set of results.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first query language is selected in the event that it is not optimal searching first with full text search.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the query is a first query, wherein the set of results is a first set of results, wherein in the event that the second query language is selected, the processor is further configured to:

execute a second query on the first set of results using the first query language to receive a final set of results.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second query language is selected in the event that it is optimal searching first with full text search.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether to select the first query language or the second query language to execute the query based at least in part on whether running the query using at least the first query language is more optimal than running the query using the second query language and not the first query language.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein selection of the first query language of the second query language to execute the query is transparent to a search user that input the query.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine order for performing a query against the first mapping and the second mapping comprises determining whether to perform the query against the first mapping in parallel with performing the query against the second mapping.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine order for performing a query against the first mapping and the second mapping comprises determining the order for serially querying the first mapping and the second mapping.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein executing of the later executed portion of the query is based at least in part on results of the earlier executed portion of the query comprises using the results of the earlier executed portion of the query in connection with performing the later executed portion of the query.

21. A computer program product for searching stored content, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

creating a first mapping from an object to one or more stored relational database tables;

creating a second mapping from the object to an indexer schema;

translating a search request, comprising;

using the first mapping to translate the search request expressed in an abstract query language to a first query language associated with the relational database; and

using the second mapping to translate the search request to a second query language associated with the indexer schema;

determining, transparent to a user that submitted the search request, an order for performing a query against the first mapping and the second mapping, wherein the query corresponds to the search request;

selecting the first query language or the second query language to execute the query, wherein selection of the first query language or the second query language is based at least in part on the order for performing the query, and wherein the first query language is used in connection with performing a first portion of the query for a first set of one or more types of objects, and the second query language is used in connection with performing a second portion of the query for a second set of one or more types of objects; and

executing, to receive a set of results, the query using the selected first query language for the first portion of the query, and the selected second query language for the second portion of the query, wherein the query is executed based at least in part on the determined order, and wherein in the case of a later executed portion of the query executed after an earlier executed portion of the query, executing of the later executed portion of the query is based at least in part on results of the espalier executed portion of the query, the later executed portion of the query and the earlier executed portion of the query being determined based at least in part on the determined order.

22. A method of searching stored content comprising:

creating a first mapping from an object to one or more stored relational database tables;

creating a second mapping from the object to an indexer schema;

translating, using a processor, a search request, comprising;

using the first mapping to translate the search request expressed in an abstract query language to a first query language associated with the relational database; and

using the second mapping to translate the search request to a second query language associated with the indexer schema;

determining, transparent to a user that submitted the search request, an order for performing a query against the first mapping and the second mapping, wherein the query corresponds to the search request;

selecting the first query language or the second query language to execute the query, wherein selection of the first query language or the second query language is based at least in part on the order for performing the query, and wherein the first query language is used in connection with performing a first portion of the query for a first set of one or more types of objects, and the second query language is used in connection with performing a second portion of the query for a second set of one or more types of objects; and

executing, to receive a set of results, the query using the selected first query language for the first portion of the query, and the selected second query language for the second portion of the query, wherein the query is executed based at least in part on the determined order, and wherein in the case of a later executed portion of the query executed after an earlier executed portion of the query, executing of the later executed portion of the query is based at least in part on results of the espalier executed portion of the query, the later executed portion of the query and the earlier executed portion of the query being determined based at least in part on the determined order.