Data model simplification through field fallout

• US 20040148276A1
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Published: 07/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Stevens, Richard J., Will, Eric W., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention generally provides methods, articles of manufacture and systems for simplifying a query building process by limiting the number of fields presented to a user for building queries. The number of fields presented to the user may be limited by hiding one or more logical fields from the user based on usage characteristics. For example, a logical field that is rarely used or has not been used within a predetermined period of time may be hidden from the user. For some embodiments, a fallout manager may monitor the use of logical fields in building queries, update usage characteristics, and mark logical fields as hidden based on the usage characteristics. A graphical user interface may not present to a user logical fields that have been marked as hidden.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to data, comprising:

providing an interface allowing a user to build a database query based on a plurality of fields;

monitoring use of the fields in building queries; and

limiting fields presented to the user in the interface based on the monitored use of the fields in building queries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting the fields presented to the user in the interface comprises hiding, from the user, fields not used in building queries for a predetermined period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein limiting the fields presented to the user in the interface comprises hiding, from the user, fields based on a frequency in which the fields are used in building queries.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising, upon user request, presenting to the user previously hidden fields in the interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring use of fields comprises, for at least some fields, recording when the fields were last used in building a query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring use of fields comprises updating usage characteristics for a set of correlated fields when any of the set of correlated fields is used in building a query.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring use of the fields in building queries comprises:

monitoring use, by a plurality of users, of the fields in building queries; and

storing one or more usage characteristics for each of the plurality of users.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising:

presenting a first set of logical fields to a first user, based on one or more usage characteristics for the first user; and

presenting a second set of logical fields to a second user, based on one or more usage characteristics for the seconds user, wherein the first set of logical fields and the second set of logical fields are different.

9. A method of providing access to data having a particular physical data representation, comprising:

providing an interface allowing a user to build a database query based on a plurality of logical fields corresponding to physical entities of the particular physical data representation;

monitoring use of the logical fields in building queries; and

limiting the logical fields presented to the user in the interface based on the monitored use of the logical fields in building queries.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein limiting the logical fields presented to the user comprises hiding, from the user, logical fields not used in building queries for a predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the logical fields are stored in a data repository abstraction component; and

limiting the logical fields presented to the user comprises removing logical fields from the data repository abstraction component.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing information regarding logical fields removed from the data repository abstraction component.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising restoring a previously removed logical field to the data repository abstraction component based on stored information regarding the previously removed logical field.

14. A computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, performs operations comprising:

providing an interface allowing a user to build a database query based on a plurality of logical fields mapped to physical entities of the particular physical data representation;

monitoring use of the logical fields in building queries; and

limiting the logical fields presented to the user in the interface based on the monitored use of the logical fields in building queries.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein limiting the logical fields presented to the user in the interface comprises hiding, from the user, logical fields not used in building queries for a predetermined period of time.

16. The computer-readable of claim 14, further comprising, upon user request, presenting to the user previously hidden logical fields.

17. A database system comprising:

a database comprising data having a particular physical representation;

a data repository abstraction layer comprising logical fields corresponding to physical entities of the database;

a query building interface allowing a user to build a query to access the database by specifying query conditions based on the logical fields; and

a fallout manager configured to control the logical fields presented by the query building interface based on usage characteristics of the logical fields in building queries.

18. The database system of claim 17, wherein the fallout manager is configured to control the logical fields presented by the query building interface to a particular user based on usage characteristics of the logical fields in building queries by the particular user.

19. The database system of claim 18, wherein the data repository abstraction layer further comprises a plurality of usage characteristics, each specific to a particular user, for one or more of the logical fields.

20. The database system of claim 17, wherein the usage characteristics comprise an indication of at least one of:

when a logical field was last used in building a query; and

a frequency with which the logical field has been used in building queries.

21. The database system of claim 20, wherein the logical fields in the data repository abstraction layer comprise a set of correlated logical fields and the fallout manager is configured to update usage characteristics of each of the correlated logical fields upon detecting a query has been built using any of the set of correlated logical fields.

22. The database system of claim 17, wherein the fallout manager is configured to control the logical fields presented by the query building interface by hiding logical fields not used in building a query within a first predetermined period of time.

23. The database system of claim 22, wherein the fallout manager is further configured to control the logical fields presented by the query building interface by removing, from the data repository abstraction layer, logical fields not used in building a query within a second predetermined period of time greater than the first predetermined period of time.

24. The database system of claim 23, wherein hiding a logical field comprises modifying a parameter associated with the logical field in the data repository abstraction layer.

25. The database system of claim 22, wherein the query building interface provides a user the option of displaying previously hidden logical fields.