Linking elements of a document to corresponding fields, queries and/or procedures in a database

• US 20040162833A1
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Published: 08/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Brian, Sawicki, Marcin
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/137 Hierarchical processing, e.g. outlines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for mapping and linking elements in a document to corresponding fields or queries in a database. A document is annotated with structural elements of a markup language, such as Extensible Markup Language (XML), in order to map portions of the document to the corresponding database. Once individual elements within the document are mapped and linked to corresponding data fields or queries within a selected database, changes made to individual elements within the document automatically cause updates to corresponding data in the database to which those elements are mapped and linked. Conversely, changes made to individual data fields within the selected database automatically update corresponding elements within the document.

Claims

1. A method of linking elements in a computer-generated document to corresponding data in a database, comprising:

applying elements of a markup language to the document;

linking one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data in the database;

entering data into the database associated with a given markup language element in the document; and

in response to entering data into the database associated with the given markup language element in the document, automatically writing the data to the document in a location in the document associated with the given markup language element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing data fields within the database for linking to corresponding markup language elements in the document.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising writing a unique document identifier to the document for linking the data fields in the database to the document.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

writing a database query to the database for assembling data from one or more data fields within the database; and

writing the results of the database query into the document in a location in the document associated with the database query.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising associating the database query with a given markup language element in the document for writing the results of the database query into the document in a location in the document associated with the database query.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising storing a programming procedure in the database for reading the data from the database and for writing the data to the document in a location in the document associated with the given markup language element.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising

updating the results of the database query when data in the database associated with the database query is updated;

and

executing the programming procedure when results of the database query are updated.

8. The method of claim 7, whereby the procedure is in the format “

GetCurrentMarkupElementData.”

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

entering data into the document associated with a given markup language element; and

in response to entering data into the document associated with the given markup language element, automatically writing the data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

writing a database query to the database for writing data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating the database query with a given markup language element in the document for writing data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing a programming procedure in the database for writing the data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element as required by the query.

13. The method of claim 12, whereby the procedure is in the format “

SetCurrentMarkupElementData.”

14. The method of claim 1, prior to the step of applying elements of a markup language to the document, attaching a schema to the document defining rules associated with a markup language to be applied to the document

15. The method of claim 14, whereby the markup language is the Extendable Markup Language.

16. The method of claim 14, whereby the markup language is the Hypertext Markup Language.

17. The method of claim 1, whereby the step of linking one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database further comprises:

providing a list of markup language elements contained in the document;

providing a list of data fields established for linking to corresponding markup language elements in the document;

selecting a markup language element from the list of markup language elements;

selecting a data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element; and

upon selection of the data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element, linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element.

18. A method of linking elements in a computer-generated document to corresponding data in a database, comprising:

applying elements of a markup language to the document;

linking one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data in the database;

writing a unique document identifier to the document for linking the one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data in the database;

entering data into the database associated with a given markup language element in the document;

in response to entering data into the database associated with the given markup language element in the document, automatically writing the data to the document in a location in the document associated with the given markup language element;

entering data into the document associated with a given markup language element; and

in response to entering data into the document associated with the given markup language element, automatically writing the data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising establishing data fields within the database for linking to corresponding markup language elements in the document.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

writing a first database query to the database for assembling data from one or more data fields within the database and for writing the results of the first database query into the document in a location in the document associated with the database query;

writing a second database query to the database for writing data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising associating the first and second database queries with a given markup language element in the document.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising storing a first programming procedure in the database for reading the data from the database and for writing the data to the document in a location in the document associated with the given markup language element.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising

updating the results of the database query when data in the database associated with the database query is updated;

and

executing the first programming procedure when results of the database query are updated.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising storing a second programming procedure in the database for writing the data entered into the document to a data field in the database linked to the given markup language element as required by the query.

25. The method of claim 24, whereby the markup language is the Extendable Markup Language.

26. The method of claim 25, whereby the markup language is the Hypertext Markup Language.

27. The method of claim 18, whereby the step of linking one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database further comprises:

providing a list of markup language elements contained in the document;

providing a list of data fields established for linking to corresponding markup language elements in the document;

selecting a markup language element from the list of markup language elements;

selecting a data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element; and

upon selection of the data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element, linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element.

28. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, perform the steps of claim 18.

29. A method of linking elements in a computer-generated document to corresponding data fields in a database, comprising:

providing a communication link between one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database;

entering data into the document associated with a given markup language element; and

in response to entering data into the document associated with the given markup language element, automatically saving the data to a data field in the database corresponding to the given markup language element.

30. The method of claim 29, prior to the step of providing a communication link between one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database, selecting the document from a document library containing documents annotated with the one or more markup language elements and the document associated with the database, the data base containing data fields established for linking to the one or more markup language elements.

31. The method of claim 30, whereby the step of providing a communication link between one or more markup language elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database further comprises:

providing a list of markup language elements contained in the document;

providing a list of data fields established for linking to corresponding markup language elements in the document;

selecting a markup language element from the list of markup language elements;

selecting a data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element; and

upon selection of the data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element, linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element.

32. A method of claim 31, whereby the step of linking the selected data field to the selected markup language element includes writing a unique document identifier to the document and associating the unique document identifier with the selected markup language element and associating the unique document identifier with the selected data field to point the selected markup language element to the selected data field in the database.

33. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, perform the steps of:

linking one or more XML elements in a document to corresponding data fields in a database;

entering data into the document associated with a given XML element; and

in response to entering data into the document associated with the given XML element, automatically saving the data to a data field in the database corresponding to the given XML element.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, prior to the step of linking one or more XML elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database, selecting the document from a document library containing documents annotated with the one or more XML elements and the document associated with the database, the data base containing data fields established for linking to the one or more XML elements.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 34, whereby the step of linking one or more XML elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database further comprises:

providing a list of XML elements contained in the document;

providing a list of data fields established for linking to corresponding XML elements in the document;

selecting an XML element from the list of XML elements;

selecting a data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected XML element; and

upon selection of the data field from the list of data fields for linking the selected data field to the selected XML element, linking the selected data field to the selected XML element.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 35, whereby the step of linking one or more XML elements in the document to corresponding data fields in the database includes writing a unique document identifier to the document and associating the unique document identifier with the selected XML element and associating the unique document identifier with the selected data field to point the selected XML element to the selected data field in the database.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 36 having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer, further perform the step of:

entering data into a given data field;

saving the data to the given data field; and

in response to saving the data to the given data field, automatically saving the data to the document in a location associated with a given XML element that corresponds to the given data field.