Multilingual database interaction system and method

• US 20050177358A1
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Netz, Ariel, Berger, Alexander, Netz, Amir, Melomed, Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/775,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/55 Rule-based translation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method of translating stored data. In particular the present invention facilitates multilingual interaction with a data store by providing a translation component between data stored in one language and users that prefer to interact in one or more different languages. Queries or commands can be executed on a database and results presented in any one of a plurality of languages selected by a user. Furthermore, a mechanism is also provided to allow users to enter queries in their preferred language rather than the language of the underlying system.

Claims

1. A data translation system comprising:

an interface component that receives requests for data from a user; and

a translation component that retrieves data in accordance with the requests and returns the data to the user in a specified language.

2. The system of claim 1, the interface component comprising a language identification component that determines the specified language of a user.

3. The system of claim 1, the interface component comprises a conversion component that receives data requests in a plurality of different formats and converts the requests into executable queries on data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the request is a structured query in the user'"'"'s preferred language.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the request is a natural language request.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the translation component comprises:

one or more translation tables; and

a mapping component that maps retrieved data to its corresponding translation in a translation table.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the translation tables are set up by a database administrator.

8. The system of claim 1, the translation component comprising and inference component that can translate result data into one or more languages.

9. The system of claim 8, the inference component including a context analyzer component and a dictionary component to facilitate data translations.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the context analyzer receives metadata associated with result data.

11. A database translation system comprising:

an interface component to receive queries;

a translation component that retrieves analytical data from a database in accordance with a query and translates the resulting data into one or more user languages.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the queries are specified in a different language than a base language associated with the database.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the queries are specified in natural language.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the database is a multidimensional database.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the translation component comprises a mapping component that maps resulting metadata and data to translations a translation table.

16. The system of claim 15, the translation table being set up and managed by a database administrator.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the translation component comprises an inference component and dictionary component to dynamically generate data translations.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising a sort component that receives collation information from a user a sorts resulting data in accordance with the collation information.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the collation information includes the language to be used for sorting.

20. An online analytical processing (OLAP) system comprising:

an interface component to receive queries;

a translation component that retrieves data and metadata from a multidimensional database in accordance with a query and translates resulting data and metadata from a system base language into one or more user languages.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the translation component maps resulting data and metadata to a translation table to produce translated data and metadata.

22. A method of querying a database comprising:

receiving a language selection;

receiving a query;

retrieving data from a database in accordance with the query; and

translating the retrieved data into the selected language.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a user selects a language by entering a query in a particular language, the selected language being the particular language used to enter the query.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein translating the received data comprises retrieving data from a translation table.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein data is translated dynamically utilizing a context component and one or more dictionary components.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the query is a natural language query.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the database is a multidimensional database.

28. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 22.

29. A method of translating database data comprising:

receiving a language selection;

receiving a query in a first format;

converting the query to a second format;

executing the query on a database; and

translating received result data to the selected language;

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first query format is in a first language and the second query format is in a second language.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first query format is a natural language query.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein translating the result data comprises mapping data and meta-data to a translation table associated with the selected language.

33. The method of claim 29, further comprising sorting the translated data based on collation properties specified by a user.

34. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 29.

35. A method of interaction with a database comprising:

selecting a first language;

entering a query on a database with data stored in a second language; and

receiving result data in the first language.

36. The method of claim 35, the database is a multidimensional database.

37. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 35.

38. A method of interacting with a database comprising:

specifying a command in a first language;

receiving the command and translating the command into a second language; and

performing an operation on a database in accordance with the command.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the command is to store a data in the database.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein translating the command into a second language includes translating a natural language command into a structured command in the base language of the system.

41. A computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 38.