Method and apparatus for information transformation and exchange in a relational database environment

• US 20060085409A1
• Filed: 11/28/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cseri, Istvan, Rys, Michael, Suver, Christopher Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,040 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for transforming hierarchical information into a rowset and for transforming a rowset into hierarchical information. In transforming hierarchical information, such as an XML data file, into a rowset, a parser parses the XML data file to form an active store. A query processor, after receiving a query including a number of metaproperties, processes data from the XML active store to form a rowset. The rowset can be processed further using a query language, such as the Structured Query Language (SQL). After processing, the rowset can be converted back into an XML data file using an XML formatter. An overflow feature facilitates the addition of text data to the rowset. A fusion feature facilitates defining a relationship between different data items in the rowset such that they can be merged into a single data element as the rowset is converted into an XML data file.

Claims

1. A system for querying hierarchical data, the system comprising:

a parser for receiving the hierarchical data and parsing the hierarchical data into first query-able rowset data, the hierarchical data being in a script form and including a plurality of non-partitioned data elements and the parsed first rowset data from the parser including a plurality of partitioned data elements organized into a table of cells, each partitioned data element within the table residing in a separate cell and corresponding to a non-partitioned data element;

a query provider for generating a query to be applied to the first rowset data; and

a query processor for receiving the generated query from the query provider, processing the received query to extract query information relevant to the first rowset data, accessing and processing the first rowset data from the parser based on the extracted query information to result in second rowset data, and returning the second rowset data to the query provider.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the hierarchical data is one of XML and SGML data.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first rowset data is one of a table and a document object model.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first rowset data is a table including the partitioned data elements organized into a plurality of rows and columns.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a store for receiving the first rowset data from the parser and for being accessed by the query processor.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein each non-partitioned data element in the hierarchical data includes an identifying tag and is nested within the hierarchical data based on the tag, and wherein the parser identifies nesting of the hierarchical data based on the tags and builds the first rowset data according to the identified nesting.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the query processor extracts query information from the query including row information, column information, and/or metaproperty information relevant to the first rowset data, and based on the extracted query information, returns corresponding row data, column data, and/or metaproperty data from the first rowset data as the second rowset data.

8. A method of querying hierarchical data, the method comprising:

receiving the hierarchical data and parsing the hierarchical data into first query-able rowset data, the hierarchical data being in a script form and including a plurality of non-partitioned data elements and the parsed first rowset data from the parser including a plurality of partitioned data elements organized into a table of cells, each partitioned data element within the table residing in a separate cell and corresponding to a non-partitioned data element;

receiving a query to be applied to the first rowset data;

processing the received query to extract query information relevant to the first rowset data;

accessing and processing the first rowset data based on the extracted query information to result in second rowset data; and

returning the second rowset data to the query provider.

9. The method of claim 8 comprising receiving the hierarchical data as one of XML and SGML data.

10. The method of claim 8 comprising parsing the hierarchical data into the first rowset data as one of a table and a document object model.

11. The method of claim 8 comprising parsing the hierarchical data into the first rowset data as a table including the partitioned data elements organized into a plurality of rows and columns.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising placing the first rowset data into a store and accessing the first rowset data from the store.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein each non-partitioned data element in the hierarchical data includes an identifying tag and is nested within the hierarchical data based on the tag, the method comprising identifying nesting of the hierarchical data based on the tags and building the first rowset data according to the identified nesting.

14. The method of claim 8 comprising extracting query information from the query including row information, column information, and/or metaproperty information relevant to the first rowset data, and based on the extracted query information returning corresponding row data, column data, and/or metaproperty data from the first rowset data as the second rowset data.

15. A system for querying hierarchical data, the system comprising:

a query processor for receiving the hierarchical data and parsing the hierarchical data into query-able rowset data, the hierarchical data being in a script form and including a plurality of non-partitioned data elements and the parsed rowset data including a plurality of partitioned data elements organized into a table of cells, each partitioned data element within the table residing in a separate cell and corresponding to a non-partitioned data element.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the hierarchical data is one of XML and SGML data.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the rowset data is one of a table and a document object model.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the rowset data is a table including the partitioned data elements organized into a plurality of rows and columns.

19. The system of claim 15 further comprising a store for receiving the rowset data from a parser and for being accessed by the query processor.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein each non-partitioned data element in the hierarchical data includes an identifying tag and is nested within the hierarchical data based on the tag, and wherein a parser identifies nesting of the hierarchical data based on the tags and builds the first rowset data according to the identified nesting.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the query processor extracts query information from the query including row information, column information, and/or metaproperty information relevant to the first rowset data, and based on the extracted query information, returns corresponding row data, column data, and/or metaproperty data from the rowset data as second rowset data.

22. A method of querying hierarchical data, the method comprising:

receiving the hierarchical data by a query processor and parsing the hierarchical data into query-able rowset data, the hierarchical data being in a script form and including a plurality of non-partitioned data elements and the parsed rowset data including a plurality of partitioned data elements organized into a table of cells, each partitioned data element within the table residing in a separate cell and corresponding to a non-partitioned data element.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising receiving the hierarchical data as one of XML and SGML data.

24. The method of claim 22 comprising parsing the hierarchical data into the rowset data as one of a table and a document object model.

25. The method of claim 22 comprising parsing the hierarchical data into the rowset data as a table including the partitioned data elements organized into a plurality of rows and columns.

26. The method of claim 22 further comprising placing the rowset data into a store and accessing the rowset data from the store.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein each non-partitioned data element in the hierarchical data includes an identifying tag and is nested within the hierarchical data based on the tag, the method comprising identifying nesting of the hierarchical data based on the tags and building the first rowset data according to the identified nesting.

28. The method of claim 22 comprising extracting query information from the query including row information, column information, and/or metaproperty information relevant to the first rowset data, and based on the extracted query information returning corresponding row data, column data, and/or metaproperty data from the rowset data as the second rowset data.

29. A system for querying hierarchical data, the system comprising:

a query component for receiving a query of a database query language comprising query input relevant to the hierarchical data, the query input expressly including rowset structure information; and

a hierarchical data processor for receiving the hierarchical data and for receiving the generated query from the query provider, and for processing the received query to extract the rowset structure information relevant to the hierarchical data, and for generating rowset data corresponding to the hierarchical data based on said rowset structure information.

30. A system according to claim 29, wherein the rowset structure information includes of row information about the hierarchical data for generating rowset data, column information about the hierarchical data for generating rowset data and metaproperty information for generating rowset data.

31. A system according to claim 30, wherein the row information includes row identity pattern information and the column information includes column identity pattern information.

32. A system according to claim 29, wherein the database query language is the structured query language (SQL).

33. A method of querying hierarchical data, the method comprising:

receiving a query according to a database query language comprising query input relevant to the hierarchical data, the query input expressly including rowset structure information relevant to the hierarchical data;

receiving the hierarchical data and the query;

processing the query to extract the rowset structure information relevant to the hierarchical data; and

based on said rowset structure information, generating rowset data corresponding to the hierarchical data.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein said receiving the query includes receiving the query according to the structured query language (SQL).