Abstract record timeline rendering/display

• US 20060161556A1
• Filed: 01/14/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kolz, Daniel P., Dettinger, Richard D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for constructing a database abstraction model over an underlying physical database. Once constructed, users may interact with the database abstraction model, rather than the underlying physical database representation, to query the database and view query results. In one embodiment, information is retrieved from the underlying physical database that is related to a model entity and displayed on a timeline. Generally, a model entity identifies the logical focus, or the central entity, being queried by user interacting with a query application. An abstract record identifies what data about each model entity is available to query using the database abstraction model.

Claims

1. A method of displaying physical data retrieved from an underlying physical database, comprising:

providing a database abstraction model defining;

(a) a plurality of logical fields each having an access method that specifies at least a method for accessing the physical data associated with the logical field; and

(b) a plurality of model entities, wherein each model entity identifies (i) a set of logical fields each mapping to logically related physical data; and

(ii) an identifier in the database used to identify instances of the model entity;

wherein, for each model entity, a first logical field of the corresponding set of logical fields includes a timeline attribute defining a timeline for the model entity and wherein a second logical field of the corresponding set of logical fields includes a timeline attribute defining where the physical data associated with the second logical field occurs on the timeline;

receiving a request to display data related to an instance of one of the plurality of model entities;

retrieving, from the database, physical data corresponding to the set of logical fields for the instance of the model entity;

displaying the timeline for the instance, based on the timeline attribute for the first logical field ; and

displaying an event on the timeline, based on the timeline attribute for the second logical field, wherein the event corresponds to the physical data associated with the second logical field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the timeline attribute for the second logical field specifies that the event comprises one of an instance event or a or a duration event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein instance type events are rendered on a single point on the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, when the data was obtained or when an event symbolized by the data occurred, and wherein duration type events are rendered over a segment of the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, a period of time when a condition symbolized by the event occurred.

4. The method of claim 1, retrieving, from the underlying physical database, physical data corresponding to the set of logical fields, generating a physical query of the underlying physical database according to the access method specified for the logical field, and executing the physical query to retrieve a set of query results for the set of logical fields.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of logical fields are specified by an abstract record, wherein the abstract record identifies all of the logical fields defined by the database abstraction model that map to data related to the model entity and specifies the relationships between logical fields included in the abstract record.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein retrieving data corresponding to the set of logical fields comprises, retrieving data for fewer than all of the logical fields specified in the abstract record.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the instance of a model entity is selected by a user in response to a display of all instances of the model entity in the underlying database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the instance of the model entity is selected from a set of instances retrieved from the database using an abstract query, wherein the abstract query specifies (i) the model entity being queried;

(ii) a set of conditional expressions, wherein each conditional expression includes a logical field, a conditional operator, and a comparison value; and

(iii) a set of logical fields used to retrieve a set of query results that are consistent with the set of conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an instance of a second model entity included in the physical data displayed to the user; and

switching to a display of the physical data related to the instance of the second model entity, and rendering, relative to the timeline for the instance of the second model entity, data related to the second model entity on the timeline.

10. A system for accessing data in an underlying physical database, comprising:

a database abstraction model defining (i) a plurality of logical fields, wherein each logical field specifies at least an access method mapping the logical field to data in the physical database, and wherein at least one logical field includes a timeline attribute that indicates where data elements retrieved for the logical field occur on a timeline, and (ii) a plurality of model entities each specifying an item of data in the database used to identify an instance of the model entity and further specifying an abstract record associated with the model entity, wherein the abstract record specifies a set of logical fields that map to data related to the model entity;

a database query application configured to display data related to the instance of the model entity, including the display of at least some of the data rendered on a timeline, relative to the model entity; and

a runtime component configured (i) to receive, from the database query interface, a request to view the data related to the instance of the model entity, and in response, to generate and execute a physical query of the database, wherein executing the physical query retrieves a set of query results corresponding to the set of logical fields and (ii) to return the query results to the query building interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the timeline attribute for the at least one logical field specifies that data corresponding to the logical field specifies one of an instance type data or a duration type data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein instance type data is rendered on a single point on the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, when the data was obtained or when an event symbolized by the data occurred, and wherein duration type data is rendered over a segment of the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, a period of time when a condition symbolized by the data occurred.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein duration type event is rendered over a segment of the timeline display that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, a period of time when a condition symbolized by the data occurred.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the database query application is further configured to display an indication of a second model entity included in the data returned to the database query interface, and switching, in response to a user request, to a display of data related to the instance of the second model entity, and rendering on the timeline, relative to the timeline identified for the second model entity, data related to the second model entity.

15. A program product, comprising:

a computer readable medium containing a program, comprising;

(a) a plurality of logical fields each having an access method that specifies at least a method for accessing the physical data associated with the logical field;

(b) a plurality of model entities, wherein each model entity identifies (i) a set of logical fields, from the plurality of logical fields, that map to logically related physical data; and

(ii) an identifier in the underlying database used to identify instances of the model entity;

wherein a first logical field of each set of logical fields for each model entity includes a timeline attribute defining a timeline for the model entity and wherein a second logical field of each set of logical fields for each model entity defines where the physical data associated with the second logical field occurs on the timeline for the model entity; and

(c) a database query application configured to receive a request to display data related to an instance of one of the plurality of model entities, and in response to receiving the request;

retrieve, from a physical database, physical data corresponding to the set of logical fields for the instance model entity;

display the timeline for the instance, based on the timeline attribute for the first logical field; and

display an event on the timeline, based on the timeline attribute for the second logical field, wherein the event corresponds to the physical data associated with the second logical field.

16. The program product of claim 15, wherein the timeline attribute for the second logical field specifies that the event corresponding to the logical field comprises one of an instance event or a or a duration event.

17. The program product of claim 15, wherein instance type events are rendered on a single point on the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, when the data was obtained or when an event symbolized by the data occurred, and wherein duration type events are rendered over a segment of the timeline that indicates, relative to the timeline for the instance of the model entity, a period of time when a condition symbolized by the event occurred.

18. The program product of claim 17, wherein the instance of a model entity is selected by a user interacting with the database query application response to a display of all instances of the model entity in the underlying database.

19. The program product of claim 17, wherein the instance of the model entity is selected from a set of instances retrieved from the database using an abstract query composed a by a user interacting with the database query application, wherein the abstract query specifies (i) the model entity being queried;

(ii) a set of conditional expressions, wherein each conditional expression includes a logical field, a conditional operator, and a comparison value; and

(iii) a set of logical fields used to retrieve the set of instances of the model entity that are consistent with the set of conditions.

20. The program product of claim 15, wherein the database query application is further configured to:

display an indication of a second model entity included in the retrieved data;

switch, in response to a user request, to a display of data related to the instance of the second model entity; and

render on the timeline, relative to a timeline identified for the second model entity, data related to the second model entity.