Apparatus and method for deterministically constructing multi-lingual text questions for application to a data source

• US 20060229867A1
• Filed: 11/04/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Objects SA
• Inventors: Brownsey, Paul Stuart, Evans, Luke William, Kopp, Steve, Williams, Stephen Gary, Kellet, Nicholas Guy
• Application Number:
  US11/267,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229867A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems

Abstract

A computer readable medium storing executable instructions to deterministically construct a text question for application to a data source includes executable instructions to allow a user to specify a second language different than a first language used as organizational schema of a data source. Language rules are loaded for the second language. The language rules are used to translate an initial text question from the first language to the second language. A user is supplied with the initial text question in the second language. The user is allowed to alter a sentence component of the text question to form an altered sentence component. Executable instructions identify when the altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates an invalid question and supplies sentence components to insure selection of a valid question. A data source query is constructed from the initial text question and at least one altered sentence component. The data source query is applied to the data source to produce data results, which are presented to the user.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing executable instructions to deterministically construct a text question for application to a data source, comprising executable instructions to:

allow a user to specify a second language different than a first language used as organizational schema of a data source;

load language rules for said second language;

supply a user with an initial text question in said second language;

allow said user to alter a sentence component of said text question to form an altered sentence component;

identify when said altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates an invalid question and supplying sentence components to insure selection of a valid question;

construct from said initial text question and at least one altered sentence component, a data source query;

apply said data source query to said data source to produce data results; and

present said data results to said user.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said language rules include rules to translate a sentence component from said first language to said second language.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said language rules include rules to define syntax operations to observe when using a sentence component from said first language in a sentence of said second language.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said language rules include rules to define grammar tenets to follow when translating a sentence component from said first language to said second language.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said language rules are used to transform executable modules with graphical user interface information in said first language to corresponding executable modules with graphical user interface information in said second language.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein said language rules include metadata associated with sentence components.

7. A computer readable medium storing executable instructions to deterministically construct a text question for application to a data source using an organizational schema in a first language, comprising executable instructions to:

supply a user with an initial text question in a second language;

allow said user to alter a sentence component of said text question to form an altered sentence component;

identify when said altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates an invalid question and supplying sentence components to insure selection of a valid question;

construct from said initial text question and at least one altered sentence component, a data source query, wherein the executable instructions to construct include executable instructions to transform said initial text question and at least one altered sentence component from said second language to said first language;

apply said data source query to said data source using said organizational schema in said first language to produce data results; and

present said data results.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein said executable instructions to supply include executable instructions to supply a user with an initial text question with selectable components that are dynamically translated to said second language from said first language.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein said executable instructions to identify include executable instructions to dynamically translate said altered sentence component and said text question from said second language to said first language.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein said executable instructions to present include executable instructions to dynamically translate data result fields from said first language to said second language.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7 further comprising language rules for translating from said first language to said second language.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said language rules include rules to define syntax operations to observe when using a sentence component from said first language in a sentence of said second language.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said language rules include rules to define grammar tenets to follow when translating a sentence component from said first language to said second language.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said language rules are used to transform executable modules with graphical user interface information in said first language to corresponding executable modules with graphical user interface information in said second language.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein said language rules include metadata associated with sentence components.

16. A computer readable medium storing executable instructions to deterministically construct a text question for application to a data source using an organizational schema in a first language, comprising executable instructions to:

supply a user with an initial text question in a second language;

allow said user to alter a sentence component of said text question to form an altered sentence component;

identify when said altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates an invalid question and supplying sentence components to insure selection of a valid question;

construct from said initial text question and at least one altered sentence component, a data source query for application to said data source using said organizational schema in said first language;

apply said data source query to said data source to produce data results; and

present said data results.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 further comprising executable instructions to dynamically translate sentence components from said first language to said second language.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein said executable instructions to dynamically translate include executable instructions to access language rules specifying translation, syntax, and grammar rules for translating between said first language and said second language.