Method and apparatus for in-built searching and aggregating functionality

• US 20060242132A1
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Michael Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,281,282 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention a computer-readable media stores code that is operable to be executed on a processor. The code includes a JAVA class having objects with associated attributes and also having at least one method. The at least one method is operable, when executed on the processor, to search the objects across any attribute of the objects.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

computer-readable media storing code operable to be executed on the processor, the code including a JAVA class having objects with associated attributes and also having at least one method, the method being operable, when executed on the processor, to search the objects across any attribute of the objects.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one method comprises a query method having at least a filter parameter, wherein the filter parameter specifies a search criteria, and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to return all objects in the class having attribute values specified by the search criteria.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the query method further comprises a sorting parameter and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to sort results of the return of all objects specified by the search filter as specified by the sorting parameter.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the filter parameter is a Boolean expression of the search criteria.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the query method further comprises an aggregation selection parameter indicating whether aggregation is desired.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the query method further comprises a grouping parameter specifying a desired aggregation for the results.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, wherein at least one of the plurality of items has a different number of keys than at least one other of the plurality of items.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, each having the following JAVA methods:

setAttr (attr, value), getAttr (attr), aggregateAttr (attr value), and getKeySetIterator,

wherein the aggregateAttr (attr value) method is operable to sum a value of a specified attribute across the objects.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items stored in a hash table.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the JAVA class is an extension of the JAVA ArrayList class.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of items is a JAVA class that is an extension of the JAVA TreeMap class.

12. A system comprising:

a processor; and

computer readable media storing code to be executed on the processor, the code including a JAVA Array List class having searching methods that are operable, when executed on the processor, to allow generic searching of objects, the generic searching comprising searching any attribute associated with the objects without using pre-defined search criteria.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one method comprises a query method having at least a filter parameter, wherein the filter parameter specifies a search criteria, and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to return all objects in the class having attribute values specified by the search criteria.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the query method further comprises a sorting parameter and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to sort results of the return of all objects specified by the search filter as specified by the sorting parameter.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the filter parameter is a Boolean expression of the search criteria.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the query method further comprises an aggregation selection parameter indicating whether aggregation is desired.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the query method further comprises a grouping parameter specifying a desired aggregation for the results.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, wherein at least one of the plurality of items has a different number of keys than at least one other of the plurality of items.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, each having the following JAVA methods:

setAttr (attr, value), getAttr (attr), aggregateAttr (attr value), and getKeySetIterator,

wherein the aggregateAttr (attr value) method is operable to sum a value of a specified attribute across the objects.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items stored in a hash table.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the JAVA class is an extension of the JAVA ArrayList class.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of items is a JAVA class that is an extension of the JAVA TreeMap class.

23. An apparatus comprising:

computer-readable media storing code to be executed on a processor;

and wherein the code includes a JAVA class having objects with associated attributes and also having at least one method, the at least one method being operable, when executed on the processor, to search the objects across any attribute of the objects.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one method comprises a query method having at least a filter parameter, wherein the filter parameter specifies a search criteria, and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to return all objects in the class having attribute values specified by the search criteria.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the query method further comprises a sorting parameter and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to sort results of the return of all objects specified by the search filter as specified by the sorting parameter.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the filter parameter is a Boolean expression of the search criteria.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the query method further comprises an aggregation selection parameter indicating whether aggregation is desired.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the query method further comprises a grouping parameter specifying a desired aggregation for the results.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, wherein at least one of the plurality of items has a different number of keys than at least one other of the plurality of items.

30. The system of claim 23, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, each having the following JAVA methods:

setAttr (attr, value), getAttr (attr), aggregateAttr (attr value), and getKeySetIterator,

wherein the aggregateAttr (attr value) method is operable to sum a value of a specified attribute across the objects.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, stored in a hash table.

32. The system of claim 23, wherein the JAVA class is an extension of the JAVA ArrayList class.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality of items is a JAVA class that is an extension of the JAVA TreeMap class.

34. A method for searching a directory comprising:

storing a plurality of items; and

executing code, the code including a JAVA class having objects with associated attributes and also having at least one method, the method being operable, when executed on a processor, to search the objects across any attribute of the objects.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the at least one method comprises a query method having at least a filter parameter, wherein the filter parameter specifies a search criteria, and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to return all objects in the class having attribute values specified by the search criteria.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the query method further comprises a sorting parameter and wherein the query method is operable, when executed on the processor, to sort results of the return of all objects specified by the search filter as specified by the sorting parameter.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the filter parameter is a Boolean expression of the search criteria.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the query method further comprises an aggregation selection parameter indicating whether aggregation is desired.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein the query method further comprises a grouping parameter specifying a desired aggregation for the results.

40. The system of claim 34, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, wherein at least one of the plurality of items has a different number of keys than at least one other of the plurality of items.

41. The system of claim 34, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, each having the following JAVA methods:

setAttr (attr, value), getAttr (attr), aggregateAttr (attr value), and getKeySetIterator,

wherein the aggregateAttr (attr value) method is operable to sum a value of a specified attribute across the objects.

42. The system of claim 34, wherein the objects comprise a plurality of items, stored in a hash table.

43. The system of claim 34, wherein the JAVA class is an extension of the JAVA ArrayList class.

44. The system of claim 40, wherein each of the plurality of items is a JAVA class that is an extension of the JAVA TreeMap class.