Apparatus and method for deterministically constructing a text question for application to a data source

• US 20070129937A1
• Filed: 07/17/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects SA (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kopp, Steve, Abhyankar, Saurabh, Kellet, Nicholas, Evans, Luke, Jolinon, Jean-Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/488,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129937A1
• 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 stores executable instructions to deterministically construct a text question for application to a data source. The executable instructions include executable instructions supply a user with an initial text question. The user is allowed to alter a sentence component of the initial text question to form an altered sentence component. It is identified when the altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates a grammatically incorrect question. A grammatically correct text question including the altered sentence component is supplied in response to the executable instructions to identify. A data source query is constructed from the grammatically correct text question. The data source query is applied to a data source to produce data results. The data results 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:

supply a user with an initial text question;

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

identify when the altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates a grammatically incorrect question;

supply a grammatically correct text question including the altered sentence component in response to the executable instructions to identify;

construct a data source query from the grammatically correct text question;

apply the data source query to a data source to produce data results; and

present the data results to the user.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to add a plurality of selectable sentence components in response to the altered sentence component, wherein each selectable sentence facilitates subsequent selection of a valid question.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the executable instructions to allow include executable instructions to supply a pull-down menu of sentence components that may be altered.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to offer the user a plurality of formatting options for the data results.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising executable instructions to modify the visible appearance of an altered sentence component.

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

supply a user with a first valid and grammatically correct text question comprising a set of first values of selectable and non-selectable sentence components, and supply a first list of possible values for a selectable sentence component;

allow the user to alter the selectable sentence component to select a second value of the selectable sentence component from the first list of possible values;

determine when the second value in combination with the remaining set of first values creates an invalid or grammatically incorrect question, and supply the user with a second valid and grammatically correct text question comprising the second value, a set of modified values of selectable and non-selectable sentence components, and a second list of possible values for the second value;

construct a data source query from the second valid and grammatically correct text question;

apply the data source query to a data source to produce data results; and

present the data results to the user.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the second list of possible values facilitates the selection of new valid and grammatically correct text question.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the second valid and grammatically correct text question includes selectable and non-selectable sentence components in a different order than the order of the selectable and non-selectable sentence components of the first valid and grammatically correct text question.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the executable instructions to allow include executable instructions to supply a pull-down menu displaying the first list of possible values.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the executable instructions to supply include executable instructions to supply a user with a first valid and grammatically correct text question comprising a selectable sentence component selected from a subject, a verb, a predicate noun and a time period.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising executable instructions to offer the user a plurality of formatting options for the data results.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 6 further comprising executable instructions to modify the visible appearance of an altered selectable sentence component.

13. A method of deterministically constructing a text question for application to a data source, comprising:

supplying a user with an initial text question;

allowing the user to alter a sentence component of the initial text question to form an altered sentence component;

identifying when the altered sentence component in combination with remaining sentence components creates a grammatically incorrect question;

supplying a grammatically correct text question including the altered sentence component in response to identifying;

constructing a data source query from the grammatically correct text question;

applying the data source query to a data source to produce data results; and

presenting the data results to the user.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising adding a plurality of selectable sentence components in response to the altered sentence component, wherein each selectable sentence component facilitates subsequent selection of a valid question.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein allowing includes supplying a pull-down menu of sentence components that may be altered.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising offering the user a plurality of formatting options for the data results.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising modifying the visible appearance of an altered sentence component.