Relation-based hierarchy evaluation of recursive nodes

• US 20080162207A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kaiser, Martin, Gross, Rene, Anzuinelli, Gisella Dominguez
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/74 Reverse engineering; Extracting design information from source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Systems and processes may access data in various graph structures, often including data models that do not partially or fully utilize relations such as hierarchical graphs. For example, software for processing this non-relational data identifies a data model that includes a plurality of nodes independent of relations, each non-root node storing an identifier of the particular node'"'"'s parent. The software then processes the data model using a generic graph service that utilizes nodes and relations. In some cases, such data models may include hierarchical graph structures and one or more of the nodes may be a recursive node.

Claims

1. A method for processing non-relational nodes comprising:

identifying a data model that includes a plurality of nodes, at least a subset of the nodes comprising non-relational nodes and storing an identifier of the particular node'"'"'s parent; and

processing the data model using a generic graph service that utilizes nodes and relations.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating one or more relations for the data model prior to the processing.

3. The method of claim 2, a particular relation associated with a recursive node of the data model such that the node'"'"'s parent is itself.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising identifying a type of the recursive node and identifier of the recursive node.

5. The method of claim 4, an identifier of the relation comprising the recursive node identifier.

6. The method of claim 3, the processing comprising identifying a source and target node of the relation associated with the recursive node.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the relation generation occurs at run-time.

8. The method of claim 1, the data model comprising a hierarchical graph structure.

9. Software for processing non-relational nodes using a relation-oriented graph service comprising computer readable instructions embodied on media and operable to:

identify a data model that includes a plurality of nodes, at least a subset of the nodes comprising non-relational nodes and storing an identifier of the particular node'"'"'s parent; and

process the data model using a generic graph service that utilizes nodes and relations.

10. The software of claim 9 further operable to automatically generate one or more relations for the data model prior to the processing.

11. The software of claim 10, a particular relation associated with a recursive node of the data model such that the node'"'"'s parent is itself.

12. The software of claim 11 further operable to identify a type of the recursive node and identifier of the recursive node.

13. The software of claim 12, an identifier of the relation comprising the recursive node identifier.

14. The software of claim 11, the processing comprising identifying a source and target node of the relation associated with the recursive node.

15. The software of claim 10, wherein the relation generation occurs at run-time.

16. The software of claim 9, the data model comprising a hierarchical graph structure.

17. A system for processing non-relational nodes comprising:

means for identifying a data model that includes a plurality of nodes independent of relations, each of the nodes storing an identifier of the particular node'"'"'s parent;

means for automatically generating one or more relations for the data model;

means for processing the data model using a generic graph service that utilizes nodes and the automatically generated relations.