Method and system for generating relational spreadsheets

• US 20080162532A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Daga, Rakshit
• Granted Patent: US 8,869,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method and system are described that may generate and process relational spreadsheets, for example, for database entities such as objects. An example method may include generating a relational spreadsheet page including relational spreadsheet entries indicating one or more hierarchical relationships among a plurality of database entities associated with a database based on a relational graph indicating relational relationships among the database entities and based on information associated with a plurality of objects. The method may include displaying the relational spreadsheet page.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a relational spreadsheet page including relational spreadsheet entries indicating one or more hierarchical relationships among a plurality of database entities associated with a database based on a relational graph indicating relational relationships among the database entities and based on information associated with a plurality of objects; and

displaying the relational spreadsheet page.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the database includes a relational database, and wherein the database entities include objects included in the relational database.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising

receiving the information associated with the plurality of objects and the relational relationships among the database entities associated with the database.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving information included in the plurality of objects and information describing the relational relationships among the plurality of database entities.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving information representing a database schema indicating relationships among the plurality of objects.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the relational graph includes a plurality of graph nodes representing the database entities and one or more edges indicating the relational relationships between pairs of the database entities represented by corresponding pairs of the graph nodes based on the information.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the relational spreadsheet page comprises:

displaying one or more rows associated with one or more of the objects, wherein one or more of the rows is configured to expand or collapse based on an action of a user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the one or more rows configured to expand or collapse include one or more rows configured to expand or collapse based on a selection action of the user,

wherein expanding one of the rows includes displaying one or more related object rows of the spreadsheet, each of the related object rows including information associated with objects related to the object associated with the row configured to expand or collapse, and

wherein collapsing one of the rows includes displaying the collapsed row without displaying the one or more related object rows associated with the collapsed row.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein expanding one of the rows includes displaying one or more related object rows of the relational spreadsheet, each of the related object rows including information associated with objects related to the object associated with the row configured to expand or collapse, wherein one or more of the related object rows includes one or more cells configured to receive updated information associated with the information associated with objects related to the object associated with the row configured to expand or collapse.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the relational spreadsheet page comprises:

displaying one or more rows associated with one or more nodes of the relational graph, wherein one or more of the rows is configured to expand or collapse based on an action of a user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the one or more rows configured to expand or collapse include one or more rows configured to expand or collapse based on a selection action of the user,

wherein expanding one of the rows includes displaying one or more related graph node rows of the spreadsheet, each of the related graph node rows including information associated with relational graph nodes having an edge connected to the node of the relational graph associated with the row configured to expand or collapse, and

wherein collapsing one of the rows includes displaying the collapsed row without displaying the one or more related graph node rows associated with the collapsed row.

12. A system comprising:

a relational spreadsheet generator configured to generate a relational spreadsheet page including relational spreadsheet entries indicating one or more hierarchical relationships among a plurality of database entities associated with a database based on a relational graph indicating relational relationships among the database entities and based on information associated with a plurality of objects; and

a relational spreadsheet manager configured to display the relational spreadsheet page.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the database includes a relational database, and wherein the database entities include objects included in the relational database.

14. The system of claim 12 comprising a relational graph manager configured to receive the information associated with the plurality of objects and the relational relationships among the database entities associated with the database.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the relational graph manager is configured to receive information included in the plurality of objects and information describing the relational relationships among the plurality of database entities.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the relational graph manager is configured to receive information representing a database schema indicating relationships among the plurality of objects.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the relational graph includes a plurality of graph nodes representing the database entities and one or more edges indicating the relational relationships between pairs of the database entities represented by corresponding pairs of the graph nodes based on the information.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein relational spreadsheet manager is configured to display the relational spreadsheet page including one or more rows associated with one or more of the objects, wherein one or more of the rows is configured to expand or collapse based on an action of a user.

19. A computer program product being tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and being configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

generate a relational spreadsheet page including relational spreadsheet entries indicating one or more hierarchical relationships among a plurality of database entities associated with a database based on a relational graph indicating relational relationships among the database entities and based on information associated with a plurality of objects; and

display the relational spreadsheet page.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the database includes a relational database, and wherein the database entities include objects included in the relational database.

21. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the computer program product is configured to cause the data processing apparatus to receive the information associated with the plurality of objects and the relational relationships among the database entities associated with the database.

22. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the computer program product is configured to cause the data processing apparatus to display the relational spreadsheet page including one or more rows associated with one or more of the objects, wherein one or more of the rows is configured to expand or collapse based on an action of a user.