Method and system for presenting a visual representation of the portion of the sets of data that a query is expected to return

• US 20080183687A1
• Filed: 01/31/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Law, Margaret T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results

Abstract

In an embodiment, a user is provided with a data representation covered by a relationship. For example, the data representation may include a collection of data objects representations. In an embodiment, the data object representations are arranged in a manner so as to indicate rows or records of different data objects that are associated with one another. In an embodiment, portions of the data objects in the collection are indicated as representing the data that is covered by the relationship. In an embodiment, a report representation that is expected to be generated by the report type defined by the user defined relationship is also provided. In an embodiment, a correspondence in indicated between elements of the report representation (e.g., columns in a thumbnail sketch of a report) and the data object representations (e.g., ovals in a Venn diagram).

Claims

1. A method for providing an interface for object relationships, comprising:

(a) receiving a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) providing based upon the at least one relationship between the first object and the second object, a diagram illustrating the at least one relationship; and

(c) providing an indication of how a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship to the first object and the second object is expected to be represented in a report associated with the diagram.

2. The method of claim 1, the receiving of the selection includes receiving a selection of one or more objects in addition to the selection of the first object and the second object.

3. The method of claim 1, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data in the first data object that is associated to data in the second object, if any associated data exists,

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of the first data object and the second data object,

the locations resulting in

if the first data object and the second data object have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another; and

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related objects that correspond to a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship.

4. The method of claim 1, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data within different objects of the collection that is associated, if any exists.

5. The method of claim 1, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of at least the first object and the second object.

6. The method of claim 5, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the determining of the locations includes:

if two objects have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another.

7. The method of claim 5, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the determining of the locations includes:

if two objects do not have associated data, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations do not overlap one another.

8. The method of claim 5, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related objects that correspond to the data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship, and

providing a visual indication of the portions.

9. The method of claim 1, the providing of the indication including:

providing a representation of one or more columns that are expected to appear in the report, if any are expected to appear, each of the one or more columns having a representation that is indicative of an object that corresponds to the column.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a visual representation of the Venn diagram.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a representation of the Venn diagram; and

providing a visual representation that there is a relationship between the Venn diagram and the indication.

12. The method of claim 11, the visual representation including an icon of an arrow pointing from the indication to the Vern diagram.

13. The method of claim 11, the visual representation being a color coding in which different portions of the Venn diagram representing different sets have different colors and different portions of the indication corresponding to the same sets have corresponding colors.

14. The method of claim 11, the Venn diagram including at least

a representation of one or more geometric shapes, each of the one or more geometric shapes representing a set of data, and

an indication of a portion of the sets that are expected to be included in a report.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a text expressing the relationship;

the providing of the diagram includes

providing a Venn diagram which includes at least

locating at least two ovals on a webpage, the two ovals including the first oval representing the first data object and a second oval representing the second data object, the locating of the at least two ovals including placing the at least two ovals such that the first oval overlaps the second oval,

shading a portion of the at least two ovals, such that the portions shaded indicate data that the relationship selects; and

the providing of the indication including

providing a box representing a report

providing within the box multiple lines arranged in columns, each column having a visual correspondence with one of the at least two ovals,

representing corresponding data associated with two columns with corresponding lines in the two columns, and

representing data associated with one column that does not have corresponding data that is associated with another column with lines in the first column that correspond to blanks in the second column.

16. A monitor displaying output resulting from implementing the method of claim 1.

17. A method for providing an interface for object relationships, comprising:

(a) sending a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) receiving based upon the at least one relationship between the first object and the second object, a diagram illustrating the at least one relationship;

(c) receiving an indication of how a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship to the first object and the second object is expected to be represented in a report associated with the diagram; and

(d) displaying the diagram and indication on a monitor.

18. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for implementing the method of claim 17.

19. A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for implementing a method for providing an interface for object relationships, comprising:

(a) receiving a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) providing based upon the at least one relationship between the first object and the second object, a diagram illustrating the at least one relationship; and

(c) providing an indication of how a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship to the first object and the second object is expected to be represented in a report associated with the diagram.

20. The machine readable medium of claim 19, in the method, the receiving of the selection includes receiving a selection of one or more objects in addition to the selection of the first object and the second object.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 19, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data in the first data object that is associated to data in the second object, if any associated data exists,

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of the first data object and the second data object,

the locations resulting in

if the first data object and the second data object have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another; and

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related objects that correspond to a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 19, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data within different objects of the collection that is associated, if any exists.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 19, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of at least the first object and the second object.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 23, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the determining of the locations includes:

if two objects have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 23, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the determining of the locations includes:

if two objects do not have associated data, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations do not overlap one another.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 23, in the method, the first object and the second object being part of a collection of at least two objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related objects that correspond to the data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship, and

providing a visual indication of the portions.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 23, in the method, the providing of the indication includes:

providing a representation of one or more columns that are expected to appear in the report, if any are expected to appear, each of the one or more columns having a representation that is indicative of an object that corresponds to the column.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

providing a visual representation of the Venn diagram.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

providing a representation of the Venn diagram; and

providing a visual representation that there is a relationship between the Venn diagram and the indication.

30. The machine readable medium of claim 29, in the method, the visual representation including an icon of an arrow pointing from the indication to the Venn diagram.

31. The machine readable medium of claim 29, in the method, the visual representation is a color coding in which different portions of the Venn diagram representing different sets have different colors and different portions of the indication corresponding to the same sets have corresponding colors.

32. The machine readable medium of claim 19, in the method, the Venn diagram includes at least

a representation of one or more geometric shapes, each of the one or more geometric shapes representing a set of data, and

an indication of a portion of the sets that are expected to be included in a report.

33. The machine readable medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

providing a text expressing the relationship;

the providing of the diagram includes

providing a Venn diagram which includes at least

locating at least two ovals on a webpage, the two ovals including the first oval representing the first data object and a second oval representing the second data object, the locating of the at least two ovals including placing the at least two ovals such that the first oval overlaps the second oval,

shading a portion of the at least two ovals, such that the portions shaded indicate data that the relationship selects; and

the providing of the indication including

providing a box representing a report

providing within the box multiple lines arranged in columns, each column having a visual correspondence with one of the at least two ovals,

representing corresponding data associated with two columns with corresponding lines in the two columns, and

representing data associated with one column that does not have corresponding data associated with another column with lines in the first column that correspond to blanks in the second column.