SEQUENCED MODIFICATION OF MULTIPLE ENTITIES BASED ON AN ABSTRACT DATA REPRESENTATION

• US 20080215612A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jennifer L. Larocca, Richard D. Dettinger, Richard J. Stevens
• Original Assignee: Jennifer L. Larocca, Richard D. Dettinger, Richard J. Stevens
• Inventors: Stevens, Richard J., LaRocca, Jennifer L., DETTINGER, RICHARD D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a system, method and article of manufacture for modifying data represented abstractly through an abstraction model. In one embodiment, a data repository abstraction layer provides a logical view of an underlying data repository that is independent of the particular manner of data representation. A query abstraction layer is also provided and is based on the data repository abstraction layer. A runtime component performs transformation of an abstract query into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation. The transformation includes ordering physical modification operations according to a physical entity relationships specification to ensure that the physical modification operations are executed in an appropriate order.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, performs operations causing modification of physical data comprising a plurality of physical entities and having a particular physical data representation in a database, the operations causing modification of physical data comprising:

generating a single abstract modification specification abstractly defining modification operations to modify the physical data, wherein the abstract modification specification comprises a respective logical value for a plurality of logical fields corresponding to physical entities of the database;

transforming the abstract modification specification into at least two physical modification statements consistent with the particular physical data representation according to logical field definitions for each of the plurality of logical fields, wherein;

each logical field definition includes a logical field name and a reference to at least one access method,

the at least one access method is configured to associate the logical field name to the particular physical data representation,

the at least one access method is selected from at least two different types of access methods, and

each of the at least two physical modification statements modifies a different physical entity of the physical data;

ordering the at least two physical modification statements; and

executing the modification operations according to the physical modification statements, whereby the physical data is modified.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the ordering is performed according to a physical entity relationships specification defining interrelationships between the physical entities of the physical data.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the abstract modification specification comprises at least two logical fields corresponding to at least two physical entities to be modified and selection criteria for locating the at least the two physical entities.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, each access method describes a physical location of a physical entity.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the modification operations are insert operations and wherein generating the abstract modification specification, comprises:

specifying at least two logical seed fields;

determining required logical fields for performing the insert operations based on the at least two logical seed fields; and

receiving values for each of the required logical fields.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein each required field is a field requiring input because no default value is defined for the field, no algorithm to generate a value for the field is provided and the value for the field cannot be null.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the logical field definitions are part of an abstract data model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions for each of the logical fields wherein each logical field definition in the abstract data model relates a respective logical field name to a physical entity of the database and specifies a respective access method for accessing the physical entity and wherein determining required logical fields based on the logical seed fields is done with reference to the abstract data model.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising:

determining optional logical fields for performing the insert operations based on the at least two logical seed fields;

formatting a user interface to visually distinguish between the required logical fields and the optional logical fields.

receiving values for at least each of the required logical fields.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, further comprising determining optional logical fields for performing the insert operations based on the at least two logical seed fields.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising formatting a user interface to visually distinguish between the required logical fields and the optional logical fields.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the optional logical fields comprise fields which do not require input from a requesting entity responsible for requesting generation of the single abstract modification specification.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein transforming the abstract modification specification comprises determining a corresponding physical location of data for each of the required logical fields and the logical seed fields.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logical field definitions are part of an abstract data model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions for each of the logical fields wherein each logical field definition in the abstract data model relates a respective logical field name to a physical entity of the database and specifies a respective access method for accessing the physical entity and wherein determining the corresponding physical location of data for each of the required logical fields and the logical seed fields is done with reference to the abstract data model.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the modification operations is an update operation and wherein generating the abstract modification specification, comprises:

specifying at least two logical fields to update and corresponding values;

creating an abstract update expression using the specified logical fields to update and the corresponding value;

specifying a selection condition for selecting data to update; and

adding the selection condition to the abstract update expression.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein transforming the abstract modification specification comprises determining a corresponding physical location of data for each of the specified logical fields.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the logical field definitions are part of an abstract data model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions for each of the logical fields wherein each logical field definition in the abstract data model relates a respective logical field name to a physical entity of the database and specifies a respective access method for accessing the physical entity and wherein determining the corresponding physical location of data for the specified logical fields is done with reference to the abstract data model.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein at least one of the modification operations is a delete operation and wherein generating the abstract modification specification, comprises:

specifying at least two logical seed fields to delete;

creating an abstract delete expression using the specified logical seed fields;

specifying a selection condition for selecting data to delete; and

adding the selection condition to the abstract delete expression.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein transforming the abstract modification specification comprises determining a corresponding physical location of data for the specified logical seed fields.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the logical field definitions are part of an abstract data model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions for each of the logical fields wherein each logical field definition in the abstract data model relates a respective logical field name to a physical entity of the database and specifies a respective access method for accessing the physical entity and wherein determining the corresponding physical location of data for the specified logical fields is done with reference to the abstract data model.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one access method comprises a simple access method, a filtered access method, or a composed access method.

21. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, causes execution of a method comprising:

providing an abstract model for defining abstract modification specifications logically describing operations to modify the physical data, the abstract model comprising;

(i) a plurality of logical field definitions, each logical field definition comprising a logical field name and a reference to at least one access method, wherein;

the at least one access method is configured to associate the logical field name to a physical data representation, and

the at least one access method is selected from at least two different types of access methods; and

(ii) a physical entity relationship specification defining interrelationships between the physical entities of the physical data; and

providing a run-time component configured to;

(i) transform, according to the abstract model, each abstract modification specification into at least two physical modification statements consistent with the physical data, wherein each of the at least two physical modification statements modifies the physical data defining a different physical entity;

wherein the abstract modification specifications include logical values and references to logical field definitions; and

(ii) order the at least two physical modification statements according to the physical entity relationships specification.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the abstract modification specification comprises a plurality of logical field names and corresponding values.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least two physical modification statements are selected from one of insert, update and delete statements.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one access method comprises a simple access method, a filtered access method, or a composed access method.

25. A computer, comprising:

a memory containing a program; and

at least one processor;

the program, which when executed on the processor, is configured to provide a logical framework for defining abstract modification operations for modifying physical data, the logical framework comprising;

an abstract model for defining a plurality of abstract modification specifications each logically describing an operation to modify the physical data, the abstract model comprising;

(i) a plurality of logical field definitions, each logical field definition comprising a logical field name and a reference to at least one access method, wherein;

the at least one access method is configured to associate the logical field name to a physical data representation, and

the at least one access method is selected from at least two different types of access methods; and

(ii) a physical entity relationships specification defining interrelationships between the physical entities of the physical data; and

a run-time component to transform, according to the abstract model, each abstract modification specification into at least two physical modification statements consistent with the physical data and to order the at least two physical modification statements according to the physical entity relationships specification, wherein each of the at least two physical modification statements modifies the physical data defining a different physical entity of the physical data;

wherein the abstract modification specifications include logical values and references to logical field definitions.

26. The computer of claim 25, wherein the at least two physical modification statements are selected from one of insert, update and delete statements.

27. The computer of claim 25, wherein the logical field definitions each describes a location of a respective physical entity of the physical data.

28. The computer of claim 25, wherein the at least one access method comprises a simple access method, a filtered access method, or a composed access method.