DATABASE APPLICATION ASSEMBLY AND PREPARATION

• US 20080270985A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McCormack, Michael J., Miller, Andrew R., Covington, Clinton D., Getsch, Timothy E., Mullen, Peter D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,098,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code

Abstract

A plurality of database application components available in a first components store is received. A plurality of pointers is created with each of the plurality of pointers referencing a selected object, such as the plurality of database application components or an existing pointer to one of the plurality of database application components. The plurality of pointers is collected into a reference group defining a plurality of selected objects included in a database application. In some examples, the database application components include a header, a footer, a control, a fragment, a table, a query, a report, a relation, a form, a conditional formatting statement, a programming component, a validation statement and a module.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first list of a plurality of database application components available in a first components store;

creating a plurality of pointers, each of the plurality of pointers referencing a selected object including one of;

the plurality of database application components; and

an existing pointer to one of the plurality of database application components; and

collecting the plurality of pointers into a reference group defining a plurality of selected objects included in a database application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each of the database application components includes one of:

a header;

a footer;

a control;

a fragment;

a table;

a query;

a report;

a relation;

a form;

a conditional formatting statement;

a programming component;

a validation statement; and

a module.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one existing database application component;

creating at least one change instruction describing at least one transformation to be applied to the at least one existing database application component; and

associating a change pointer with the change instruction, wherein the change pointer references the at least one existing database application component as modified by the change instruction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the at least one existing database application component includes at least one of a plurality of matching database application components matching at least one criterion.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising:

applying the change instruction to transform the existing database application component; and

including the change pointer in the reference group to include the transformed existing database application component in the database application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface, including:

presenting a list of available database application components; and

receiving the at least one change instruction to be applied to at least one of the available database application components.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a second list of second database application components available in a second components store, wherein at least one of the plurality of pointers references at least one of the second database application components, collecting the at least one of the second database application components in the reference group included in the database application.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a first list of database application components available in a first components store;

creating a plurality of direct pointers each referencing one of the database application components;

creating a plurality of indirect pointers each referencing one of the plurality of direct pointers;

grouping the plurality of direct pointers into a first reference group;

grouping the plurality of indirect pointers to the direct pointers of the first reference group into a second reference group; and

defining a first database application that includes the application components referenced by the plurality of the indirect pointers in the second reference group.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein each of the database application components includes one of:

a header;

a footer;

a control;

a fragment;

a table;

a query;

a report;

a relation;

a form;

a conditional formatting statement;

a programming component;

a validation statement; and

a module.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising defining a second database application that includes the application components referenced by the plurality of the direct pointers in the first reference group.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying at least one existing database application component;

creating at least one change instruction describing at least one transformation to be applied to the at least one existing database application component; and

associating at least one of the plurality of indirect pointers to the at least one change instruction.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising:

creating a group pointer referencing the first reference group;

grouping into a third group;

at least one direct referencing one of the database application components; and

the group pointer; and

defining a third database application that includes the referenced application components referenced by the third reference group.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising:

creating at least one direct pointer change instruction describing at least one transformation to be applied to the at least one existing database application component;

associating at least one of the plurality of direct pointers to the at least one direct pointer change instruction;

creating at least one indirect pointer change instruction describing at least one transformation to be applied to the at least one database application component that is to be transformed; and

associating at least one of the plurality of indirect pointers to the at least one indirect pointer change instruction.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein defining a database application further includes executing one of the direct pointer change instructions to transform a referenced existing database application component and defining a first database application that includes the transformed application component.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein defining a database application further includes executing one of the indirect pointer change instructions to transform a transformed existing database application component and defining a first database application that includes the retransformed application component.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a second list of second database application components available in a second components store, wherein at least one of the plurality of pointers references at least one of the second database application components, collecting the at least one of the second database application components in the reference group included in the database application.

17. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions to:

receive a group of database application components;

receive a set of rules to defining standards to which the database application components should comply;

determine whether each of the database application components of the group conform to the set of rules; and

when a database application component does not conform to a rule;

modify the database application component to conform to the rules when the rule is a correctable rule; and

provide a warning that the database application component does not conform to the rules when the rule is not a correctable rule.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein each of the database application components includes one of:

a header;

a footer;

a control;

a fragment;

a table;

a query;

a report;

a relation;

a form;

a conditional formatting statement;

a programming component;

a validation statement; and

a module.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instruction to receive a group of database application components further includes an instruction to receive a group of database application components from a database application template.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instruction to receive a group of database application components further includes an instruction to receive a group of database application components from one of:

a database application template;

a components store; and

a database application.