QUERY CONDITIONS HAVING FILTERED FIELDS WITHIN A DATA ABSTRACTION ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080319969A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Glowacki, Janice R., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/4
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for composing and executing queries using filtered fields. In one embodiment, a query may be composed with compatible fields, meaning filtered fields that store related data of a particular data type. Such compatible fields may be combined into a single query condition, thus simplifying the composition and execution of the query. In one embodiment, fields may be identified as compatible based on metadata included in a database abstraction model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an abstract query including an abstract query condition comprising a plurality of logical fields, wherein the abstract query is composed using a set of logical fields defined in an abstraction model that models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model; and

upon determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data;

based on the abstraction model, transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query, wherein the abstract query condition is reflected in a single sub-query of the executable query; and

executing the executable query to produce a set of query results.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the executable query is composed using the SQL query language.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable sub-query is composed using the IN operator of the SQL query language.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the set of query results to a user in a graphical user interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein values corresponding to the plurality of logical fields are returned in one column of the set of query results.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data comprises retrieving metadata describing the plurality of logical fields.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data comprises retrieving, from the abstraction model, logical field specifications specifying the plurality of logical fields.

8. A computer-readable storage medium including a program, which when executed on a processor performs an operation, the operation comprising:

receiving an abstract query including an abstract query condition comprising a plurality of logical fields, wherein the abstract query is composed using a set of logical fields defined in an abstraction model that models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model; and

upon determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data;

based on the abstraction model, transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query, wherein the abstract query condition is reflected in a single sub-query of the executable query; and

executing the executable query to produce a set of query results.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the executable query is composed using the SQL query language.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable sub-query is composed using the IN operator of the SQL query language.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising presenting the set of query results to a user in a graphical user interface.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein values corresponding to the plurality of logical fields are returned in one column of the set of query results.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data comprises retrieving metadata describing the plurality of logical fields.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data comprises retrieving, from the abstraction model, logical field specifications specifying the plurality of logical fields.

15. A system, comprising:

a database;

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the processor is configured to perform an operation, the operation comprising;

receiving an abstract query including an abstract query condition comprising a plurality of logical fields, wherein the abstract query is composed using a set of logical fields defined in an abstraction model that models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model; and

upon determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data;

based on the abstraction model, transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query, wherein the abstract query condition is reflected in a single sub-query of the executable query; and

executing the executable query to produce a set of query results.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the executable query is composed using the SQL query language.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the executable sub-query is composed using the IN operator of the SQL query language.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising presenting the set of query results to a user in a graphical user interface.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein values corresponding to the plurality of logical fields are returned in one column of the set of query results.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein determining that all of the plurality of logical fields are defined on the basis of the same name column and the same value column of the underlying physical data comprises retrieving, from the abstraction model, logical field specifications specifying the plurality of logical fields.