DISABLING QUERY CONDITIONS IN AN ABSTRACT QUERY ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090138452A1
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DETTINGER, RICHARD D., KULACK, FREDERICK A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for temporarily disabling conditions in abstract queries. In one embodiment, a query interface is configured to present an abstract query, and to allow a user to select conditions of the abstract query to be temporarily disabled. By executing an abstract query having disabled conditions, the user may be able to determine the effect of individual changes to the abstract query without having to re-compose the abstract query after each change. The conditions to be disabled may be selected individually, by field, or by value. Each disabled element may be displayed with a visual indicator communicating that it is disabled. The user may then select specific disabled conditions to be re-enabled.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting, in a query interface, an abstract query comprising a plurality of conditional expressions arranged within multiple nested logical levels separated by one or more logical operators, wherein the plurality of conditional expressions is defined in an abstraction model that defines logical fields that model underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model;

receiving a selection, from the plurality of conditional expressions, of one or more conditional expressions to be disabled in the abstract query;

presenting the abstract query in the query interface, wherein each of the one or more conditional expressions is presented with an indication communicating that the respective conditional expression is disabled, such that each of the one or more conditional expressions is maintained in a respective original location within the multiple nested logical levels of the abstract query;

executing the abstract query excluding the one or more conditional expressions; and

returning a set of results of executing the abstract query to the query interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the abstract query comprises:

transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query; and

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transforming the abstract query is performed on the basis of the abstraction model.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions with an indication comprises presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions in a struck-out font.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises one of:

(i) a font color, (ii) a background color, (iii) a text label, and (iv) a symbol.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein any of the one or more conditional expressions may be selectively re-enabled by the user within the query interface.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising permanently removing the one or more conditional expressions from the abstract query.

8. A computer readable storage medium containing a program for processing an abstract rule, when executed, performs an operation, comprising:

presenting, in a query interface, an abstract query comprising a plurality of conditional expressions arranged within multiple nested logical levels separated by one or more logical operators, wherein the plurality of conditional expressions is defined in an abstraction model that defines logical fields that model underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model;

receiving a selection, from the plurality of conditional expressions, of one or more conditional expressions to be disabled in the abstract query;

presenting the abstract query in the query interface, wherein each of the one or more conditional expressions is presented with an indication communicating that the respective conditional expression is disabled, such that each of the one or more conditional expressions is maintained in a respective original location within the multiple nested logical levels of the abstract query;

executing the abstract query excluding the one or more conditional expressions; and

returning a set of results of executing the abstract query to the query interface.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein executing the abstract query comprises:

transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query; and

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

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein transforming the abstract query is performed on the basis of the abstraction model.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions with an indication comprises presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions in a struck-out font.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the indication comprises one of:

(i) a font color, (ii) a background color, (iii) a text label, and (iv) a symbol.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein any of the one or more conditional expressions may be selectively re-enabled by the user within the query interface.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising permanently removing the one or more conditional expressions from the abstract query.

15. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed on the processor, performs an operation, comprising;

presenting, in a query interface, an abstract query comprising a plurality of conditional expressions arranged within multiple nested logical levels separated by one or more logical operators, wherein the plurality of conditional expressions is defined in an abstraction model that defines logical fields that model underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model;

receiving a selection, from the plurality of conditional expressions, of one or more conditional expressions to be disabled in the abstract query;

presenting the abstract query in the query interface, wherein each of the one or more conditional expressions is presented with an indication communicating that the respective conditional expression is disabled, such that each of the one or more conditional expressions is maintained in a respective original location within the multiple nested logical levels of the abstract query;

executing the abstract query excluding the one or more conditional expressions; and

returning a set of results of executing the abstract query to the query interface.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein executing the abstract query comprises:

transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query; and

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

17. The system of claim 16, wherein transforming the abstract query is performed on the basis of the abstraction model.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions with an indication comprises presenting each of the one or more conditional expressions in a struck-out font.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the indication comprises one of:

(i) a font color, (ii) a background color, (iii) a text label, and (iv) a symbol.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein any of the one or more conditional expressions may be selectively re-enabled by the user within the query interface.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising permanently removing the one or more conditional expressions from the abstract query.