NAVIGATION AND VISUALIZATION OF RELATIONAL DATABASE

• US 20110055246A1
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Bolf, Didier, Le Biannic, Yann, Naibo, Alexis L.
• Application Number:
  US12/551,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055246A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema

Abstract

Navigation and visualization of a relational database may include determination of metadata indicating a structure of the relational database, generation of one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, facet values of each of a plurality of facets of the relational database, determination of a display order of the plurality of facets based on the facet values, and generation of an interface to display of the facet values of the plurality of facets in the determined display order. Also included may be generation of one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve aggregated values of a measure for each of the facet values of each of the plurality of facets from the relational database, and generation of the interface to display each of the aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value in the determined display order.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining metadata indicating a structure of a relational database;

generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, facet values of each of a plurality of facets of the relational database;

determining a display order of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

generating an interface displaying the facet values of the plurality of facets in the determined display order.

2. A method according to claim 1,

wherein generating the one or more structured query language queries comprises generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve aggregated values of a measure for each of the facet values of each of the plurality of facets from the relational database, and

wherein generating the interface comprises generating the interface displaying each of the aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value in the determined display order.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a facet value of a first facet;

in response to the received selection, generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, second aggregated values of the measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value; and

generating an interface displaying each of the second aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

prior to the received selection, generating an interface displaying a graphic visualization of the aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the first facet; and

in response to the received selection, generating an interface displaying a graphic visualization of the second aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of a second facet of the plurality of facets.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a second selection of a facet value of a second facet while the facet value of the first facet is selected;

in response to the received second selection, generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, third aggregated values of a measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value of the first facet and the selected facet value of the second facet; and

generating an interface displaying each of the third aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

prior to the received selection, displaying a graphic visualization of the aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the first facet;

in response to the received selection, generating an interface displaying a graphic visualization of the second aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the second facet of the plurality of facets; and

in response to the received second selection, generating an interface displaying a graphic visualization of the third aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of a third facet of the plurality of facets.

7. A method according to claim 2, wherein determining the display order of the plurality of facets comprises:

determining an entropy of each of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

determining the display order based on the entropy.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the display order of the plurality of facets comprises:

determining an entropy of each of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

determining the display order based on the entropy.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a second measure;

generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, aggregated values of the second measure for each of the facet values of each of the plurality of facets; and

generating an interface displaying each of the aggregated values of the second measure in association with a corresponding facet value in the determined display order.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a selection of a facet value of the first facet;

in response to the received selection, generating one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, second aggregated values of the second measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value; and

generating an interface displaying each of the second aggregated values of the second measure in association with a corresponding facet value.

11. A tangible computer-readable medium having stored thereon program code, the program code executable by a computer to:

determine metadata indicating a structure of a relational database;

generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve facet values of each of a plurality of facets of the relational database;

determine a display order of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

generate an interface to display the facet values of the plurality of facets in the determined display order.

12. A medium according to claim 11, the program code to generate one or more structured query language queries further comprising program code executable by a computer to:

generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, aggregated values of a measure for each of the facet values of each of the plurality of facets; and

the program code to generate the interface further comprising program code executable by a computer to;

generate the interface to display each of the aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value in the determined display order.

13. A medium according to claim 12, the program code further executable by a computer to:

receive a selection of a facet value of a first facet;

in response to the received selection, generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, second aggregated values of the measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value; and

generate an interface to display each of the second aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value.

14. A medium according to claim 13, the program code further executable by a computer to:

prior to the received selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the first facet; and

in response to the received selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the second aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of a second facet of the plurality of facets.

15. A medium according to claim 13, the program code further executable by a computer to:

receive a second selection of a facet value of a second facet while the facet value of the first facet is selected;

in response to the received second selection, generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, third aggregated values of the measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value of the first facet and the selected facet value of the second facet; and

generate an interface to display each of the third aggregated values in association with a corresponding facet value.

16. A medium according to claim 15, the program code further executable by a computer to:

prior to the received selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the first facet;

in response to the received selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the second aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of the second facet of the plurality of facets; and

in response to the received second selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the third aggregated measure value corresponding to each facet value of a third facet of the plurality of facets.

17. A medium according to claim 12, wherein the program code executable by a computer to determine the display order of the plurality of facets comprises program code executable by a computer to:

determine an entropy of each of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

determine the display order based on the entropy.

18. A medium according to claim 11, wherein the program code executable by a computer to determine the display order of the plurality of facets comprises program code executable by a computer to:

determine an entropy of each of the plurality of facets based on the facet values; and

determine the display order based on the entropy.

19. A medium according to claim 11, the program code further executable by a computer to:

receive a selection of a second measure;

generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the relational database, aggregated values of the second measure for each of the facet values of each of the plurality of facets; and

generate an interface to display each of the aggregated values of the second measure in association with a corresponding facet value in the determined display order.

20. A medium according to claim 19, the program code further executable by a computer to:

receive a selection of a facet value of the first facet;

in response to the received selection, generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve second aggregated values of the second measure for each facet value of each of the plurality of facets filtered by the selected facet value; and

generate an interface to display each of the second aggregated values of the second measure in association with a corresponding facet value.

21. A system comprising:

a database of relational tables and data values stored in the relational tables; and

information space metadata comprising;

a connection property definition comprising information for communicating with the database;

dimension object metadata associated with a plurality of dimension objects, the dimension object metadata comprising, for each of the plurality of dimension objects, one of the relational tables associated with the dimension object, and one or more column names of the one of the relational tables associated with the dimension object;

measure object metadata associated with one or more measure objects, the measure object metadata comprising, for each of the one or more measure objects, one of the relational tables associated with the measure object, one or more column names of the one of the relational tables associated with the measure object, and an aggregation method associated with the measure object; and

an information space structured query language statement to describe a structure of the relational tables; and

a navigation module to;

generate one or more structured query language queries based on the information space metadata to retrieve data values of a column corresponding to each of the plurality of dimension objects from the database;

determine a display order of the plurality of dimension objects based on the retrieved data values; and

generate an interface to display the data values of a column corresponding to each of the plurality of dimension objects in the determined display order.

22. A medium according to claim 21,

wherein generation of the one or more structured query language queries comprises generation of one or more structured query language queries based on the information space metadata to retrieve aggregated values of a measure object for each of the data values of each of the plurality of dimension objects from the database, and

wherein generation of the interface comprises generation of the interface to display each of the aggregated values in association with a corresponding data value in the determined display order.

23. A medium according to claim 22, the navigation module to:

receive a selection of a data value of a dimension object;

generate, in response to the received selection, one or more structured query language queries based on the information space metadata to retrieve second aggregated values of the measure for each data value of each of the plurality of dimension objects filtered by the selected data value from the database; and

generate an interface to display each of the second aggregated values in association with a corresponding data value.

24. A medium according to claim 23, the navigation module to:

generate an interface to display, prior to the received selection, a graphic visualization of the aggregated value of the measure object for each of the data values of the first dimension object; and

generate an interface to display, in response to the received selection, a graphic visualization of the second aggregated values of the measure for each data value of a second dimension object.

25. A medium according to claim 23, the navigation module to:

receive a second selection of a data value of a second dimension object while the data value of the first dimension object is selected;

generate, in response to the received second selection, one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve, from the database, third aggregated values of a measure for each data value of each of the plurality of dimension objects filtered by the selected data value of the first dimension object and the selected data value of the second dimension object; and

generate an interface to display each of the third aggregated values in association with a corresponding data value.

26. A medium according to claim 25, the navigation module to:

generate an interface to display, prior to the received selection, a graphic visualization of the aggregated measure value corresponding to each data value of the first dimension object;

generate an interface to display, in response to the received selection, a graphic visualization of the second aggregated measure value corresponding to each data value of the second dimension object of the plurality of dimension objects; and

in response to the received second selection, generate an interface to display a graphic visualization of the third aggregated measure value corresponding to each data value of a third dimension object of the plurality of dimension objects.

27. A medium according to claim 21, the navigation module to:

receive a selection of a second measure object;

generate one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve aggregated values of the second measure object for each of the data values of each of the plurality of dimension objects from the database; and

generate an interface to display each of the aggregated values of the second measure object in association with a corresponding data values in the determined display order.

28. A medium according to claim 27, the program code further executable by a computer to:

receive a selection of a data value of the first dimension object;

generate, in response to the received selection, one or more structured query language queries based on the metadata to retrieve second aggregated values of the second measure object for each data value of each of the plurality of dimension objects filtered by the selected data value; and

generate an interface to display each of the second aggregated values of the second measure object in association with a corresponding data value.