Dynamic Data Association

• US 20120117462A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jacobson, Eric, Thomas, Les, Nelson, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,626,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems implementing dynamic data association are described. Relations between a first data item and a second data item can be created in an ad hoc manner. The first data item can include a row of data in a table in a relational database. The second data item can include a row of data in the same table, in another table in the relational database, or a document outside the relational database. Configurable metadata can be created to link the first data item and the second data item. The link can be directional. The configurable metadata can include data specified by a user. The configurable metadata can be stored in one or more system tables in the relational database. The configurable metadata can be specific to the user, or to a work group of the user. The configurable metadata can change when the first data item or the second data item is modified.

Claims

1. A method executed by one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

providing for display in a user interface a view of a first data collection of a database, the first data collection being formatted using a layout of the first data collection;

receiving an input from the user interface to associate a first data item in the first data collection with one or more second data items of a second data collection;

creating configurable metadata, the configurable metadata relating the first data item and the one or more second data items; and

upon receiving a selection of first data item, providing for display at least one of the one or more second data items, the second data item being formatted using the layout.

2. The method of claim 1, where receiving the input includes receiving a direction of access, the direction of access specifying that the layout of the first data collection is to be applied to the one or more second data items.

3. The method of claim 2, where creating the configurable metadata includes:

identifying a first data identifier of the first data item and a second data identifier of each of the one or more second data items; and

associating the first data identifier and the second data identifier with the direction of access.

4. The method of claim 3, where the direction of access includes a unidirectional link.

5. The method of claim 4, where directional link includes a bidirectional link.

6. The method of claim 1, where the one or more second items are in the first data collection.

7. The method of claim 1, where the second data collection is structurally different from the first data collection.

8. The method of claim 7, where the second data collection includes a document repository storing unstructured data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user interface, an update event of the second data item displayed in the user interface; and

in response to the update event, submitting a refresh request to a server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the second data item upon receiving a refresh notification indicating that the second data item has been remotely modified.

11. The method of claim 1, where the configurable metadata includes a configurable notification threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from a server, a refresh notification, the refresh notification indicating at least one of the one or more second data items has been modified remotely;

determining that a count of second data items indicated as modified in the refresh notification exceeds the notification threshold;

determining that the at least one of the one or more second data items is being displayed; and

requesting, from the server, an update of the least one of the one or more second data items being displayed, upon determining that the at least one of the one or more second data items is being displayed.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising sharing the configurable metadata within a work group, the work group including one or more users.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising removing the at least one of the one or more second data items from display upon receiving a refresh notification indicating that the configurable metadata have been removed by a user in the work group.

15. A computer program product stored on a storage device, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

providing for display in a user interface a view of a first data collection of a database, the first data collection formatted using a layout of the first data collection;

receiving an input from the user interface to associate a first data item in the first data collection with one or more second data items in a second data collection;

creating configurable metadata, the configurable metadata relating the first data item and the one or more second data items; and

upon receiving a selection of first data item, displaying at least one of the one or more second data items, the displayed second data item being formatted using the layout.

16. The product of claim 15, where receiving the input includes receiving a direction of access, the direction of access specifying that the layout of the first data collection is to be applied to the one or more second data items.

17. The product of claim 16 where creating the configurable metadata includes:

identifying a first data identifier of the first data item and a second data identifier of each of the one or more second data items; and

associating the first data identifier and the second data identifier with the direction of access.

18. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to perform operations comprising;

providing for display in a user interface a view of a first data collection of a database, the first data collection formatted using a layout of the first data collection;

receiving an input from the user interface to associate a first data item in the first data collection with one or more second data items;

creating configurable metadata, the configurable metadata relating the first data item and the one or more second data items; and

upon receiving a selection of first data item, displaying at least one of the one or more second data items, the displayed second data item being formatted using the layout.

19. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising updating the displayed second data item upon receiving a refresh notification indicating that the second data item has been remotely modified.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising sharing the configurable metadata within a work group including one or more users.