FILTERING STRUCTURED DATA USING INEXACT, CULTURE-DEPENDENT TERMS

• US 20140059038A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McPherson, Jonathan, Jade, David Michael, Filcik, Joseph Milan, Smith, Cameron Elliot, Arredondo, Juventino Rojas
• Granted Patent: US 10,311,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for filtering data in a result set using inexact and/or culture dependent terms. A user provides one or more filter terms for filtering a result set being viewed. One or more data type interpretations are determined for each filter term based on the value of the term. The data type interpretations may further be based on a locale associated with the user. For each filter term, the columns of the result set to which the filter term is to be applied is selected based on the data type interpretations determined for the filter term and the data types of the columns. The filter terms are then applied to the selected columns of the result set, thus causing the rows of the result set as displayed to the user to be limited to rows wherein at least one column value satisfies a filter term.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for filtering data in a result set comprising:

receiving, at a computer system, a filter term specified by a user of the computer system for filtering the result set being viewed on a display, the result set comprising a plurality of rows of data;

determining, by the computer system, a locale associated with the user;

determining, by the computer system, one or more data type interpretations for the filter term based on the locale associated with the user;

selecting, by the computer system, one or more columns from the result set to which the filter term is to be applied based on the determined one or more data type interpretations and metadata describing the one or more columns; and

applying, by the computer system, the filter term to the selected one or more columns to limit the plurality of rows of data of the result set displayed to the user to rows wherein at least one of the one or more columns satisfy the filter term.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the filter term expresses a numeric value, and wherein the filter term is applied to both columns of the result set of numeric data types and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the filter term expresses a date value in a format specific to the locale, and wherein the filter term is applied to columns of the result set of date data types, columns of the result set of datetime data types, and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

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

determining, by the computer system, a range of values based on one of the one or more data type interpretations determined for the filter term; and

including rows wherein a value of a column having an associated data type is within the range of values in the result set displayed to the user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein applying the filter terms to the selected one or more columns comprises generating a query based on the one or more data type interpretations, the selected one or more columns, and the filter term and executing the query to rebuild the result set.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the filter term is specified by the user through a user interface in which the result set is displayed.

7. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed in a computer system, cause the computer system to:

receive a filter term from a user for filtering a result set being viewed on a display, the result set comprising a plurality of rows of data;

determine one or more data type interpretations for the filter term;

select one or more columns from the result set to which the filter term is to be applied based on the determined one or more data type interpretations and metadata describing the one or more columns;

apply the filter term to the selected one or more columns to limit the plurality of rows of data of the result set to rows wherein at least one of the one or more columns satisfy the filter term; and

display the limited plurality of rows of data to the user on a display device.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, encoded with further computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to:

expand the filter term based on one of the one or more data type interpretations and a data type of a selected column; and

include rows wherein a value of the selected column satisfies the expanded filter term in the result set displayed to the user.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, encoded with further computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to:

determine a locale associated with the user; and

determine the one or more data type interpretations for the filter term based on the locale associated with the user.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the filter term expresses a numeric value in a format specific to the locale, and wherein the filter term is applied to both columns of the result set of numeric data types and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the filter term expresses a date value in a format specific to the locale, and wherein the filter term is applied to columns of the result set of date data types, columns of the result set of datetime data types, and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, encoded with further computer-executable instructions that cause the computer to:

determine a range of values based on one of the one or more data type interpretations determined for the filter term; and

include rows wherein a value of a column having an associated data type is within the range of values in the result set displayed to the user.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein applying the filter terms to the selected one or more columns comprises generating a query based on the one or more data type interpretations, the selected one or more columns, and the filter term and executing the query to rebuild the result set.

14. A system for filtering data in a result set, the system comprising:

one or more processing units;

a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processing units; and

a data access application residing in the memory and configured to cause the one or more processing units to

receive a filter term for filtering the result set displayed to a user,

determine one or more data type interpretations for the filter term based on a locale associated with the user,

select one or more columns from the result set to which the filter term is to be applied based on the determined one or more data type interpretations and data types of the one or more columns, and

apply the filter term to the selected one or more columns to limit a set of rows in the result set that are displayed to the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the filter term is received from the user through a user interface in which the result set is displayed.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the filter term is received through an application programming interface implemented by the data access application.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the data access application is further configured to:

expand the filter term based on one of the one or more data type interpretations and the data type of a selected column; and

limit the set of rows in the result set displayed to the user to rows wherein a value of the selected column satisfies the expanded filter term.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the filter term expresses a numeric value in a format specific to the locale, and wherein the filter term is applied to both columns of the result set of numeric data types and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the filter term expresses a date value in a format specific to the locale, and wherein the filter term is applied to columns of the result set of date data types, columns of the result set of datetime data types, and columns of the result set of character-based data types.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein applying the filter terms to the selected one or more columns comprises generating a query based on the one or more data type interpretations, the selected one or more columns, and the filter term and executing the query to rebuild the result set.