SEARCH AROUND VISUAL QUERIES

• US 20140074888A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Potter, Jordan, Ackner, Nir, Cohen, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,798,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/779
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7335 Graphical querying, e.g. query-by-region, query-by-sketch, query-by-trajectory, GUIs for designating a person/face/object as a query predicate end-user interface involving hot spots associated with the video H04N21/4725; end-user interface for selecting a Region of Interest H04N21/4728
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a data analysis system for analyzing data object collections is provided. The data analysis system includes one or more graphical user interfaces comprising various interface elements that enable users to create visual queries. A visual query is constructed as a graph representing a pattern of interest in a collection of data objects. A visual query may include one or more graph elements and property information associated with the specified graph elements. After a user has constructed a visual query, the system may transform the visual query into a query template. A query engine may then execute the query template to search a data object collection for data object results corresponding to the specified pattern. The search for instances of a specified pattern in a collection of data objects is referred herein to as a “search around.”

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving input via a graphical user interface indicating a selection of a graph, wherein the graph includes at least one or more graph nodes and one or more graph edges,

wherein each graph node of the one or more graph nodes represents a data object type, and wherein each graph edge of the one or more graph edges represents a data object link;

based at least on the one or more graph nodes and one or more graph edges, transforming the graph into a query template;

wherein the query template represents one or more database queries which, when executed, returns a result set from a database, wherein each result in said result set includes one or more data objects corresponding to the graph;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add to the graph one or more of:

a first graph node, and a first graph edge;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more added first graph nodes and first graph edges.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add an association between one or more of the one or more graph nodes and a particular data object type;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add an association between one or more of the one or more graph edges and one or more of:

a link type, an object intermediary, a property match, and a link strength value;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph edges.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add an association between one or more of the one or more graph nodes and one or more data object properties;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more data object properties.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add a branching condition associated with one or more of the one or more data objects, wherein the branching condition represents one of:

a logical AND condition, and a logical OR condition;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the branching condition.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface indicating that one or more of the one or more graph edges is one of:

a required graph edge, and an optional graph edge;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph edges.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transforming includes traversing the graph and identifying, for each graph element of the graph, one or more of:

a particular data object type, a particular data object link type, one or more particular property values.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graph includes one or more blank graph elements, wherein each of the one or more blank graph elements is associated with a value to be supplied by a user when the query template is executed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the query template is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file and includes one or more XML elements corresponding to one or more graph elements of the graph.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving input via a graphical user interface indicating a selection of a graph, wherein the graph includes at least one or more graph nodes and one or more graph edges,

wherein each graph node of the one or more graph nodes represents a data object type, and wherein each graph edge of the one or more graph edges represents a data object link;

based at least on the one or more graph nodes and one or more graph edges, transforming the graph into a query template;

wherein the query template represents one or more database queries which, when executed, returns a result set from a database, wherein each result in said result set includes one or more data objects corresponding to the graph.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add to the graph one or more of:

a first graph node, and a first graph edge;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more added first graph nodes and first graph edges.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add association between one or more of the one or more graph nodes and a particular data object type;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph nodes.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add an association between one or more of the one or more graph edges and one or more of:

a link type, an object intermediary, a property match, and a link strength value;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph edges.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface indicating an association between one or more of the one or more graph nodes and one or more data object properties;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more data object properties.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface to add a branching condition associated with one or more of the one or more data objects, wherein the branching condition represents one of:

a logical AND condition, and a logical OR condition;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the branching condition.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising receiving input via the graphical user interface indicating that one or more of the one or more graph edges is one of:

a required graph edge, and an optional graph edge;

re-transforming the graph based at least on the one or more of the one or more graph edges.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the transforming includes traversing the graph and identifying, for each graph element of the graph, one or more of:

a particular data object type, a particular data object link type, one or more particular property values.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the graph includes one or more blank graph elements, wherein each of the one or more blank graph elements is associated with a value to be supplied by a user when the query template is executed.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the query template is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file and includes one or more XML elements corresponding to one or more graph elements of the graph.