METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR QUERY TRANSFORMATION FOR MANAGING INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE DATASETS

• US 20140214809A1
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First American Financial Corporation
• Original Assignee: First American Financial Corporation
• Inventors: FREIRE, ADRIANO
• Granted Patent: US 9,881,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing

Abstract

A method and system for users to connect, extract, query and transform data from multiple databases, independent of their format, type, and location. The system comprises a setup portion, a meta database, and a user portion. The setup portion establishes datasets for use by the system with the user portion. The meta database stores the datasets. The user portion allows a user to input a query and processes the query to gather information from at least one data source and generate a response.

Claims

1. A method for managing data comprising:

receiving a user request for information from one or more disparate data sources;

for each of the data sources, generating (i) a query based on a query language of the disparate data source and (ii) an API request to convey the query to the data source, wherein generating the query is based on the user request;

submitting each of the generated queries to its corresponding disparate data source using the corresponding API request;

receiving, in response to the generated queries, a raw data source response from each of the disparate data sources; and

mapping a data source information field in each raw data source response to a formatted information field in the formatted data source response to transform each of the raw data source responses into a formatted data source response; and

combining the formatted responses into a response to the user request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation of generating the query and the API request for each of the disparate data sources comprises using a metadata dataset to correlate information requested in the user request with the disparate data source'"'"'s information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the metadata dataset maps the data source information field in each raw data source response to a formatted information field in the formatted data source response.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more disparate data sources comprises at least two different types of data sources from the group comprising databases, data files, web services, web pages, computer services, data streams, scanned documents, geographic data, GIS data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a graphical representation of the metadata dataset comprises a dataset tree.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming each of the raw data source responses comprises transforming each of the raw data source responses into hierarchical or tabular data.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of generating the query and the API request comprises generating a web service request.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of receiving the user request comprises receiving a SQL request based on the metadata dataset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user request is a request to gather data from the disparate data sources.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein combining the formatted responses into the response to the user request for information comprises using the metadata dataset to join information in each of the formatted responses into the response to the user request for information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second user request to write information to the disparate data sources;

for each of the data sources, generating (i) a second query based on the query language of the disparate data source and (ii) an API request that conveys the second query to the data source;

submitting each of the generated second queries to the corresponding disparate data sources through the API request; and

writing information to each of the disparate data sources based on the submitted second queries.

12. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium having computer program stored therein for enabling a computer system to perform the functions of:

receiving a user request for information from one or more disparate data sources;

for each of the data sources, generating (i) a query based on a query language of the disparate data source and (ii) an API request to convey the query to the data source, wherein generating the query is based on the user request;

submitting each of the generated queries to its corresponding disparate data source using the corresponding API request;

receiving, in response to the generated queries, a raw data source response from each of the disparate data sources; and

mapping a data source information field in each raw data source response to a formatted information field in the formatted data source response to transform each of the raw data source responses into a formatted data source response; and

combining the formatted responses into a response to the user request.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the function of generating the query and the API request for each of the disparate data sources comprises using a metadata dataset to correlate information requested in the user request with the disparate data source'"'"'s information.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the metadata dataset maps the data source information field in each raw data source response to a formatted information field in the formatted data source response.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the one or more disparate data sources comprises at least two different types of data sources from the group comprising databases, data files, web services, web pages, computer services, data streams, scanned documents, geographic data, GIS data.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein a graphical representation of the metadata dataset comprises a dataset tree.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein transforming each of the raw data source responses comprises transforming each of the raw data source responses into hierarchical or tabular data.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the function of generating the query and the API request comprises generating a web service request.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the function of receiving the user request comprises receiving a SQL request based on the metadata dataset.

20. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the user request is a request to gather data from the disparate data sources.

21. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein combining the formatted responses into the response to the user request for information comprises using the metadata dataset to join information in each of the formatted responses into the response to the user request for information.

22. The computer program product of claim 12, the computer program further configured to enable the computer system to perform the functions of:

receiving a second user request to write information to the disparate data sources;

for each of the data sources, generating (i) a second query based on the query language of the disparate data source and (ii) a second API request that conveys the second query to the data source;

submitting each of the generated second queries to the corresponding disparate data sources through the second API request; and

writing information to each of the disparate data sources based on the submitted second queries.