COMPLEX QUERY HANDLING

• US 20160132509A1
• Filed: 12/29/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Griffith, Timothy P., Shore, Ian M., Smith, Samuel J., Smithson, Martin J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,892,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3322 using system suggestions G06F16/3325 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results

Abstract

Processing a query for a database includes: receiving a portion of a query from a client device in a server implemented by at least one processor, the portion of the query comprising an incomplete component; determining that the incomplete component is one of multiple predefined types with the server; providing the incomplete component to an auto-complete function specific to the determined type of the incomplete component; receiving in the server a suggestion for completing the query from the auto-complete function, the suggestion being specific to the type of the incomplete component; and providing the suggestion from the server to the client device.

Claims

1. A method of processing a query for a database comprising:

receiving a portion of a query from a client device in a server implemented by at least one processor, the portion of the query comprising an incomplete component;

determining, from the incomplete component, that the incomplete component is one of a plurality of predefined types with the server, the predefined types comprising a data model component, a query language feature, or a data value;

providing the incomplete component to an auto-complete function specific to the determined type of the incomplete component;

receiving in the server a suggestion for completing the query from the auto-complete function, the suggestion being specific to the type of the incomplete component; and

providing the suggestion from the server to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, said plurality of predefined types comprising:

a model type, a structural type, and a data type.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to determining that the incomplete component is of the model type:

searching a model representation stored by the server for model elements related to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function;

the suggestion comprising at least one of the related model elements.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining if a number of the related model elements exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

if the number of the related model elements exceeds the predetermined threshold, providing a hierarchy of a portion of the related model elements to the client device as part of the suggestion.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to determining that the incomplete component is of the structural type:

identifying a plurality of permissible symbols applicable to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function, the suggestion comprising at least one of the permissible symbols.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to determining that the incomplete portion is of the data type:

searching the database for data candidates applicable to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function; and

providing at least one of the applicable data candidates to the client device as part of the suggestion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to determining that the incomplete component is one of the plurality of predefined types, determining that a time delay associated with an entry of the query at the client device has exceeded a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current validity of the query with the server, in which a valid query is syntactically valid to run; and

providing an indication of the current validity of the query to the client device with the suggestion.

9. A server for processing a query for a database, the server comprising:

a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, the memory storing executable code which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

receive a portion of a query from a client device in a server implemented by at least one processor, the portion of the query comprising an incomplete component;

determine from the incomplete component that the incomplete component is one of a plurality of predefined types with the server, the predefined types comprising a data model component, a query language feature, or a data value;

invoke an auto-complete function specific to the determined type of the incomplete component to obtain a suggestion for completing the query, the suggestion being specific to the type of the incomplete component; and

initiate transmission of the suggestion from the server to the client device.

10. The server of claim 9, said plurality of predefined types comprising:

a model type, a structural type, and a data type.

11. The server of claim 10, in which if the incomplete component is determined to be of the model type;

the executable code further causes the processor to;

search a model representation for model elements related to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function;

the suggestion comprising at least one of the related model elements.

12. The server of claim 11, in which the executable code further causes the server to:

determine if a number of the related model elements exceeds a predetermined threshold;

if the number of the related model elements exceeds the predetermined threshold, provide a hierarchy of a portion of the related model elements to the client device as part of the suggestion;

receiving selection of an auto-completion candidate from the hierarchy; and

in response to the selection, providing further auto-completion candidates from the hierarchy.

13. The server of claim 10, in which if the incomplete component is determined to be of the structural type;

the executable code further causes the processor to;

identify a plurality of permissible symbols applicable to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function, the suggestion comprising at least one of the permissible symbols.

14. The server of claim 10 in which if the incomplete component is determined to be of the data type;

the executable code further causes the processor to;

search the database for data candidates applicable to the incomplete component with the auto-complete function; and

provide at least one of the applicable data candidates to the client device as part of the suggestion.

15. The server of claim 9, the executable code further causing the processor to, prior to determining that the incomplete component is one of the plurality of predefined types, determine that a time delay associated with an entry of the query at the client device has exceeded a predetermined threshold.

16. The server of claim 9, the executable code further causing the processor to:

determine a current validity of the query with the server, in which a valid query is syntactically valid; and

provide an indication of the current validity of the query to the client device with the suggestion.

17. A method of processing a query for a database, comprising:

receiving in a computing device implemented by at least one processor an incomplete component of a query;

classifying, based on the incomplete component, the incomplete component as one of;

a model type, a structural type, and a data type, wherein the model type comprises a data model component, the structural type comprises a query language feature, and the data type comprises a data value; and

generating with the computing device a suggestion for completing the incomplete component based on the type of the incomplete component, the suggestion being specific to the type of the incomplete component.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the incomplete component is classified as the model type, generating the suggestion comprises:

searching a stored model representation for elements of said model representation that are related to the incomplete component; and

creating the suggestion from at least one of the related elements of the model representation as the suggestion.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein if the incomplete component is classified as the structural type, generating the suggestion comprises:

identifying a plurality of permissible symbols applicable to the incomplete component, and

creating the suggestion from at least one of the permissible symbols.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein if the incomplete component is classified as the data type, generating the suggestion comprises:

searching the database for data candidates applicable to the incomplete component; and

creating the suggestion from at least one of the applicable data candidates.

21. A computer program product for processing a query of a database, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to receive a portion of a query from a client device in a server implemented by at least one processor, the portion of the query comprising an incomplete component;

computer-readable program code configured to determine from the incomplete component that the incomplete component is one of a plurality of predefined types with the server;

computer-readable program code configured to invoke an auto-complete function specific to the determined type of the incomplete component to obtain a suggestion for completing the query, the suggestion being specific to the type of the incomplete component;

computer-readable program code configured to initiate transmission of root elements of a hierarchy of possible query constructions from the server to the client device; and

computer-readable program code configured to, in response to a request to expand, initiate expansion of a node in the hierarchy.

22. A computer program product for processing a query for a database, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising;

computer-readable program code configured to receive an incomplete component of a query;

computer-readable program code configured to determine a context of the query based on the incomplete component, the context being one of;

a model component, a structural component, and a data component; and

computer-readable program code configured to, if the context is a model component, query a model expert for application elements that match the query, wherein the model expert keeps a record of class types, attributes, and their data-types and associations;

computer-readable program code configured to, if the context is a structural component, query a lexer to determine a list of permissible symbols; and

computer-readable program code configured to, if the context is a data component, query a data persistence mechanism for an auto-suggest operation within the context of the query.