Methods for hypertext reporting in a relational database management system
DCFirst Claim
1. In a computer system, a method for generating a hypertext report, the method comprising:
- receiving input specifying a first report, said first report being based on information taken from a first subset of a set of relational database tables, said set of relational database tables including records that provide access to stored information;
said first report being a design document separate from said set of relational database tables and specifying display of a plurality of information items associated with records in said first subset of tables, said information items being differentiated by being associated with records having different values of a particular field in said first subset of tables;
receiving input specifying a second report, said second report being based on information taken from a second subset of said set of relational database tables, said second report being a design document separate from said set of relational database tables and specifying display of information associated with records in said second subset of tables;
combing the information items from said first report and the information from said second report into the hypertext report; and
if information in said first report is relatable to information in said second report by virtue of at least one of said second subset of tables having the particular field, generating at least one hypertext link and placing said at least one hypertext link in the hypertext report for cross-referencing relatable information in the two reports, the hypertext report, when displayed to a user, allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said at least one hypertext link.
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Abstract
A system of the present invention includes a relational database management system (RDBMS) having a hypertext report writing module. Methods are described for automatically recognizing relations between reports which are generated from the same or related database tables. The system automatically embeds (or assists the user in embedding) appropriate hypertext links so that information from one report may be cross-referenced immediately with information in another, related report. Drill-down hypertext reports of increasing level of detail are illustrated. In addition to drill-down reports, the system may create comprehensive hypertext reports for automatically tying together information which is related through underlying table relations but which ordinarily appears in different reports. By automatically placing hypertext links or cross-indexes between reports, the system ties together relatable information into a single, cross-indexed hypertext report.
497 Citations
40 Claims
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1. In a computer system, a method for generating a hypertext report, the method comprising:
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receiving input specifying a first report, said first report being based on information taken from a first subset of a set of relational database tables, said set of relational database tables including records that provide access to stored information;
said first report being a design document separate from said set of relational database tables and specifying display of a plurality of information items associated with records in said first subset of tables, said information items being differentiated by being associated with records having different values of a particular field in said first subset of tables;receiving input specifying a second report, said second report being based on information taken from a second subset of said set of relational database tables, said second report being a design document separate from said set of relational database tables and specifying display of information associated with records in said second subset of tables; combing the information items from said first report and the information from said second report into the hypertext report; and if information in said first report is relatable to information in said second report by virtue of at least one of said second subset of tables having the particular field, generating at least one hypertext link and placing said at least one hypertext link in the hypertext report for cross-referencing relatable information in the two reports, the hypertext report, when displayed to a user, allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said at least one hypertext link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for creating hypertext reports in a relational database management system, the method comprising:
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receiving input specifying a first report of database information, said first report being based on information from a first subset of a set of relational database tables, said set of database tables including records being provide access to stored information, said first report being separate from said set of relational database tables and specifying display of information associated with records in said first subset of tables; receiving input specifying a second report of database information, said second report being separate from said set of relational database tables and being based on information taken from a second subset of said set of relational database tables, said second report specifying display of information associated with records in said second subset of tables; combining the information from said first report and the information from said second report into the hypertext report; determining whether information of the first report can be linked to information of the second report by virtue of at least one common field between said first and second subsets of table; and if information of the first report can be linked to information of the second report, generating a hypertext link and placing said hypertext link in the hypertext report for cross-referencing information in the second report to information in the first report, the hypertext report, when displayed to a user, allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said hypertext link. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A hypertext report system comprising:
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input means for specifying a first report of relational database information from a set of relational database tables and a second report of relational database information from the set of relational database tables, said set of relational database tables including records that provide access to stored information, each of said reports representing the relational database information but being separate from the relational database tables; means for combining said first and second reports into the hypertext report; comparison means for determining whether information of the first report can be linked to information of the second report by virtue of at least one common field between tables in said first and second reports; and means for generating a hypertext link and placing said hypertext link in the hypertext report for cross-referencing information in the second report to information in the first report if information of the-first report can be linked to information of the second report, the hypertext report, when displayed to a user, allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the report by invoking said hypertext link. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of presenting information from a plurality of reports based on, but separate from, a set of tables in a relational database system wherein
each table includes a number of records, each record having a number of fields for storing information, said plurality of reports includes first and second reports containing information derived from respective first and second subsets of said set of tables, and each respective subset of tables has a structure defined by fields in common between pairs of tables in the respective subset, the method comprising: -
determining a particular field in said first subset of tables that corresponds to a field in said second subset of tables; combining said plurality of reports into a hypertext report that is separate form said set of tables; generating hypertext links and placing said hypertext links in portions of said hypertext report that correspond to said first report, which hypertext links specify said second report and respective values for the particular field; displaying a portion of said hypertext report corresponding to at least a portion of said first report with information based on records in said first subset of tables, the displayed information being correlated with the particular field, at least a portion of the displayed information for each record denoting a respective one of said hypertext links; and in response to user input specifying a given hypertext link in said hypertext report corresponding to a given value of the particular field, displaying a portion of said hypertext report corresponding to at least a portion of said second report with information based on records in said second subset of tables, the displayed information for said second report being correlated with records having the given value of the particular field, the hypertext report thus allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said hypertext links. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of presenting information based on a set of tables, in a relational database system wherein
each table includes a number of records, each record having a number of fields, the method comprising: -
providing a first report containing information based on records in a first subset of tables, including information that is correlated with a particular field in said first subset of tables; providing a second report containing information based on records in a second subset of tables, including information that is correlated with said particular field; combining said first and second reports into a hypertext report document that is separate from aid set of tables; establishing respective hypertext links and placing said hypertext links in said hypertext reports for portions of information in said first report that correlate with respective given values of the particular field, said hypertext link for a given portion of information in said first report specifying a portion of information of said second report that is characterized by records in said second subset of tables having the value of said particular field in said given such record, the hypertext report, when displayed, allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said hypertext links. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of presenting information from a plurality of reports based on, but separate from, a set of tables in a relational database system wherein
each table includes a number of records, each record having a number of fields, and said plurality of reports includes first and second reports containing information derived from respective first and second subsets of said set of tables, the method comprising: -
determining a particular field in said first subset of tables, which particular field has key values that are at least partly matched by values in said second subset of tables; combining said plurality of reports into a hypertext report that is separate from said set of tables; generating hypertext links and placing said hypertext links in portions of said hypertext report that correspond to said first report, which hypertext links specify said second report and respective values for the particular field; displaying a portion of said hypertext report corresponding to at least a portion of said first report with information based on records in said first subset of tables, the displayed information including portions correlated with different values for the particular field; displaying in said first report an indication denoting said hypertext links; and in response to user input specifying a given hypertext link in said hypertext report corresponding to a given value of the particular field, displaying a portion of said hypertext report corresponding to said second report with information based on records in said second subset of tables, the displayed information for said second report being correlated with records having the given value of the particular field, the hypertext report thus allowing the user to navigate between related information at different locations in the hypertext report by invoking said hypertext links. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40)
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Specification