Method, system, and program for merging query search results

• US 6,850,932 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2003
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: de Judicibus, Dario
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US10/449,134
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/5, 707/6, 707/10, 707/4, 707/104
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A system for interacting with a database report is disclosed. The database is responsive to a query to produce an associated report comprising one or more objects, each object comprising a plurality of attributes. The system comprises means for storing one or more reports from respective database queries; and means for rendering at least one object from the stored reports. A user interface enables a user to navigate through objects composing the stored reports to select an object; select one or more attributes of the selected object and determine a value of a selected attribute to be used as a condition in a subsequent database query. A query generator receives the selected attribute values and generates the subsequent database query.

Claims

1. A system cooperable with a database which is responsive to a query to produce an associated report comprising one or more objects, each object comprising a plurality of attributes, said system comprising:

means for storing one or more reports from respective database queries;

means, responsive to user interaction, for navigating through objects composing said stored reports to select an object;

means, responsive to user interaction, for selecting one or more attributes of said selected object;

means, responsive to user interaction, for determining a value of a selected attribute to be used as a condition in a subsequent database query; and

means, responsive to said selected attribute values, for generating said subsequent database query.

2. The system of claim 1, means for rendering at least one object from said stored reports.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said determining means is responsive to a third user interaction to determine an adjusted value of said selected object'"'"'s selected attribute'"'"'s stored value as said condition.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said renderer means is adapted to display only a selected object.

5. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said renderer means is adapted to initially display all objects from a stored report associated with a first query.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said renderer means is adapted to display a selected object from a subsequent report in place of the object from the stored report associated with the first query from which the conditions of the subsequent associated query were determined.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said renderer means is adapted to display all objects from subsequent reports in place of the objects from stored reports associated with the previous queries from which the conditions of the subsequent associated queries were determined.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said determining means is responsive to a first user interaction to determine said selected object'"'"'s selected attribute'"'"'s stored value as said condition.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said determining means is responsive to a second user interaction to determine said selected object'"'"'s attribute'"'"'s value in the query associated with object as said condition.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said renderer is adapted to display said objects in a table.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said storing means is adapted to combine the objects from subsequent reports into a list of objects to be navigated by said user.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said navigation means is adapted to navigate to the first, previous, next or last object in said list.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1 comprising means for receiving user input corresponding to at least a portion of a first query.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said receiving means comprises one of a natural language interface, a text entry field or a query-by-example analyzer.

15. A computer program product comprising computer program code stored on a computer readable storage medium for, when executed on a computing device, interacting with a database report, the program code comprising the system of claim 1.

16. A method operable with a database which is responsive to a query to produce an associated report comprising one or more objects, each object comprising a plurality of attributes, the method comprising the steps of:

storing one or more reports from respective database queries;

responsive to user interaction, navigating through objects composing said stored reports to select an object;

responsive to user interaction, selecting one or more attributes of said selected object;

responsive to user interaction, determining a value of a selected attribute to be used as a condition in a subsequent database query; and

responsive to said selected attribute values, generating said subsequent database query.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising rendering at least one object from said stored reports.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said rendering is adapted to display only a selected object.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said rendering is adapted to initially display all objects from a stored report associated with a first query.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said rendering is adapted to display a selected object from a subsequent report in place of the object from the stored report associated with the first query from which the conditions of the subsequent associated query were determined.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said rendering is adapted to display all objects from subsequent reports in place of the objects from stored reports associated with the previous queries from which the conditions of the subsequent associated queries were determined.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein determining said value of said selected attribute used as a condition in a subsequent query is responsive to a subsequent user interaction to perform a subsequent determination of said selected object'"'"'s selected attribute'"'"'s stored value as said condition.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein storing one or more ports further comprises combining the objects from subsequent reports into a list of objects to be navigated by said user.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein navigating through objects composing said reports further comprises navigating to the first, previous, next or last object in said list.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving user input corresponding to at least a portion of a first query.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving user input comprises receiving one of a natural language interface, a text entry field or a query-by-example analyzer.

27. A program operable with a database which is responsive to a query to produce an associated report comprising one or more objects, each object comprising a plurality of attributes, wherein the program is embedded in a computer readable medium and capable of causing a processor to perform:

storing one or more reports from respective database queries;

responsive to user interaction, navigating through objects composing said stored reports to select an object;

responsive to user interaction, selecting one or more attributes of said selected object;

responsive to user interaction, determining a value of a selected attribute to be used as a condition in a subsequent database query; and

responsive to said selected attribute values, generating said subsequent database query.

28. The program of claim 27, wherein the program is further capable of causing the processor to perform rendering at least one object from said stored reports.

29. The program of claim 28, wherein said rendering is adapted to display only a selected object.

30. The program of claim 28, wherein said rendering is adapted to initially display all objects from a stored report associated with a first query.

31. The program of claim 30, wherein said rendering is adapted to display a selected object from a subsequent report in place of the object from the stored report associated with the first query from which the conditions of the subsequent associated query were determined.

32. The program of claim 30, wherein said rendering is adapted to display all objects from subsequent reports in place of the objects from stored reports associated with the previous queries from which the conditions of the subsequent associated queries were determined.

33. The program of claim 27, wherein determining said value of said selected attribute used as a condition in a subsequent query is responsive to a subsequent user interaction to perform a subsequent determination of said selected object'"'"'s selected attribute'"'"'s stored value as said condition.

34. The program of claim 27, wherein storing one or more ports further comprises combining the objects from subsequent reports into a list of objects to be navigated by said user.

35. The program of claim 27, wherein navigating through objects composing said reports further comprises navigating to the first, previous, next or last object in said list.

36. The program of claim 27, further comprising receiving user input corresponding to at least a portion of a first query.

37. The program of claim 36, wherein receiving user input comprises receiving one of a natural language interface, a text entry field or a query-by-example analyzer.