Parameterized graphs with conditional components

• US 7,164,422 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ab Initio Technology LLC (Ab Initio Software Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ab Initio Software Corporation
• Inventors: Larson, Brond, Wakeling, Tim, Allin, Glenn John, Wholey, Joseph Skeffington III, Stanfill, Craig W., Serrano, Martin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMINI, JAVID A
• Application Number:
  US09/627,252
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: 345/703, 345/704, 345/700, 345/761, 345/762, 345/811, 345/701, 345/702, 345/619, 345/440.1, 717/153, 717/156, 717/158
• US Class Current: 345/440.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4494 data driven

Abstract

A method, system, and program for providing runtime graph parameters and conditional components for data flow graphs. Runtime parameters allow an application builder to defer the value of a parameter setting to runtime. The values of runtime parameters may be supplied by the end user or be derived from a combination of other runtime parameters or objects stored in an object repository. A developer may specify a prompt for each parameter and the conditions for displaying the prompt, which are used to determine a graphical user interface control for receiving the parameter value. A conditional components mechanism permits changes to a graph structure based on parameter values and computed metadata. Each component of a graph has a condition which controls whether or not that component will appear in the graph at runtime. The condition can be computed directly or indirectly through runtime parameters.

Claims

1. A method for modifying a graph-based representation of an executable data processing application, the graph-based representation including a graph having vertices representing components and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, at least some of the components comprising data processing components having parameters, including:

programmatically retrieving definitions of runtime parameters for the graph at runtime execution of the graph, the runtime parameters being defined as determinable at runtime execution of the graph;

determining whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be provided by user input;

determining whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be externally supplied programmatically;

displaying a prompt to a user for receiving user input for every runtime parameter so determined to be provided by user input;

retrieving any externally supplied value for every runtime parameter determined to be externally supplied programmatically;

determining parameter values for the runtime parameters based on the user input to such prompt or such externally supplied value or a default value;

modifying the graph-based representation of the data processing application using the determined parameter values for the runtime parameters; and

executing the data processing application represented by the modified graph-based representation to process at least one flow of data received by at least one data processing component.

2. The method of claim 1, further including providing an interface which permits designating a parameter of a graph component as a runtime parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the parameter values includes evaluating an expression.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the expression computes metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a prompt for receiving user input is conditional, and displaying the prompt depends upon evaluation of user input to a prior displayed prompt.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow of data is received by at least one data processing component from at least one dataset component.

7. A method for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the method including:

determining at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

evaluating the associated condition for every such conditional component;

modifying the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by removing such conditional component and all connected flows to such conditional component from the graph before execution of the graph, based on an evaluation of the associated condition and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

executing the application represented by the modified graph.

8. The method of claim 7, further including removing each component and flows connected to such components that depend on the presence of the removed conditional component.

10. The method of claim 7 or 9, further including providing an interface which permits designating a condition and a condition-interpretation for a graph component.

9. A method for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the method including:

determining at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

evaluating the associated condition for every such conditional component;

modifying the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by replacing such conditional component with a flow before execution of the graph based on an evaluation of the associated condition and the corresponding condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

executing the application represented by the modified graph.

11. A system for modifying a graph-based representation of an executable data processing application, the graph-based representation including a graph having vertices representing components and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, at least some of the components comprising data processing components having parameters, including:

means for programmatically retrieving definitions of runtime parameters for the graph at runtime execution of the graph, the runtime parameters being defined as determinable at runtime execution of the graph;

means for determining whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be provided by user input;

means for determining whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be externally supplied programmatically;

means for displaying a prompt to a user for receiving user input for every runtime parameter so determined to be provided by user input;

means for retrieving any externally supplied value for every runtime parameter determined to be externally supplied programmatically;

means for determining parameter values for the runtime parameters based on the user input to such prompt or such externally supplied value or a default value;

means for modifying the graph-based representation of the data processing application using the determined parameter values for the runtime parameters; and

means for executing the data processing application represented by the modified graph-based representation to process at least one flow of data received by at least one data processing component.

12. The system of claim 11, further including an interface which permits designating a parameter of a graph component as a runtime parameter.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the parameter values includes means for evaluating an expression.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the expression computes metadata.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein a prompt for receiving user input is conditional, and displaying the prompt depends upon evaluation of user input to a prior displayed prompt.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the flow of data is received by at least one data processing component from at least one dataset component.

17. A system for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the system including:

means for determining at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

means for evaluating the associated condition for every such conditional component;

means for modifying the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by removing such conditional component and all connected flows to such conditional component from the graph before execution of the graph, based on an evaluation of the associated condition and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

means for executing the application represented by the modified graph.

18. The system of claim 17, further including means for removing each component and flows connected to such components that depend on the presence of the removed conditional component.

20. The system of claim 17 or 19, further including an interface which permits designating a condition and a condition-interpretation for a graph component.

19. A system for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the system including:

means for determining at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

means for evaluating the associated condition for every such conditional component;

means for modifying the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by replacing such conditional component with a flow before execution of the graph based on an evaluation of the associated condition and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

means for executing the application represented by the modified graph.

21. A computer program, stored on a computer-readable medium, for modifying a graph-based representation of an executable data processing application, the graph-based representation including a graph having vertices representing components and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, at least some of the components comprising data processing components having parameters, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

programmatically retrieve definitions of runtime parameters for the graph at runtime execution of the graph, the runtime parameters being defined as determinable at runtime execution of the graph;

determine whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be provided by user input;

determine whether a value for each of the runtime parameters is to be externally supplied programmatically;

display a prompt to a user for receiving user input for every runtime parameter so determined to be provided by user input;

retrieve any externally supplied value for every runtime parameter determined to be externally supplied programmatically;

determine parameter values for the runtime parameters based on the user input to such prompt or such externally supplied value or a default value;

modify the graph-based representation of the data processing application using the determined parameter values for the runtime parameters; and

execute the data processing application represented by the modified graph-based representation to process at least one flow of data received by at least one data processing component.

22. The computer program of claim 21, further including instructions for causing the computer to provide an interface which permits designating a parameter of a graph component as a runtime parameter.

23. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the instructions for causing the computer to determine the parameter values include instructions for causing the computer to evaluating an expression.

24. The computer program of claim 23, wherein the expression computes metadata.

25. The computer program of claim 21, wherein a prompt for receiving user input is conditional, and displaying the prompt depends upon evaluation of user input to a prior displayed prompt.

26. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the flow of data is received by at least one data processing component from at least one dataset component.

27. A computer program, stored on a computer-readable medium, for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

determine at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

evaluate the associated condition for every such conditional component;

modify the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the associated corresponding condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by removing such conditional component and all connected flows to such conditional component from the graph before execution of the graph, based on an evaluation of the associated condition and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

execute the application represented by the modified graph.

28. The computer program of claim 27, further including instructions for causing the computer to remove each component and flows connected to such components that depend on the presence of the conditional component.

30. The computer program of claim 27 or 29, further including instructions for causing the computer to provide an interface which permits designating a condition and a condition-interpretation for a graph component.

29. A computer program, stored on a computer-readable medium, for modifying a graph at runtime execution of the graph, the graph representing an executable computer application and having vertices representing components with parameters and links between components indicating flows of data between such components, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

determine at runtime execution of the graph whether any component of the graph is defined as being a conditional component having an associated condition and an associated condition-interpretation;

evaluate the associated condition for every such conditional component;

modify the graph at runtime execution of the graph in accordance with such evaluation and the corresponding associated condition-interpretation of at least one such conditional component by replacing the conditional component with a flow before execution of the graph based on an evaluation of the condition and the corresponding condition-interpretation for such conditional component; and

execute the application represented by the modified graph.