Data cleansing

• US 7,219,104 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2002
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Rausch, Willi Alexander, Lang, Stefan Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US10/133,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1-1041, 705/7, 705/10
• US Class Current: 707/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/215 Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/962 Entity-attribute-value
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Data cleansing of a data management system involves merging two data objects by copying one or more attribute values associated with one a source object to a target data object and reassigning any instances that refer to the source object to the target object. The source object may be deleted. A user interface is developed that allows a user to select from a list of possible source objects and target objects, view attribute values for an object, view dependent relationships as dependency trees, indicate any attribute values that should be copied and any referring objects that should be reassigned to the target instance.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type wherein the source instance has one or more associated attribute values and is associated with one or more source referring instances, with each source referring instance having one or more associated attribute values;

receiving, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type, wherein the target instance i) has one or more associated attribute values, ii) corresponds to the source instance, and iii) is associated with one or more target referring instances, with each target referring instance having one or more associated attribute values;

accessing the source instance from electronic storage;

accessing the target instance from electronic storage;

displaying, on a display device of the computer, at least one attribute value of a source referring instance;

displaying, on the display device, at least one attribute value of a target referring instance, the displayed target referring instance corresponding to the displayed source referring instance;

receiving user input that identifies at least one attribute value associated with the displayed source referring instance that is to be associated with the displayed target referring instance; and

storing, in electronic storage, the identified at least one attribute value in association with the displayed target referring instance that is associated with the target instance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type comprises receiving a source identification key for the source instance;

receiving, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type comprises receiving a target identification key for the target instance;

accessing the source instance from electronic storage comprises using the source identification key to access source data structure information identifying one or more data elements relating to the source instance and one or more attribute values associated with the source instance; and

accessing the target instance from electronic storage comprises using the target identification key to access target data structure information identifying one or more data elements relating to the target instance and one or more attribute values associated with the target instance.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the source data structure information differs from the target data structure information.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising deleting the source instance.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein deleting the source instance comprises physically deleting the source instance by removing the source instance from electronic storage.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein deleting the source instance comprises logically deleting the source instance by indicating the source instance is to be removed at a later time from electronic storage.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising indicating that the source instance is to be archived at a later time.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying an indication as to whether the at least one attribute value of the source referring instance is identical to the at least one attribute value of the target referring instance.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein:

receiving, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type and receiving, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type comprises;

associating a target list with at least one source instance and at least one target instance;

displaying identifying information for each source instance and each target instance associated with the target list; and

receiving an indication that identifies a source instance and a target instance to be displayed.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an indication that identifies at least one attribute value of the source referring instance that is to be removed from the display device, and

removing the identified at least one attribute value of the source referring instance from the display device.

7. The method of c aim 1 further comprising archiving the source instance.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving instances of data elements, with each instance having one or more associated attribute values and an associated identification key;

displaying the identification key associated with each instance;

receiving a user-selected indication that identifies one of the displayed identification keys as the identification key of a source instance;

receiving a user-selected indication that identifies one of the displayed identification keys as the identification key of a target instance;

displaying the source instance and one or more associated attribute values;

displaying the target instance;

displaying a source dependency tree showing one or more source referring instances associated with the source instance;

displaying a target dependency tree showing one or more target referring instances associated with the target instance;

displaying at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed source referring instances of the source instance and at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed target referring instances of the target instance;

receiving user input that identifies at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed source referring instances of the source instance that is to be associated with a displayed target referring instance of the target instance; and

associating the identified attribute values with the displayed target referring instance of the target instance.

13. A system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is executed to:

receive, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type wherein the source instance has one or more associated attribute values and is associated with one or more source referring instances, with each source referring instance having one or more associated attribute values;

receive, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type, wherein the target instance i) has one or more associated attribute values, ii) corresponds to the source instance, and iii) is associated with one or more target referring instances, with each target referring instance having one or more associated attribute values;

access the source instance from electronic storage;

access the target instance from electronic storage;

display, on a display device of the computer, at least one attribute value of a source referring instance;

display, on the display device, at least one attribute value of a target referring instance, the displayed target referring instance corresponding to the displayed source referring instance;

receive user input that identifies at least one attribute value associated with the displayed source referring instance that is to be associated with the displayed target referring instance; and

store, in electronic storage, the identified at least one attribute value in association with the displayed target referring instance that is associated with the target instance.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein

a processor executed to receive, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type comprises a processor executed to receive a source identification key for the source instance;

a processor executed to receive, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type comprises a processor executed to receive a target identification key for the target instance;

a processor executed to access the source instance from electronic storage comprises a processor executed to use the source identification key to access source data structure information identifying one or more data elements relating to the source instance and one or more attribute values associated with the source instance; and

a processor executed to access the target instance from electronic storage comprises a processor executed to use the target identification key to access target data structure information identifying one or more data elements relating to the target instance and one or more attribute values associated with the target instance.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the source data structure information differs from the target data structure information.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further executed to delete the source instance.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein deleting the source instance comprises physically deleting the source instance by removing the source instance from electronic storage.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein deleting the source instance comprises logically deleting the source instance by indicating the source instance is to be removed at a later time from electronic storage.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further executed to archive the source instance.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further executed to indicate that the source instance is to be archived at a later time.

21. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further executed to display an indication as to whether the at least one attribute value of the source referring instance is identical to the at least one attribute value the target referring instance.

22. The system of claim 13 wherein a processor executed to receive, at one or more processors of a computer, an indication of a source instance of an object type and receive, at the one or more processors of the computer, an indication of a target instance of the object type comprises a processor executed to:

associate a target list with at least one source instance and at least one target instance;

display identifying information for each source instance and each target instance associated with the target list; and

receive an indication that identifies a source instance and a target instance to be displayed.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is further executed to:

receive an indication that identifies at least one attribute value of the source referring instance that is to be removed from the display device; and

remove the identified at least one attribute value of the source referring instance from the display device.

24. A system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is executed to:

receive instances of data elements, with each instance having one or more associated attribute values and an associated identification key;

display the identification key associated with each instance;

receive a user-selected indication that identifies one of the displayed identification keys as the identification key of a source instance;

receive a user-selected indication that identifies one of the displayed identification keys as the identification key of a target instance;

display the source instance and one or more associated attribute values;

display the target instance;

receive a user-selected indication that identifies one or more attribute values associated with the source instance that we to be associated with the target instance;

associate the identified attribute values with the target instance;

display a source dependency tree showing one or more source referring instances associated with the source instance;

display a target dependency tree showing one or more target referring instances associated with the target instance;

display at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed source referring instances of the source instance and at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed target referring instances of the target instance;

receive user input that identifies at least one attribute value associated with at least one of the displayed source referring instances of the source instance that is to be associated with a displayed target referring instance of the target instance; and

associate the identified attribute values with the displayed target referring instance of the target instance.