System and method for generating automatic user interface for arbitrarily complex or large databases

• US 7,318,066 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Issued: 01/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Michael Philip Kaufman
• Original Assignee: Michael Philip Kaufman
• Inventors: Kaufman, Michael Philip, Silverman, Micah Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US10/428,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20040073565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/101, 707/5, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• 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 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A software system automatically and dynamically generates a fully functional user interface (UI) based upon, and connected directly to, an underlying data model (as instantiated within a relational database management system (RDBMS)). The UI derives from an automated interrogation of the RDBMS, and comprises all mode displays (e.g., browse, search, edit, add) for all tables, and a full complement of mechanisms—integrated directly into the mode displays—for representing, navigating, and managing relationships across tables, regardless of the complexity of the underlying RDBMS schema. It utilizes a hierarchical “context stack” for suspending the working state of a particular table while “drilling down” to work with related-table information and return relevant changes to the base table. The embodiment further provides methods to enhance and extend the internal representation of table structures, constraints, relationships, and special requirements (“business rules”) for improved revelation of the schema structure through external interrogation.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating a client application for working with the data within a relational database, wherein said relational database comprises a plurality of tables, constraints and relationships, comprising:

(a) interrogating said database, and extracting therefrom information specifying its table structures, constraints and relationships;

(b) constructing a client application in response to said information, wherein said client application provides a connection to said database, provides support for creating, retrieving, updating and deleting data in said database, and observes and enforces relational interdependencies among data across said tables; and

(c) deducing said relational interdependencies, absent explicit back-end referential-integrity constraints, by comparing field names and associated attributes, and incorporating components in said client application for enforcing said relational interdependencies;

wherein said method is effective regardless of the size or complexity of said database.