Sequenced modification of multiple entities based on an abstract data representation

• US 7,398,263 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Stevens, Richard J., LaRocca, Jennifer L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/403,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20050075996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,926 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/4, 707/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a system, method and article of manufacture for modifying data represented abstractly through an abstraction model. In one embodiment, a data repository abstraction layer provides a logical view of an underlying data repository that is independent of the particular manner of data representation. A query abstraction layer is also provided and is based on the data repository abstraction layer. A runtime component performs transformation of an abstract query into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation. The transformation includes ordering physical modification operations according to a physical entity relationships specification to ensure that the physical modification operations are executed in an appropriate order.

Claims

1. A method of using a logical framework for defining abstract modification operations to modify physical data comprising a plurality of physical entities, comprising:

providing an abstract model for defining abstract modification specifications logically describing operations to modify the physical data, the abstract model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions, each logical field definition comprising a logical field name and a reference to at least one access method selected from at least two different types of access methods, wherein the at least one access method comprises a simple access method, a filter access method, or a composed access method, wherein the at least one access method is configured to associate the logical field name to a physical data representation;

providing a run-time component to transform, according to the abstract model, each of a plurality of single abstract modification specifications into at least two separate physical modification specifications consistent with the physical data, wherein;

the abstract modification specifications include logical values and references to logical field definitions, and

each of the at least two physical modification specifications modifies the physical data defining a different physical entity; and

modifying the physical data according to the at least two separate physical modification specifications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the single abstract modification specification comprises a plurality of logical field names.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each physical modification specification is selected from one of an insert statement, an update statement and a delete statement.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

issuing, by a requesting entity, a request to execute the single abstract modification specification; and

transforming, by the run-time component, the single abstract modification specification into the at least two physical modification specifications.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein transforming the single abstract modification specification into the at least two physical modification specifications comprises:

generating the at least two physical modification specifications; and

ordering the at least two physical modification specifications according to a physical entity relationships specification which defines interrelationships between the physical entities of the physical data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each access method describes a location of the physical entities of the physical data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the logical field definitions represents two or more data locations in the physical data and wherein the abstract model further comprises a restriction rule for the at least one logical field definition wherein the restriction rule specifies that modification operations on the at least one logical field definition are restricted to one of the two or more data locations.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the two or more data locations comprise a primary key table and a foreign key table.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the logical field definitions represents two or more data locations in the physical data and wherein the abstract model further comprises a propagate rule for the at least one logical field definition wherein the propagate rule specifies that modification operations on the at least one logical field definition are propagated to all of the two or more data locations.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the two or more data locations comprise a primary key table and a foreign key table.

11. A method for performing operations for modifying physical data comprising a plurality of physical entities and having a particular physical data representation in a database, the method comprising:

providing an abstract model for defining abstract modification specifications logically describing operations to modify the physical data, the abstract model comprising a plurality of logical field definitions, each logical field definition comprising a logical field name and a reference to at least one access method selected from at least two different types of access methods, wherein the at least one access method comprises a simple access method, a filter access method, or a composed access method, wherein the at least one access method is configured to associate the logical field name to the particular physical data representation;

receiving user input via a user interface, the input including logical values and logically describing a single abstract modification operation to modify the physical data corresponding to the logical values;

building at least two separate physical modification statements corresponding to the single abstract modification operation, wherein each of the at least two physical modification statements modifies a different physical entity of the physical data;

ordering the at least two physical modification statements; and

executing modification operations according to the ordered physical modification statements, whereby the physical data is modified.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the single abstract modification operation is defined according to a plurality of logical fields and wherein building the at least two physical modification statements is done according to mapping rules which map the logical fields to corresponding physical entities.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the ordering comprises accessing a physical entity relationships specification defining interrelationships between physical entities of the physical data to ensure integrity of the physical data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the ordering comprises determining a primary-secondary relationship between corresponding physical entities of the at least two physical modification statements to ensure integrity of the physical data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two physical modification statements are insert statements and further comprising placing the at least two physical modification statements in a list after the building, and wherein the ordering comprises:

for a given one of the at least two physical modification statements, determining a corresponding physical entity affected by the given one physical modification statement;

for each of the other physical modification statements of the at least two physical modification statements which are at a position after the given one physical modification statement in the list;

determining whether the corresponding physical entity affected by the given one physical modification statement and a corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement of the at least two physical modifications are related as secondary and primary, respectively;

if so, moving the given one physical modification statement to a position after the corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement of the at least two physical modifications.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising repeating the ordering for each of the at least two physical modification statements until the list can be traversed without encountering a physical modification statement having a corresponding entity which is secondary with respect to a corresponding entity of a subsequent physical modification statement in the list.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two physical modification statements are delete statements and further comprising placing the at least two physical modification statements in a list after the building, and wherein the ordering comprises:

for a given one of the at least two physical modification statements, determining a corresponding physical entity affected by the given one physical modification statement;

for each of the other physical modification statements of the at least two physical modification statements which are at a position after the given one physical modification statement in the list;

determining whether the corresponding physical entity affected by the given physical modification statement and a corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement of the at least two physical modifications are related as primary and secondary, respectively;

if so, moving the given one physical modification statement to a position after the corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement of the at least two physical modifications.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising repeating the ordering for each of the at least two physical modification statements until the list can be traversed without encountering a physical modification statement having a corresponding entity which is primary with respect to a corresponding entity of a subsequent physical modification statement in the list.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least two physical modification statements are update statements, and wherein the ordering comprises:

determining which of the at least two physical modification statements affect physical data having keys defined thereon;

placing those of the at least two physical modification statements affecting physical data having keys defined thereon in a first list;

placing those of the at least two physical modification statements not affecting physical data having keys defined thereon in a second list;

for a given one of those of the at least two physical modification statements in the first list, determining a corresponding physical entity affected by the given one physical modification statement;

for each of the other physical modification statements in the first list which are at a position after the given one physical modification statement in the first list;

determining whether the corresponding physical entity affected by the given one physical modification statement and a corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement in the first list are related as secondary and primary, respectively;

if so, moving the given one physical modification statement to a position in the first list after the corresponding physical entity affected by the other physical modification statement.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising repeating the ordering for each of the at least two physical modification statements until the first list can be traversed without encountering a physical modification statement having a corresponding entity which is secondary with respect to a corresponding entity of a subsequent physical modification statement in the first list.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising appending the physical statements contained in the second list to the physical statements in the first list.