Reentrant database object wizard

• US 7,620,644 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lasker, Steven M, Cote, Antoine, Yuknewicz, Paul J
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng; Amy
• Application Number:
  US10/968,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,855 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/102, 707/100, 707/101, 707/201, 707/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• 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 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A system and method for a reentrant database object wizard is provided. The system provides the ability to compare a currently generated dataset to the objects of the underlying database. Columns and tables that are not common between both the dataset and the database are visually displayed for the user to make a decision on inclusion or exclusion. The system includes a comparison that provides comparison information based upon a comparison of a dataset to an associated database and a display component that displays the comparison information. The system further includes an input component which provides information associated with the user'"'"'s decision on inclusion and/or exclusion of column(s) and/or table(s) to the system. The system is reentrant thus providing long-term value to the developer over the application development cycle.

Claims

1. A computer implemented reentrant database object wizard system, comprising:

at least one processor that executes the following computer executable components stored on at least one computer readable storage medium;

a comparison component that provides comparison information based upon a comparison of a current typed dataset of an application to an associated database, the comparison information includes objects of the typed dataset and the associated database that are common and objects that are not common between the typed dataset and the associated database;

a display component that displays the comparison information to a user by displaying a dataset view, database view and a tree view, the tree view depicts TableMappings, the display component changes a connection context to the database between the comparison to compare the application between the current typed dataset and database, the display component employs a similar user interface for an initial phase and a reentrant phase of programming, and highlights one or more objects within the typed dataset that are no longer available in the database to facilitate conflict identification; and

,

an input component that receives user input that is a function of the comparison information, wherein the current typed dataset is modified based on the user input during the development cycle of the application, the modification includes at least one of adding or removing one or more objects in the dataset, wherein the one or more object include at least one of a stored procedure or function.

2. The system of claim 1, the comparison information comprising identification of at least one of a column or a table that is not common between the current typed dataset and the database.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising cycling through the operations performed by the components of claim 1 to converge on a final dataset wherein the number of cycles is based in part on the user input.

4. The system of claim 3, the comparison component providing comparison information based upon a comparison of the modified dataset to the associated database.

5. The system of claim 4, the display component displays the comparison information based upon the comparison of the modified dataset to the associated database.

6. The system of claim 4, the display component displays information regarding a change that occurred as a result of a user.

7. The system of claim 6, the information displayed regarding the change comprising at least one of a list of tables, stored procedures, functions or views that were added.

8. The system of claim 6, the information displayed regarding the change comprising a column that was added to a table.

9. The system of claim 6, the information displayed regarding the change comprising at least one of a list tables, stored procedures, functions or views that were removed.

10. The system of claim 6, the information displayed regarding the change comprising a column that was removed from a table.

11. The system of claim 1, the comparison information displayed by the display component in a hierarchical view.

12. The system of claim 1, the comparison information displayed by the display component comprising a tri-state checkbox for an item, the tri-state checkbox toggles between an include state, an exclude state and a leave in current state.

13. A method facilitating a reentrant database object wizard comprising:

employing at least one processor to execute computer executable instructions stored on at least one computer readable medium to perform the following acts;

reentering a system during an application development cycle to compare information, similar user interface employed during initializing the system and reentering the system;

comparing information associated with a dataset to information associated with a database;

changing a connection context to the database between the comparison to compare the application between dataset and database;

providing information associated with the comparison to a user by displaying a dataset view, database view and a tree view, the tree view depicts TableMappings, wherein the information includes objects of the dataset and the database that are common and objects that are not common between the dataset and the database;

highlighting one or more objects within the dataset that are no longer available in the database to facilitate identification of a conflict;

modifying the dataset based on the user'"'"'s input, the user'"'"'s input a function of the information provided to the user, the modification includes at least one of adding or removing one or more objects in the dataset, wherein the one or more object include at least one of a stored procedure or function;

enabling the user to uncheck columns of a stored procedure of the dataset to represent the unchecked columns as a typed database table; and

editing a database reference results in a project dataset file, the project dataset is immediately available for use in at least one of data binding, data sources window, user interface generation or in code intellisense.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the user has made a change to the dataset; and

,

if the user has made a change to the dataset, comparing information associated with the modified dataset to information associated with the database; and

,

providing information associated with the comparison to the user.

15. The method of claim 13, the information associated with the comparison comprising identification of at least one of a column or a table that is not common between the dataset and the database.

16. The method of claim 13, the comparison information displayed in a hierarchical view.

17. The method of claim 13, the comparison information displayed with a tri-state checkbox for an item, the tri-state checkbox toggles between an include state, an exclude state and a leave in current state.

18. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable components of a reentrant database object wizard system comprising:

at least one processor that executes the following computer executable components stored on at least one computer readable storage medium;

a comparison component that provides comparison information based upon a comparison of a dataset to an associated database, the comparison information includes objects of the dataset and the associated database that are common and objects that are not common between the dataset and the associated database;

a display component that displays the comparison information to a user by displaying a dataset view, database view and a tree view, the tree view depicts TableMappings, the display component changes a connection context to the database between the comparison to compare the application between dataset and database, the display component employs a similar user interface for an initial phase and a reentrant phase, and facilitates identification of conflicts by highlighting one or more objects within the dataset that are no longer available in the associated database; and

,

an input component that receives user input based at least in part on the comparison information, wherein the dataset is modified based on the user input during an application development cycle, the modification includes at least one of adding or removing one or more objects in the dataset, wherein the one or more object include at least one of a stored procedure or function.

19. A reentrant database object wizard system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor implement components comprising;

means for reentering a system during an application development cycle to compare information, a similar user interface for an initial phase and a reentrant phase is provided to a user;

means for comparing a dataset to an associated database;

means for displaying information associated with comparison of the dataset to the associated database, by displaying a dataset view, database view and a tree view, the tree view depicts TableMappings, the information includes objects that are common between the dataset and the associated database and objects that are not common between the dataset and the associated database;

means for highlighting one or more objects within the dataset that are no longer available in the associated database to facilitate identification of conflicts;

means for changing a connection context to the database between the comparison to compare the application between dataset and database; and

,

means for receiving a user input based at least in part on the comparison information to modify the dataset to resolve the identified conflicts, the modification includes at least one of adding or removing one or more objects in the dataset, wherein the one or more object include at least one of a stored procedure or function.