Methods, apparatus and computer programs for visualization and management of data organisation within a data processing system
First Claim
1. A method for managing data organisation for computer programs, the method including the steps of:
- generating and storing a reference taxonomy, the reference taxonomy comprising information defining a user preference for data organisation;
accessing storage associated with a computer program to obtain an application taxonomy, the application taxonomy comprising information defining the organisation of stored data items of the program;
comparing the reference taxonomy with the application taxonomy to identify matching and non-matching features of the compared taxonomies; and
in response to a selection of a preferred taxonomy based on a result of the comparison, storing the preferred taxonomy as a replacement of at least one of the reference taxonomy and the application taxonomy, wherein the step of storing the preferred taxonomy in response to a selection of the preferred taxonomy includes generating a modified application taxonomy which includes features of the compared reference taxonomy, and wherein the generated reference taxonomy includes nodes representing data structures and information representing relationships between data structures, and wherein the step of generating a modified application taxonomy includes repositioning data structures within the compared application taxonomy, such as that the relationships between the data structures of the modified application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy are more consistent than the relationships between data structures of the compared application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Provided are methods, apparatus and computer programs for managing data organisation for computer programs. The method includes generating a reference taxonomy (information defining a first data organisation), accessing storage to obtain an application taxonomy (a second data organisation) for a computer program, and comparing the reference and application taxonomies to identify matching and non-matching features within the taxonomies. The results of the comparison can then be used to generate, in response to selection of a preferred taxonomy, a modified taxonomy to replace either the reference taxonomy or the application taxonomy. A GUI is provided to display the taxonomies and to facilitate user selections. A set of adapters provide access to the data storage of different programs and obtain taxonomy information for the different programs. A taxonomy engine compares taxonomies to identify differences and similarities, and can be used to generate an aggregate taxonomy. The method can be used to synchronize the organisation of stored data between a set of different computer programs, each of which may have different data structures and formats.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for managing data organisation for computer programs, the method including the steps of:
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generating and storing a reference taxonomy, the reference taxonomy comprising information defining a user preference for data organisation; accessing storage associated with a computer program to obtain an application taxonomy, the application taxonomy comprising information defining the organisation of stored data items of the program; comparing the reference taxonomy with the application taxonomy to identify matching and non-matching features of the compared taxonomies; and in response to a selection of a preferred taxonomy based on a result of the comparison, storing the preferred taxonomy as a replacement of at least one of the reference taxonomy and the application taxonomy, wherein the step of storing the preferred taxonomy in response to a selection of the preferred taxonomy includes generating a modified application taxonomy which includes features of the compared reference taxonomy, and wherein the generated reference taxonomy includes nodes representing data structures and information representing relationships between data structures, and wherein the step of generating a modified application taxonomy includes repositioning data structures within the compared application taxonomy, such as that the relationships between the data structures of the modified application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy are more consistent than the relationships between data structures of the compared application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A taxonomy manager for managing data organisation for computer programs, comprising:
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means for generating and storing a reference taxonomy, the reference taxonomy comprising information defining a data organisation; at least one adapter program for accessing storage associated with a respective computer program to obtain an application taxonomy, the application taxonomy comprising information defining the organisation of stored data items of the program; means for comparing the reference taxonomy with the application taxonomy to identify matching and non-matching features of the compared taxonomies; and means, responsive to a selection of a preferred s taxonomy based on a result of the comparison, for storing the preferred taxonomy as a replacement of at least one of the reference taxonomy and the application taxonomy, wherein the means for storing the preferred taxonomy responsive to a selection of the preferred taxonomy includes means for generating a modified application taxonomy which includes features of the compared reference taxonomy, and wherein the generated reference taxonomy includes nodes representing data structures and information representing relationships between data structures, and wherein the means for generating a modified application taxonomy includes means for repositioning data structures within the compared application taxonomy, such that the relationships between the data structures of the modified application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy are more consistent than the relationships between data structures of the compared application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer program stored on a computer readable storage medium for managing data organisation, comprising:
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program code for generating and storing a reference taxonomy, the reference taxonomy comprising information defining a data organisation; program code for accessing storage associated with a first computer program to obtain an application taxonomy, the application taxonomy comprising information defining the organisation of stored data items of the first program; program code for comparing the reference taxonomy with the application taxonomy to identify matching and non-matching features of the compared taxonomies; and program code, responsive to a selection of a preferred taxonomy, based on a result of the camparison, for storing the preferred taxonomy as a replacement of at least one of the reference taxonomy and the application taxonomy, wherein the program code for storing the preferred taxonomy responsive to a selection of the preferred taxonomy includes program code for generating a modified application taxonomy which includes features of the compared reference taxonomy, and wherein the generated reference taxonomy includes nodes representing data structures and information representing relationships between data structures, and wherein the program code for generating a modified application taxonomy includes program code for repositioning data structures within the compared application taxonomy, such that the relationships between the data structures of the modified application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy are more consistent than the relationships between data structures of the compared application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A data processing apparatus including:
- a data processor;
data storage;
one or more computer programs for controlling the operation of the data processor to perform operations on data items stored in the data storage; and
a taxonomy manager for managing organisation of stored data in association with the one or more computer programs, the taxonomy manager including;means for generating and storing a reference taxonomy, the reference taxonomy comprising information defining a data organisation; an adapter for accessing storage associated with a computer program to obtain an application taxonomy, the application taxonomy comprising information defining the organisation of stored data items of the program; means for comparing the reference taxonomy with the application taxonomy to identify matching and non-matching features of the compared taxonomies; and means, responsive to a selection of a preferred taxonomy based on a result of the comparison, for storing the preferred taxonomy as a replacement of at least one of the reference taxonomy and the application taxonomy, wherein the means for storing the preferred taxonomy responsive to a selection of the preferred taxonomy includes means for generating a modified application taxonomy which includes features of the compared reference taxonomy, and wherein the generated reference taxonomy includes nodes representing data structures and information representing relationships between data structures, and wherein the means for generating a modified application taxonomy includes means for repositioning data structures within the compared application taxonomy, such that the relationships between the data structures of the modified application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy are more consistent than the relationships between data structures of the compared application taxonomy and nodes of the reference taxonomy.
- a data processor;
Specification