Methods, apparatus, and data structures for annotating a database design schema and/or indexing annotations

• US 7,640,254 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McConnell, Christopher Clayton
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Saeed; Usmaan
• Application Number:
  US11/187,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,621 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/353 into predefined classes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An authoring tool (or process) to facilitate the performance of an annotation function and an indexing function. The annotation function may generate informational annotations and word annotations to a database design schema (e.g., an entity-relationship diagram or “ERD”). The indexing function may analyze the words of the annotations by classifying the words in accordance with a concordance and dictionary, and assign a normalized weight to each word of each of the annotations based on the classification(s) of the word(s) of the annotation. A query translator (or query translation process) to (i) accept a natural language query from a user interface process, (ii) convert the natural language query to a formal command query (e.g., an SQL query) using the indexed annotations generated by the authoring tool and the database design schema, and (iii) present the formal command query to a database management process for interrogating the relational database.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory containing processor executable components comprising;

an authoring tool to annotate components of a database design schema thereby generating annotations;

an indexer for indexing the annotations, which are generated by the authoring tool, responsive to a plurality of classifications that are based on information contained in a dictionary and concordance, wherein the indexer comprises;

a normalizer for assigning a normalized weight to words of each annotation, based on classifications associated with the words, such that the normalizer assigns more weight to more distinct words than to less distinct words; and

a query translator for performing operations comprising;

accepting a natural language query;

converting the natural language query to a command query using the database design schema and indexed annotations generated by the authoring tool; and

presenting the command query to a database management process for interrogating a database;

wherein converting the natural language query to the command query comprises;

parsing the natural language query;

determining whether a word or phrase of the natural language query matches the indexed annotations;

for a matching word or phrase of the natural language query, generating a group of fragments, wherein the fragments comprise components of the database design schema associated with matching indexed annotations;

for the matching word or phrase of the natural language query, ranking the group of fragments to generate a group of ranked fragments according to ranking criteria; and

chaining the fragments from a plurality of groups of ranked fragments together to generate the command query.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the components of the database design schema annotated by the authoring tool comprise tables, rows, columns, and relationships.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the indexer further comprises:

a classifier for classifying words of the annotations based on the dictionary and concordance so that the words have an associated classification from the plurality of classifications.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the classifier classifies words based on a degree to which the words are distinct, as determined from the dictionary and concordance.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information contained in the dictionary and concordance comprises frequencies of words therein, and a classification of the plurality of classifications is derived from the frequencies.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of classifications comprises eight classes, and wherein the words belong to a word class comprising adverb, adjective, verb, noun, and pronoun.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

operating on a computer a system to annotate a database design schema to facilitate a natural language interface to stored information via operations comprising;

annotating components of the database design schema thereby generating annotations;

indexing the annotations in response to a plurality of classifications based on information contained in a dictionary and concordance;

assigning a normalized weight to words of each annotation, based on classifications associated with the words, such that more weight is assigned to more distinct words than to less distinct words;

accepting a natural language query;

converting the natural language query to a command query using the database design schema, and indexed annotations generated by the authoring tool, wherein the converting comprises;

parsing the natural language query;

determining whether a word or phrase of the natural language query matches the indexed annotations;

for a matching word or phrase of the natural language query, generating a group of fragments, wherein the fragments comprise components of the database design schema associated with matching indexed annotations;

for the matching word or phrase of the natural language query, ranking the criteria of fragments to generate a group of ranked fragments according to ranking criteria; and

chaining the fragments from a plurality of groups of ranked fragments together to generate the command query; and

presenting the command query to a database management process for interrogating a database.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

classifying words of the annotations based on the dictionary and concordance so that the words have an associated classification from the plurality of classifications.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the classifying is based on a degree to which the words are distinct, as determined from the dictionary and concordance.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the plurality of classifications comprises eight classes, and wherein the words belong to a word class comprising adverb, adjective, verb, noun, and pronoun.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the components of the database design schema comprise tables, rows, columns, and relationships.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the information contained in the dictionary and concordance comprises frequencies of words therein, and a classification of the plurality of classifications is derived from the frequencies.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media having one or more computer executable modules embodied thereon, the computer-executable modules encoded for execution on a computer to configure the computer to perform operations comprising:

annotating components of a database design schema thereby generating annotations;

indexing the annotations, responsive to a plurality of classifications that are based on information contained in a dictionary and concordance;

assigning a normalized weight to words of each annotation, based on classifications associated with the words, such that more weight is assigned to more distinct words than to less distinct words;

accepting a natural language query;

converting the natural language query to a command query using the database design schema, and indexed annotations generated by the authoring tool, wherein the converting comprises;

parsing the natural language query;

determining whether a word or phrase of the natural language query matches the indexed annotations;

for a matching word or phrase of the natural language query, generating a group of fragments, wherein the fragments comprise components of the database design schema associated with matching indexed annotations;

for the matching word or phrase of the natural language query, ranking the group of fragments to generate a group of ranked fragments according to ranking criteria; and

chaining the fragments from a plurality of groups of ranked fragments together to generate the command query; and

presenting the command query to a database management process for interrogating a database.

14. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, further comprising:

classifying words of the annotations based on the dictionary and concordance so that the words have an associated classification from the plurality of classifications.

15. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the classifying is based on a degree to which the words are distinct, as determined from the dictionary and concordance.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the plurality of classifications comprises eight classes, and wherein the words belong to a word class comprising adverb, adjective, verb, noun, and pronoun.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the components of the database design schema comprise tables, rows, columns, and relationships.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the information contained in the dictionary and concordance comprises frequencies of words therein, and a classification of the plurality of classifications is derived from the frequencies.