Attaching and displaying annotations to changing data views

• US 7,962,514 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tran, Hoa T., Fish, Douglas R., Rath, Cale T., Cragun, Brian J., Rapp, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HICKS, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US11/835,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 707/781
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture that may be used to attach annotations to a particular view of data described by the annotation are provided. The annotation may be attached in a manner that allows the annotation to be viewed when subsequent views having at least some visible cells in common with the annotated view are displayed. An annotation created for a view of data may be stored with links to each cell visible in the view. When a predetermined set of cells visible in the annotated view are subsequently displayed in another view, the annotation may be retrieved via the cell links and an indication of the annotation may be provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing an indication of an annotation to a portion of a first view of data, comprising:

receiving an annotation to the portion of the first view of data, wherein a view of data comprises a collection of tabular data that contains visible sub-objects and that is returned from executing a query against a data source, and wherein the portion of the first view of data comprises a subset of the visible sub-objects, wherein the subset includes at least two of the visible sub-objects;

receiving user input specifying one or more visible sub-objects of the annotated portion of the first view of data, for which the annotation is visible;

providing an interface, wherein a second view of data is displayed via the interface;

by operation of one or more computer processors, analyzing the second view of data to identify sub-objects visible in both the second view of data and the annotated portion of the first view of data; and

providing an indication of the annotation in the interface, upon determining that the specified one or more sub-objects is visible in the second view of data, wherein providing an indication of the annotation in the interface comprises outputting for display an indicator proximate one or more sub-objects visible in the second view of data that are also visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data.

2. A computer implemented method of creating and displaying an annotation associated with an annotated portion of a first view of data, comprising:

providing an interface, wherein the annotated portion of the first view of data is selected via the interface, wherein the annotation is created via the interface, wherein the annotated portion comprises at least two cells visible in the first view of data and wherein a view of data comprises a collection of tabular data that is returned from executing a query against a data source;

receiving user input specifying one or more cells visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data, for which the annotation is visible;

creating a record containing the annotation and a link to at least one cell in the annotated portion;

creating an entry in a link table for the at least one cell in the annotated portion, wherein the entry for the at least one cell contains an indication of the record;

presenting a second view of data;

by operation of one or more computer processors, analyzing the second view of data and the link table to identify cells visible in both the second view of data and the annotated portion of the first view of data; and

providing an indication of the annotation in the interface, upon determining that the specified one or more cells visible in the first view of data are visible in the second view of data, wherein providing an indication of the annotation in the interface comprises outputting for display an indicator proximate one or more cells visible in the second view of data that are also visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the specified one or more cells comprises at least one of:

a user-specified number of cells visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data;

and

a user-specified percentage of cells visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data.

4. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program for associating an annotation with an annotated portion of a first view of data, which, when executed by a processor, performs operations comprising:

providing an interface allowing a user to select the annotated portion and to create the annotation, wherein the annotated portion comprises at least two cells visible in the first view of data, and wherein a view of data comprises a collection of tabular data that is returned from executing a query against a data source;

receiving, via the interface, user input specifying one or more cells visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data, for which the annotation is visible;

creating a link to each cell in the annotated portion;

creating a record containing the annotation and the link to each cell in the annotated portion;

presenting a second view of data;

analyzing the second view of data and the record to identify cells visible in both the second view of data and the annotated portion of the first view of data; and

providing an indication of the annotation in the interface, upon determining that the specified one or more cells visible in the first view of data are visible in the second view of data, wherein providing an indication of the annotation in the interface comprises outputting for display an indicator proximate one or more cells visible in the second view of data that are also visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data.

5. A system for creating and displaying annotations associated with views of data, comprising:

a processor;

an application for displaying views of data, wherein a view of data comprises a collection of tabular data that is returned from executing a query against a data source;

a storage medium for storing an annotation database for storing annotation records; and

an annotation system configured to;

allow a user to create and annotation for a selected annotated portion of a first view of data displayed by the application, wherein the annotated portion comprises at least two cells visible in the first view of data;

allow the user to specify one or more cells visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data, for which the annotation is visible;

create cell links to each cell visible in the annotated portion;

create an annotation record containing the annotation and the cell links;

analyze the annotation record and a second view of data displayed by the application to identify cells visible in both the second view of data and the annotated portion of the first view of data; and

provide an indication of the annotation, upon determining that the specified one or more cells visible in the first view of data are visible in the second view of data, wherein providing an indication of the annotation comprises outputting for display an indicator proximate one or more cells visible in the second view of data that are also visible in the annotated portion of the first view of data.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the system further comprises a link table; and

the annotation system is further configured to create an entry in a link table for each cell in the annotated portion of the first view of data, wherein the entry for each cell contains an identification of the annotation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the annotation system is configured to analyze the second view of data displayed by the application to identify cells visible in both the second view of data and the annotated portion of the first view of data by:

querying the link table to identify the annotation;

retrieving the annotation record containing the annotation and the query links; and

identify, based on cell links contained in the annotation record, cells visible in the second view of data also visible in annotated portion of the first view of data.