Peer to peer (P2P) concept query notification of available query augmentation within query results

• US 8,086,568 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• 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., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Yicun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mamillapalli, Pavan
• Application Number:
  US12/145,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20080250004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 707/622, 707/760, 707/763
• US Class Current: 707/622
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/903 Querying for retrieval from the web G06F16/953

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are generally related to data processing, and more specifically to retrieving results for a query from one or more devices coupled to a network. A first device may receive an abstract query including logical fields defined by a first data abstraction model and retrieve query results stored in the first device. The query may be sent to one or more other devices via the network. The one or more other devices may be configured to convert the abstract query to local abstract queries including logical fields defined in local data abstraction models. The local queries may be issued against local databases to retrieve additional results for the query.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an abstract query comprising one or more logical fields defined by a first data abstraction model comprising a plurality of first logical field definitions mapped to physical fields of a first database in a first device, wherein each of the first logical field definitions further specifies a respective access method selected from a first two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective first logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding first physical field, and wherein one or more of the first logical fields definitions associate respective first logical fields to respective concepts of a predefined set of concepts, the concepts being standardized metadata, and wherein each concept in the predefined set of concepts represents a respective standardized field definition;

for each of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query, determining whether a second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, wherein each of the second logical field definitions further specifies a respective access method selected from a second two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective second logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding second physical field, and wherein the second data abstraction model comprises a plurality of second logical field definitions mapping the second logical fields to physical fields of a second database in a second device, wherein one or more of the second logical fields definitions associate respective second logical fields to respective concepts of the predefined set of concepts; and

upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, transferring metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model to the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first logical field definitions and the second logical field definitions comprise a concept code associated with each logical field definition, wherein the concept code associates respective logical fields to concepts in the predefined set of concepts.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the abstract query comprises concept codes associated with the one or more logical fields encoded therein.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to receiving the metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model, modifying the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising transferring the modified abstract query to the second device and retrieving results for the abstract query from the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined set of concepts comprises a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of concepts, wherein the hierarchy defines the relationship between concepts.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with a respective logical field of the abstract query, modifying the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model and retrieving results for the modified abstract query from the second database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more types of access methods represents a different technique for determining the respective value for the respective logical field based on underlying physical data, and wherein at least one of the two or more types of access methods returns, as the respective value, a physical value from the respective physical field and wherein at least another of the two or more types of access methods calculates the respective value.

9. A computer readable storage medium comprising a program product which, when executed by a processor, is configured to perform an operation, comprising:

receiving an abstract query comprising one or more logical fields defined by a first data abstraction model comprising a plurality of first logical field definitions mapped to physical fields of a first database in a first device, wherein each of the first logical field definitions further specifies a respective first access method selected from a first two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective first logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding first physical field, and wherein one or more of the first logical fields definitions associate respective first logical fields to respective concepts of a predefined set of concepts, the concepts being standardized metadata, and wherein each concept in the predefined set of concepts represents a respective standardized field definition;

for each of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query, determining whether a second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, wherein the second data abstraction model comprises a plurality of second logical field definitions mapping the second logical fields to physical fields of a second database in a second device, wherein each of the second logical field definitions further specifies a respective second access method selected from a second two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective second logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding second physical field, and wherein one or more of the second logical fields definitions associate respective second logical fields to respective concepts of the predefined set of concepts; and

upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, transferring metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model to the first device.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first logical field definitions and the second logical field definitions comprise a concept code associated with each logical field definition, wherein the concept code associates respective logical fields to concepts in the predefined set of concepts.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the abstract query comprises concept codes associated with the one or more logical fields encoded therein.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operation further comprises, in response to receiving the metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model, modifying the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising transferring the modified abstract query to the second device and retrieving results for the abstract query from the second device.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the predefined set of concepts comprises a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of concepts, wherein the hierarchy defines the relationship between concepts.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operation further comprises, upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with a respective logical field of the abstract query, modifying the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model and retrieving results for the modified abstract query from the second database.

16. A system, comprising:

a first device comprising a first data abstraction model comprising a plurality of first logical field definitions mapping the first logical fields to physical fields of a first database, wherein each of the first logical field definitions further specifies a respective first access method selected from a first two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective first logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding first physical field, and wherein one or more of the first logical fields definitions associate respective first logical fields to respective concepts of a predefined set of concepts, the concepts being standardized metadata, and wherein each concept in the predefined set of concepts represents a respective standardized field definition; and

a second device comprising a second data abstraction model comprising a plurality of second logical field definitions mapping the second logical fields to physical fields of a second database, wherein each of the second logical field definitions further specifies a respective second access method selected from a second two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective second logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding second physical field, and wherein one or more of the second logical fields definitions associate respective second logical fields to respective concepts of the predefined set of concepts,

wherein the second device is configured to;

receive an abstract query comprising one or more logical fields defined by the first data abstraction model; and

upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with a respective logical field of the abstract query, transferring metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model to the first device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first logical field definitions and the second logical field definitions comprise a concept code associated with each logical field definition, wherein the concept code associates respective logical fields to concepts in the predefined set of concepts.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the abstract query comprises concept codes associated with the one or more logical fields encoded therein.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first device is configured to modify the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model in response to receiving the metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model.

20. The system of claim 19, the first device is further configured to transfer the modified abstract query to the second device and retrieving results for the abstract query from the second device.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined set of concepts comprises a hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of concepts, wherein the hierarchy defines the relationship between concepts.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the second device is further configured to, upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with a respective logical field of the abstract query, modifying the abstract query to include the logical field of the second data abstraction model and retrieving results for the modified abstract query from the second database.