Visual database modeling

• US 8,126,937 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Shaburov, Victor V.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOVEL, KIMBERLY M
• Application Number:
  US10/959,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,702 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/100, 707/102, 707/805, 707/999.003
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products, implementing techniques for visual database modeling. The techniques include receiving in a web browser user input defining a structure for a database, the structure including one or more tables and one or more relations between the tables; and displaying in the web browser a visual model of the defined database structure, the visual model including one or more graphical objects representing the tables and relations.

Claims

1. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device, the computer program product having instructions stored therein to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations for integrating visual database modeling into a graphical tool for developing software applications, the operations comprising:

storing a structure of a database, the structure including one or more tables and one or more relations between the tables, the tables including table fields;

displaying a visual model of the structure of the database, the visual model including table symbols corresponding to the tables and link symbols corresponding to the relations;

receiving user inputs adding links between the table symbols to add relationships to the structure of the database;

updating the visual model to reflect the added links between the table symbols;

saving the updated visual model;

updating the structure of the database to reflect the added relationships;

generating a query to be executed on the updated database structure, the generated query including input fields corresponding to the table fields of the updated database structure;

providing a plurality of reusable application development patterns, the reusable application development patterns comprising graphical arrangements for accessing the database;

providing a graphical user interface enabling interaction with an identified subset of the reusable application development patterns, the identified subset of reusable application development patterns including the generated query;

specifying, based on the interaction with the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, a subset of the input fields of the generated query as search parameters; and

configuring the identified subset of reusable application development patterns to develop an application tailored to the updated database structure,

wherein the developed application includes components based on the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, and the components are configured to execute the generated query on the updated database structure using the specified search parameters.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein:

the database is selected from a plurality of databases that include different types of databases developed by different database vendors.

3. The product of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the defined database structure in XML (extensible markup language) format.

4. The product of claim 1, further comprising:

exporting the database structure to a database.

5. The product of claim 4, wherein exporting the database structure to a database includes:

using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) technology to communicate with the database.

6. The product of claim 1, further comprising:

importing an existing database structure of a second database; and

displaying a visual model of the imported database structure.

7. The product of claim 6, wherein importing an existing database structure includes:

using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) technology to communicate with the second database.

8. A method for integrating visual database modeling into a graphical tool for developing software applications, the method comprising the steps implemented by a computer of:

storing a structure of a database, the structure including one or more tables and one or more relations between the tables, the tables including table fields;

displaying a visual model of the structure of the database, the visual model including table symbols corresponding to the tables and link symbols corresponding to the relations;

receiving user inputs adding links between the table symbols to add relationships to the structure of the database;

updating the visual model to reflect the added links between the table symbols;

saving the updated visual model;

updating the structure of the database to reflect the added relationships;

generating a query to be executed on the updated database structure, the generated query including input fields corresponding to the table fields of the updated database structure;

providing a plurality of reusable application development patterns, the reusable application development patterns comprising graphical arrangements for accessing the database;

providing a graphical user interface enabling interaction with an identified subset of the reusable application development patterns, the identified subset of reusable application development patterns including the generated query;

specifying, based on the interaction with the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, a subset of the input fields of the generated query as search parameters; and

configuring the identified subset of reusable application development patterns to develop an application tailored to the updated database structure,

wherein the developed application includes components based on the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, and the components are configured to execute the generated query on the updated database structure using the specified search parameters.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the database is selected from a plurality of databases that include different types of databases developed by different database vendors.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the database structure in XML (extensible markup language) format.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

exporting the database structure to a database.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein exporting the database structure to a database includes:

using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) technology to communicate with the database.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

importing an existing database structure of a second database; and

displaying a visual model of the imported database structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein importing an existing database structure includes:

using JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) technology to communicate with the second database.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user input specifying one of the table symbols; and

displaying the table fields of the table corresponding to the specified table symbol.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a user input to modify a selected one of the displayed table fields; and

modifying the selected table field.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a user input identifying a primary key of a first one of the tables and a foreign key of a second one of the tables, the first and second table being connected by a link; and

modifying the database to reflect a relation defined by the link, primary key, and foreign key.

18. An apparatus for integrating visual database modeling into a graphical tool for developing software applications, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor executing instructions stored in the memory to;

store a structure of a database, the structure including one or more tables and one or more relations between the tables, the tables including table fields;

display a visual model of the structure of the database, the visual model including table symbols corresponding to the tables and link symbols corresponding to the relations;

receive user inputs adding links between the table symbols to add relationships to the structure of the database;

update the visual model to reflect the added links between the table symbols;

save the updated visual model;

update the structure of the database to reflect the added relationships;

generate a query to be executed on the updated database structure, the generated query including input fields corresponding to the table fields of the updated database structure;

provide a plurality of reusable application development patterns, the reusable application development patterns comprising graphical arrangements for accessing the database;

provide a graphical user interface enabling interaction with an identified subset of the reusable application development patterns, the identified subset of reusable application development patterns including the generated query;

specify, based on the interaction with the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, a subset of the input fields of the generated query as search parameters; and

configure the identified subset of reusable application development patterns to develop an application tailored to the updated database structure,

wherein the developed application includes components based on the identified subset of reusable application development patterns, and the components are configured to execute the generated query on the updated database structure using the specified search parameters.