Abstract records

• US 8,195,647 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Kolz, Daniel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tim T
• Assistant Examiner(s): GORTAYO, DANGELINO N
• Application Number:
  US12/625,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/4, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/713, 707/716, 707/718, 707/759, 707/760, 707/763, 707/769
• US Class Current: 707/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24522 Translation of natural language queries to structured queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and articles of manufacture improving the process of query composition, query processing, and presenting query results to users of an abstract database. Embodiments of the present invention organize and view data using abstract records. Specifically, users compose a query according to the logical relationships present in the data. Rather than evaluate conditions against a set of rows from a relational table, conditions included in abstract query are evaluated against instances of an abstract record. Instances that satisfy the conditions specified by an abstract query are returned as query results. In a specific case abstract records are used to evaluate a “never exists conditions, that determine the absence of data in an abstract records that satisfy a particular condition.

Claims

1. A method of presenting a user with a set of query results retrieved from a database, comprising:

receiving, from a requesting entity, a request to view data in the database related to a model entity predefined as a set of logically related data fields, wherein the model entity identifies an identifier in the underlying database used to identify instances of the model entity;

retrieving an abstract record corresponding to the model entity, wherein the abstract record identifies a hierarchy of logical fields related to the model entity;

identifying each instance of the model entity included in the query results;

for each identified instance, populating a copy of the abstract record with the retrieved query results corresponding to the instance of the model entity; and

returning, to the requesting entity, the identified instances of the model entity and the populated copies of the abstract record;

wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query and via an abstract query plan provided for the abstract query, wherein the abstract query plan specifies;

(i) a set of conditions, each condition including a logical field, a conditional operator, and a comparison value, (ii) one of the plurality of model entities and (iii) logical fields from the plurality of logical fields used to retrieve a set of query results that satisfy the set of conditions; and

wherein providing the abstract query plan comprises;

determining, for each condition specified by the abstract query, whether a path exists from a root logical field of the hierarchy to a child logical field of the hierarchy matching the logical field in the condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query specifying a set of conditions, wherein at least one of the conditions comprises a “

never exists”

condition used to retrieve, from the database, instances of the model entity that do not include the data value specified by the “

never exists”

condition.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the model entity is defined by a database abstraction model configured to specify a plurality of logical fields, each logical field providing an access method that maps the logical field to data associated with the respective logical field, and wherein the hierarchy of logical fields is selected from the plurality of logical fields.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the model entity is uniquely identifiable by an associated model entity name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the abstract query plan further comprises:

for each path determined to exist, associating a table of the underlying database that is mapped to by the child logical field with a table instance, each table instance including those logical fields from the abstract query that map to the table, wherein those conditions from the set of conditions are to be evaluated using data from the table.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the abstract query plan further comprises:

generating the abstract query plan for the abstract query, wherein the abstract query plan includes the table instances and identifies relationships between the table instances.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the abstract query plan is parseable to generate a resolved query of the database, and wherein the resolved query is executable to retrieve the set of query results.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

providing a query interface configured to display a selected instance of the model entity, wherein the query interface is further configured to display the copy of the abstract record for the selected instance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the query interface is configured to display only a portion of the abstract record that includes logical fields from the hierarchy that were included in the abstract query as the plurality of logical fields used to retrieve the set of query results.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the database comprises a relational database, and wherein the resolved query comprises a Structured Query Language (SQL) query statement.

11. A computer-readable storage medium containing a plurality of instructions which, when executed on a computer system, is configured to perform an operation for presenting a user with a set of query results retrieved from a relational database, the operation comprising:

receiving, from a requesting entity, a request to view data in the database related to a model entity predefined as a set of logically related data fields, wherein the model entity identifies an identifier in the underlying database used to identify instances of the model entity;

retrieving an abstract record corresponding to the model entity, wherein the abstract record identifies a hierarchy of logical fields related to the model entity;

identifying each instance of the model entity included in the query results;

for each identified instance, populating a copy of the abstract record with the retrieved query results corresponding to the instance of the model entity; and

returning, to the requesting entity, the identified instances and the populated copies of the abstract record;

wherein the model entity is defined by a database abstraction model configured to specify a plurality of logical fields, each logical field providing an access method that maps the logical field to data associated with the respective logical field, wherein the hierarchy of logical fields is selected from the plurality of logical fields, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query and via an abstract query plan provided for the abstract query, wherein the abstract query specifies a set of conditions, each condition including a logical field, and wherein the abstract query plan is configured to determine, for each condition specified by the abstract query, whether a path exists from a root logical field of the hierarchy to a child logical field of the hierarchy matching the logical field in the condition.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query specifying a set of conditions, wherein at least one of the conditions comprises a “

never exists”

condition used to retrieve, from the database, instances of the model entity that do not include the data value specified by the “

never exists”

condition.

13. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a memory containing a program which, when executed by the one or more computer processors, is configured to perform an operation for presenting a user with a set of query results retrieved from a database, wherein the operation comprises;

receiving, from a requesting entity, a request to view data in the database related to a model entity predefined as a set of logically related data fields, wherein the model entity identifies an identifier in the underlying database used to identify instances of the model entity;

retrieving an abstract record corresponding to the model entity, wherein the abstract record identifies a hierarchy of logical fields related to the model entity;

identifying each instance of the model entity included in the query results;

for each identified instance, populating a copy of the abstract record with the retrieved query results corresponding to the instance of the model entity; and

returning, to the requesting entity, the identified instances of the model entity and the populated copies of the abstract record;

wherein the model entity is defined by a database abstraction model configured to specify a plurality of logical fields, each logical field providing an access method that maps the logical field to data associated with the respective logical field, wherein the hierarchy of logical fields is selected from the plurality of logical fields, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query and via an abstract query plan provided for the abstract query, wherein the abstract query specifies a set of conditions, each condition including a logical field, and wherein the abstract query plan is configured to determine, for each condition specified by the abstract query, whether a path exists from a root logical field of the hierarchy to a child logical field of the hierarchy matching the logical field in the condition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query specifying a set of conditions, wherein at least one of the conditions comprises a “

never exists”

condition used to retrieve, from the database, instances of the model entity that do not include the data value specified by the “

never exists”

condition.

15. A method of presenting a user with a set of query results retrieved from a database, comprising:

receiving, from a requesting entity, a request to view data in the database related to a model entity predefined as a set of logically related data fields, wherein the model entity identifies an identifier in the underlying database used to identify instances of the model entity;

retrieving an abstract record corresponding to the model entity, wherein the abstract record identifies a hierarchy of logical fields related to the model entity;

identifying each instance of the model entity included in the query results;

for each identified instance, populating a copy of the abstract record with the retrieved query results corresponding to the instance of the model entity; and

returning, to the requesting entity, the identified instances of the model entity and the populated copies of the abstract record;

wherein the model entity is defined by a database abstraction model configured to specify a plurality of logical fields, each logical field providing an access method that maps the logical field to data associated with the respective logical field, wherein the hierarchy of logical fields is selected from the plurality of logical fields, wherein the query results are retrieved responsive to an abstract query and via an abstract query plan provided for the abstract query, wherein the abstract query specifies a set of conditions, each condition including a logical field, and wherein the abstract query plan is configured to determine, for each condition specified by the abstract query, whether a path exists from a root logical field of the hierarchy to a child logical field of the hierarchy matching the logical field in the condition.