Schema mapper

• US 8,280,923 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Robertson, George G., Czerwinski, Mary P, Panditharadhya, Prasad Sripathi, Churchill, John E, Bhaskara, Uday
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US12/352,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 707791-792, 707796-798, 707/803, 707/805, 707/962, 707/809, 717/109, 717/113, 715/212, 715/234, 715/763, 715/810, 715/853
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/88 Mark-up to mark-up conversion conversion for visualization in web browsing G06F16/9577
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to effectively visualize the mapping between two schemas, referred to herein as a source schema (or first schema) and a destination schema (or second schema), regardless of the size or complexity of the schemas and mappings. According to one aspect of the present invention a method for visually representing a mapping between a first schema and a second schema is provided. The method includes receiving a selection of an object, emphasizing the selected object and identifying a plurality of objects that are relevant to the selected object. The objects that are identified as being relevant to the selected object are also emphasized.

Claims

1. A method of simplifying a tree-view display of a mapping between a first schema and a second schema, comprising:

receiving, at a program on a computing device, a selection of a particular object that graphically represents a schema element that is in the first schema of the tree-view display;

evaluating, via a program on a computing device, a plurality of objects graphically representing schema elements in a mapping between the first schema and the second schema to identify a non-coalesced object;

determining, via the program on the computing device, whether the non-coalesced object is linked to any objects of the first schema or the second schema;

when the non-coalesced object is not linked to any objects of the first schema or the second schema, modifying the tree-view display via the computing device by automatically coalescing the non-coalesced object and one or more descendent objects of the non-coalesced object into coalesced objects that are hidden from a viewable area of the tree-view display, the coalescing rearranges the tree-view display so that the particular object that is selected is automatically moved from an initial position in the tree-view display to a centrally located position in the tree-view display; and

displaying a pop up presentation of the non-coalesced object and the one or more descendent objects when a pointer is positioned over a graphical icon that identifies a location of the coalesced objects in the tree-view display.

2. A method of simplifying a tree-view display of a mapping between a first schema and a second schema, comprising:

receiving a selection of a first object via a user interface of a computing device, wherein the first object is a graphical representation of a schema element of a mapping of two schemas;

identifying, via a program on the computing device, a plurality of non-relevant objects that are not related to the first object by identifying a path leading into the first object that includes at least one link and at least one object;

identifying, via the program on the computing device, a second object that is non-coalesced from the plurality of non-relevant objects that are not related to the first object, the second object having one or more descendent objects that are non-relevant and not related to the first object;

generating a modified tree-view display without user input by using the program on the computing device to automatically coalesce the second object and the one or more descendent objects of the second object into coalesced objects that are hidden from the modified tree-view display; and

displaying a pop up presentation of the second object and the one or more descendent objects when a pointer is positioned over a graphical icon that identifies a location of the coalesced objects in the tree-view display.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second object is not linked to the first object.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the path identified leading into the first object further includes at least one functoid.

5. A computer-readable medium storing a computer executable program that, when executed, perform acts comprising:

receiving a selection of a first object via a user interface of a computing device, wherein the first object is a graphical representation of a schema element used in mapping two schemas;

identifying a plurality of objects relevant to the first object;

determining that at least one object of the plurality of objects that are relevant to the first object is positioned outside of a display;

identifying a second object that is non-relevant to the first object and non-coalesced as positioned within the display, the second object having one or more descendent objects positioned within the display that are non-relevant to the first object;

automatically coalescing the second object with the one or more descendent objects into coalesced objects that are hidden from view such that the at least one object is moved from outside of the display to inside the display;

bending a graphical link representation between the first object and a functionoid object to curve around an additional functionoid object that is horizontally aligned with the first object and the functionoid object, each functionoid object representing a corresponding functionoid that relates the schema element to an additional schema element used in mapping the two schemas;

identifying a third object that is non-relevant to the first object and non-coalesced as positioned within the display; and

displaying a pop up presentation of the second object and the one or more descendent objects when a pointer is positioned over a graphical icon that identifies a location of the coalesced objects in the display.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the computer executable program, when executed, is to further perform an act of unhiding the second object and the one or more descendent objects when the graphical icon is selected.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein identifying a plurality of objects includes identifying a path leading into the first object, wherein the path includes at least one link and one or more related objects.

8. A computer-readable medium storing a computer executable program that, when executed, perform acts comprising:

identifying a plurality of relevant objects in a tree-view structure of a mapping between a plurality of schemas, wherein at least one of the plurality of relevant objects is a first schema element and at least one of the plurality of the relevant objects is a second schema element;

identifying a non-linked non-relevant element in the first schema that includes a non-linked descendent element;

coalescing the non-linked non-relevant element and the non-linked descendent element into coalesced elements that are hidden from a viewable area of a display that shows the tree-view structure;

replacing the coalesced elements with a graphical representation on the viewable area of the display, the graphical representation being a part of the tree-view structure;

receiving a search query for an object representing an schema element in the tree-view display of the mapping between the plurality of schemas; and

positioning a marker that is aligned with the graphical representation of the coalesced elements in a scrolling control portion of the display in response to determining that the coalesced elements include the scheme element represented by the object of the search query;

unhiding the non-linked non-relevant element and the non-linked descendent element when a graphical icon is selected;

identifying a non-relevant non-coalesced element in the first schema;

determining if a particular descendent element of the non-relevant non-coalesced element is relevant; and

in response to determining that the particular descendent element of the non-relevant non-coalesced element is not relevant, coalescing the non-relevant non-coalesced element and the particular descendent element of the non-relevant non-coalesced element as an additional graphical representation.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the coalescing includes determining if the descendent element of the non-linked non-relevant element is relevant and if it is determined that the descendent of the non-linked non-relevant element is not relevant, coalescing the non-linked non-relevant element and the descendent element of the non-linked non-relevant element.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical representation is selectable.