Database query user interface to assist in efficient and accurate query construction

• US 8,447,775 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vronay, David P., Marcjan, Cezary, Turski, Andrzej, Kott, Ryszard
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US10/461,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,630 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/202, 707/722, 707/765, 707/766, 707/767, 715/853, 715/854, 715/855
• US Class Current: 707/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/243 Natural language query formulation

Abstract

A database query user interface combines the user convenience of simple text searching with the expressive refinements of powerful query language. The database query user interface includes a query text string input from a user including one or more terms of a chunk expression language format. The database query user interface further includes a syntactical prompt for constructing a multi-element chunk expression language database query that is syntactically correct and complete and includes the text string input from the user. For example, the syntactical prompt is selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in the text string input from the user. A database query formed according to the present user interface may then be persisted or stored as a database query object.

Claims

1. A database query user interface for forming a database query for a database, comprising:

a first syntactical prompt, provided by a processor, for constructing an initial portion of a database query in a chunk expression language format, the database query including a query construction record identifying user actions that produced the database query;

a second syntactical prompt, provided by the processor, for constructing a second portion of the database query in the chunk expression language format, the second portion comprising a multi-element chunk expression language syntactic group that completes a syntactically correct expression for the database query, the second syntactical prompt including a text string corresponding to information in the database, the text string selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in at least a portion of the database query, the weighted analysis of database information including a result count factor that increases weight to information that increases results up to a maximum count and decreases the weight to the information for a portion of the results that exceed the maximum count, the chunk expression language resulting in the database query being syntactically correct, the chunk expression language enabling creation of an empty query that when executed at a first time yields no results but when executed at a second time yields one or more results;

a list of exceptions to the database query; and

a query status user interface, provided by the processor, to indicate whether the database query is valid or invalid.

2. The user interface of claim 1 in which the weighted analysis of database information includes a completion association in which first and second information items are associated together in a syntactical prompt selected by the user, thereby increasing a weight of a relationship between the first and second information items relative to other information items.

3. The user interface of claim 1 in which the second syntactical prompt includes an information field identifier corresponding to a selected information field in the database, the text string being included in the selected information field.

4. The user interface of claim 1 in which the first syntactical prompt displays a plurality of user-selectable terms for constructing at least a portion of the database query.

5. The user interface of claim 1 in which the second syntactical prompt displays a plurality of user-selectable syntactic groups that each completes a syntactically correct expression for at least a portion of the database query.

6. The user interface of claim 5 in which individual elements in a multi-element syntactic group are modifiable while maintaining a syntactically correct expression for the database query.

7. The user interface of claim 1 in which the database query is persisted as a database query object in a computer readable medium.

8. The user interface of claim 7 in which the database query object includes a data structure having an exception list of exceptions to the database query, the exception list specified by a user.

9. The user interface of claim 8 in which the data structure of the database query object further includes a query result count of how many results are returned from the database in response to the database query.

10. The user interface of claim 8 in which the data structure of the database query object further includes a query usage record indicating a history of usage of the database query.

11. The user interface of claim 7 in which the database query is retrievable from the persisted database query object for execution against the database.

12. A system comprising one or more processors and a memory device storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to display a database query user interface for forming a database query for a database, the database query user interface comprising:

a text string input received from a user, by a processor, the text string input including one or more terms of a chunk expression language;

a first syntactical prompt, provided by the processor, for constructing a database query using multiple elements of the chunk expression language, the database query formed such that the database query is syntactically correct and complete, the database query including the text string input, the database query including a query construction record identifying user actions that produced the database query;

a second syntactical prompt, provided by the processor, for constructing a second portion of the database query in the chunk expression language format, the second portion comprising a multi-element chunk expression language syntactic group that completes a syntactically correct expression for the database query, the second syntactical prompt including a text string corresponding to information in the database, the text string selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in at least a portion of the database query, the weighted analysis of database information including a result count factor that increases weight to information that increases results up to a maximum count and decreases the weight to the information for a portion of the results that exceed the maximum count, the chunk expression language resulting in the database query being syntactically correct, the chunk expression language enabling creation of an empty query that when executed at a first time yields no results but when executed at a second time yields one or more results;

a user-specified list of exceptions to the database query; and

a query status, provided by the processor, that indicates a status of the database query.

13. The system of claim 12 in which the weighted analysis of database information includes a completion association in which first and second information items are associated together in a syntactical prompt, thereby increasing weight of a relationship between the first and second information items relative to other information items.

14. The system of claim 12 in which the second syntactical prompt includes an information field identifier corresponding to a selected database information field that includes the text string input.

15. The system of claim 12 in which the second syntactical prompt displays a plurality of database queries from which the user selects the database query, each of the plurality of database queries constructed using the chunk expression language.

16. The system of claim 15 in which individual elements in the database query are modifiable by the user syntactically correct expression for the database query.

17. The system of claim 12 in which the database query is persisted, by the processor, as a database query object in a computer readable medium.

18. The system of claim 12 in which the data structure of the database query object further includes a query result count indicating a number of results returned by the database query.

19. The system of claim 12 in which the data structure of the database query object further includes a query usage record indicating a history of usage of the database query.

20. The system of claim 17 in which the database query is retrievable from the persisted database query object, by the processor, for renewed execution against the database.

21. The system of claim 17 in which:

the database query object includes a data structure having an exception list of exceptions to the database query, the exception list specified by the user, and

the user interface to automatically generate a revised database query in the chunk expression language format, the query taking into account the exceptions in the exception list.

22. The system of claim 12 in which the database query has associated with it an exception list of exceptions to the query specified by a user.

23. The system of claim 22 in which the user interface further includes automatic generation of a revised database query in the chunk expression language format with an accommodation for exceptions in the exception list.

24. The system of claim 12 in which the exception list of exceptions to the query specified by a user can be modified with direct user manipulations of objects.

25. A computer readable medium storing software instructions while excluding carrier signals, the software instructions executable by one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

displaying a first syntactical prompt to construct an initial portion of a database query in a chunk expression language format, the database query including a query construction record identifying user actions that produced the database query;

displaying a second syntactical prompt to construct a second portion of the database query in the chunk expression language format, the second portion comprising a multi-element chunk expression language syntactic group that completes a syntactically correct expression for the database query, the second syntactical prompt including a text string corresponding to information in the database, the text string selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in at least a portion of the database query, the weighted analysis of database information including a result count factor that increases weight to information that increases results up to a maximum count and decreases the weight to the information for a portion of the results that exceed the maximum count;

forming the database query in the chunk expression language based on the first syntactical prompt and the second syntactical prompt, the chunk expression language resulting in the database query being syntactically correct, the chunk expression language enabling creation of an empty query that when executed at a first time yields no results but when executed at a second time yields results;

storing the database query in a persistent database query object; and

storing, in the persistent database query object, an exception list of exceptions to the database query, the exception list specified by a user.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25 further including software executable by the one or more processors for obtaining user-specified exceptions with reference to results returned by the database query.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 25 further comprising software executable by the one or more processors for automatic generation of a revised database query in the chunk expression language format with an accommodation for exceptions in the exception list.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 25 in which the version of the database query includes a query specification language statement corresponding to the database query in the chunk expression language format.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 25 in which the persistent database query object further includes a query construction record identifying user actions used to create the database query.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 25 in which the persistent database query object further includes a query result count of how many results are returned by the database query.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 25 in which the persistent database query object further includes a query usage record indicating a history of usage of the database query.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 25 further comprising software executable by the one or more processors for renewing execution of the database query against the database from the persistent database query object.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 25, further comprising:

displaying a status of the database query, the status indicating whether the database query is valid or invalid.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 25, in which the second syntactical prompt includes an information field identifier corresponding to a selected database information field that includes the initial query text string.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 25, in which the second syntactical prompt includes a displayed listing of plural multi-element chunk expression language database queries, a user selecting one of the plural multi-element chunk expression language database.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 35 in which individual elements in the multi-element chunk expression language database query can be modified by the user, each from a displayed list of elements that can replace the individual element and maintain the syntactically correct expression for the database query.

37. A method, comprising:

under control of one more processors configured with specific executable instructions to perform acts comprising;

displaying a first syntactical prompt to construct an initial portion of a database query in a chunk expression language format, the database query including a query construction record identifying user actions that produced the database query;

displaying a second syntactical prompt to construct a second portion of the database query in the chunk expression language format, the second portion comprising a multi-element chunk expression language syntactic group that completes a syntactically correct expression for the database query, the second syntactical prompt including a text string corresponding to information in the database, the text string selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in at least a portion of the database query, the weighted analysis of database information including a result count factor that increases weight to information that increases results up to a maximum count and decreases the weight to the information for a portion of the results that exceed the maximum count;

forming the database query in a chunk expression language such that the database query is syntactically correct regardless of whether the database query yields no results;

storing the database query in a persistent database query object; and

storing, in the persistent database query object, an exception list of exceptions to the database query, the exception list specified by a user.

38. The method of claim 37 further including obtaining user-specified exceptions with reference to results returned by the database query.

39. The method of claim 37 further including automatically generating a revised database query in the chunk expression language format with an accommodation for exceptions in the exception list.

40. The method of claim 37 in which the version of the database query includes a query specification language statement corresponding to the database query in the chunk expression language format.

41. The method of claim 37 in which the persistent database query object further includes a query result count of how many results are returned by operation of the database query.

42. The method of claim 37 in which the persistent database query object further includes a query usage record indicating a history of usage of the database query.

43. The method of claim 37 further including renewing execution of the database query against the database from the persistent database query object.

44. The method of claim 37, in which the second syntactical prompt is selected from the database based upon a weighted analysis of database information relating to database elements included in the initial query text string.

45. The method of claim 37, in which the syntactical prompt includes an information field identifier corresponding to a selected database information field that includes the initial query text string.

46. The method of claim 37, in which the syntactical prompt includes a displayed listing of plural multi-element chunk expression language database queries, a user selecting one of the plural multi-element chunk expression language database.

47. The method of claim 46 in which individual elements in a multi-element chunk expression language database query can be modified by the user, each from a displayed list of elements that can replace the individual element and maintain the syntactically correct expression for the database query.