Processing query conditions having filtered fields within a data abstraction environment

• US 8,458,200 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Glowacki, Janice R., Kulack, Frederick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, SHEREE N
• Application Number:
  US12/204,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 707/754, 707/E17.059, 707/760, 707/802
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2423 Interactive query statement specification based on a database schema
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2452 Query translation

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for composing and executing queries using filtered fields. In one embodiment, a query may be composed with compatible fields, meaning filtered fields that store related data of a particular data type. Such compatible fields may be combined into a single query condition, thus simplifying the composition and execution of the query. In one embodiment, fields may be identified as compatible based on metadata included in a database abstraction model.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for composing abstract queries, comprising:

providing an abstraction model defining a plurality of filtered fields, wherein the abstraction model models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model, wherein the abstraction model includes a filtered field definition for each filtered field specifying a respective;

(i) field name that uniquely identifies the filtered field, (ii) first column, (iii) second column and (iv) filter value, wherein the filtered field is configured to return a subset of values from the first column based on which values within the second column correspond to the filter value;

receiving a first selection of a first one of the plurality of filtered fields to be included in an abstract query, the first filtered field selected using the field name associated with the first filtered field;

identifying, from the plurality of filtered fields, one or more filtered fields, distinct from the selected first filtered field, and each having a respective filtered field definition that specifies a same first column and second column as the filtered field definition of the selected first filtered field;

presenting the identified one or more filtered fields in a user interface;

receiving a second selection of at least one of the presented filtered fields to be included in the abstract query; and

composing the abstract query using the field name associated with the first filtered field to reference the first filtered field, together with the respective field name associated with each of the at least one selected filtered field, to reference the at least one selected filtered field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query; and

executing the executable query to produce a set of query results.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transforming the abstract query is performed on the basis of the abstraction model.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the executable query is generated such that the selected filtered field and the one or more filtered fields are queried together in one executable sub-query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more filtered fields is performed on the basis of predefined metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more filtered fields comprises identifying one or more logical fields specified by logical field definitions in the abstraction model comprising a same first column value as the selected filtered field and a same second column value as the selected filtered field.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the one or more filtered fields to a user and receiving the user selection of at least one filtered field are performed in a graphical user interface.

8. A computer-readable storage memory including a program, which when executed on a processor performs an operation, the operation comprising:

providing an abstraction model defining a plurality of filtered fields, wherein the abstraction model models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model, wherein the abstraction model includes a filtered field definition for each filtered field specifying a respective;

(i) field name that uniquely identifies the filtered field, (ii) first column, (iii) second column and (iv) filter value, wherein the filtered field is configured to return a subset of values from the first column based on which values within the second column correspond to the filter value;

receiving a first selection of a first one of the plurality of filtered fields to be included in an abstract query, the first filtered field selected using the field name associated with the first filtered field;

identifying, from the plurality of filtered fields, one or more filtered fields, distinct from the selected first filtered field, and each having a respective filtered field definition that specifies a same first column and second column as the filtered field definition of the selected first filtered field;

presenting the identified one or more filtered fields in a user interface;

receiving a second selection of at least one of the presented filtered fields to be included in the abstract query; and

composing the abstract query using the field name associated with the first filtered field to reference the first filtered field, together with the respective field name associated with each of the at least one selected filtered field, to reference the at least one selected filtered field.

9. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 8, further comprising:

transforming the abstract query to generate an executable query; and

executing the executable query to produce a set of query results.

10. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 9, wherein transforming the abstract query is performed on the basis of the abstraction model.

11. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 9, wherein the executable query is generated such that the selected field and the one or more filtered fields are queried together in one executable sub-query.

12. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more filtered fields is performed on the basis of predefined metadata.

13. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 8, wherein identifying one or more filtered fields comprises identifying one or more logical fields specified by logical field definitions in the abstraction model comprising a same first column value as the selected filtered field and a same second-column as the selected filtered field.

14. The computer-readable storage memory of claim 8, wherein presenting the one or more filtered fields to a user and receiving the user selection of at least one filtered field are performed in a graphical user interface.

15. A computer-implemented method for composing abstract queries, comprising:

providing an abstraction model defining a plurality of filtered fields, wherein the abstraction model models underlying physical data in a manner making a schema of the physical data transparent to a user of the abstraction model, wherein the abstraction model includes a filtered field definition for each filtered field specifying a respective;

(i) field name that uniquely identifies the filtered field, (ii) first column, (iii) second column and (iv) filter value, wherein the filtered field is configured to return a subset of values from the first column based on which values within the second column correspond to the filter value;

receiving a first selection of a first one of the plurality of filtered fields to be included in an abstract query, the first filtered field selected using the field name associated with the first filtered field;

identifying, from the plurality of filtered fields, one or more filtered fields, distinct from the selected first filtered field, and each having a respective filtered field definition that specifies a same first column and second column as the filtered field definition of the selected first filtered field;

presenting the identified one or more filtered fields in a user interface;

receiving a second selection of at least one of the presented filtered fields to be included in the abstract query; and

composing the abstract query using the field name associated with the first filtered field to reference the first filtered field, together with the respective field name associated with each of the at least one selected filtered field, to reference the at least one selected filtered field.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying one or more logical fields comprises:

retrieving, from the abstraction model, a dynamic entity specification specifying a field template used to generate a group of logical fields.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the dynamic entity specification specifies a predefined data query to retrieve a set of parameter values used by the field template to generate the group of logical fields.