Method and system for presenting a visual representation of the portion of the sets of data that a query is expected to return

• US 8,959,443 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Law, Margaret T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdul-Ali, Omar
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US13/434,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/764, 715/730
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results

Abstract

In an embodiment, a user is provided with a data representation covered by a relationship. For example, the data representation may include a collection of data objects representations. In an embodiment, the data object representations are arranged in a manner so as to indicate rows or records of different data objects that are associated with one another. In an embodiment, portions of the data objects in the collection are indicated as representing the data that is covered by the relationship. In an embodiment, a report representation that is expected to be generated by the report type defined by the user defined relationship is also provided. In an embodiment, a correspondence in indicated between elements of the report representation (e.g., columns in a thumbnail sketch of a report) and the data object representations (e.g., ovals in a Venn diagram).

Claims

1. A method for providing an interface for object relationships, comprising:

(a) receiving, at a host system from a user machine that is remote from the host system, a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service on a memory system of the host system and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) providing, to the user machine, based upon the at least one relationship between the first object and the second object, a diagram pictorially illustrating the at least one relationship; and

(c) providing, to the user machine, a pictorial representation of a report that illustrates the at least one relationship, the pictorial representation having a visual appearance suggestive of a report;

the pictorial representation not being the report; and

the pictorial representation of the report being different than the diagram;

(d) providing, to the user machine, in association with the pictorial representation of the report and the diagram, a representation of choices of data relationships, the representation of choices including at least one or more links for accepting user input, and a configurable hierarchical arrangement of selected relationships;

(e) receiving, at the host system, user input at the server via the one or more links;

(f) computing a new arrangement that is an update to the configurable hierarchical arrangement, an update to the diagram, and an update to the pictorial representation of the report;

(g) providing to the user machine the update to the diagram, the update to the pictorial representation of the report and the new arrangement in association with the diagram and the pictorial indication.

2. The method of claim 1, the first database object and the second database object being part of a collection of at least two database objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data in the first database object that is associated with data in the second database object, if any associated data exists,

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of the first database object and the second database object the locations resulting in

if the first database object and the second database object have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another; and

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related database objects that correspond to a data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship.

3. The method of claim 1, the first database object and the second database object being part of a collection of at least two database objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining data within different database objects of the collection that is associated, if any exists.

4. The method of claim 1, the first database object and the second database object being part of a collection of at least two database objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations within the diagram for placing representations of at least the first database object and the second database object.

5. The method of claim 1, the first database object and the second database object being part of a collection of at least two database objects, and the determining of the locations includes:

if two database objects have data that is associated, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations overlap one another.

6. The method of claim 5, the determining of the locations further includes:

if two database objects do not have associated data, two corresponding representations are located in a manner in which the two corresponding representations do not overlap one another.

7. The method of claim 1, the first database object and the second database object being part of a collection of at least two database objects, and the providing of the diagram includes:

determining locations of portions within the representations of the related database objects that correspond to the data set resulting from applying the at least one relationship, and

providing a visual indication of the portions.

8. The method of claim 1, the further providing an icon of an arrow pointing from the diagram to the pictorial representation, the diagram having an appearance of a Venn diagram.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a text expressing the relationship; and

the providing of the diagram includes providing a diagram having an appearance of a Venn diagram which includes at least

locating at least two ovals on a webpage, the two ovals including the first oval representing the first database object and a second oval representing the second database object, the locating of the at least two ovals including placing the at least two ovals such that the first oval overlaps the second oval,

shading a portion of the at least two ovals, such that the portions shaded indicate data that the relationship selects.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is an on-demand relational database service capable of supporting multiple tenants.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the diagram is provided prior to generating the report, allowing the user to decide whether to generate the report based on the diagram and the pictorial indication;

the generating of the report including applying the at least one relationship to the first object and the second object; and

arranging the resulting data set into a report.

12. A method for providing an interface for database object relationships, comprising:

(a) receiving, at a host system, from a user machine, a selection of at least a first database object and a second database object stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium of a memory system of the host system that is at a location that is remote from the user machine, in an on-demand relational database service and a definition of at least one relationship between the first database object and the second database object; and

(b) causing a processor system of the host system to provide, based upon the at least one relationship between the first database object and the second database object, a diagram pictorially illustrating the at least one relationship;

the first database object being represented by the host system by a first graphical representation;

the second database object being represented by the host system by a second graphical representation;

if the first database object has database records that are associated with database records of the second database object, the first graphical representation is positioned, by the host system, to have a region that overlaps a region of the second graphical representation;

if the records of the first database object that are associated with the records of the second database object, which are represented by the overlap, are not identical to the records of the second database object;

if the first object has records that are not associated with records of the second object, the first graphical representation is positioned, by the host system, to have a region that does not overlap any region of the second graphical representation;

providing, by the processor system of the host system, a pictorial representation of a report that illustrates that at least one relationship, the pictorial representation having a visual appearance suggestive of a report;

the pictorial representation not being the report; and

the pictorial representation of the report being different than the diagram;

the providing of the pictorial representation of the report including at least;

providing a box representing the report;

providing within the box multiple graphical lines arranged in at least two columns, each column having a visual correspondence with one of the at least two objects;

representing corresponding data associated with the at least two columns with corresponding graphical lines in the at least two columns; and

representing data associated with a first column of the at least two columns that does not have corresponding data that is associated with a second column of the at least two columns with graphical lines in the first column that correspond to blanks in the second column.

13. The method of claim 12, the graphical lines being oriented horizontally.

14. The method of claim 12, the graphical lines being oriented horizontally and each column being rectangular.

15. A method for providing an interface for object relationships, comprising:

(a) receiving, at a database from a user machine that is remote from the host system, a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service on a non-transitory machine-readable medium of a memory system of the database and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) providing, by the processor system of the host system, a pictorial representation of a report that illustrates the at least one relationship, the pictorial representation having a visual appearance suggestive of a report;

the pictorial representation not being the report; and

the pictorial representation of the report being different than the diagram;

the providing of the pictorial indication including

providing by the host system a box representing a report;

providing by the host system multiple graphical lines arranged in columns, each column having a visual correspondence with a different object than any other column, each graphical line representing data in the object represented by the column;

representing by the host system the first object with a first column of graphical lines, each graphical line in the first column representing data in the first object; and

representing by the host system the second object with a second column of graphical lines, each graphical line in the second column representing data in the second object;

implementing one or more machine instructions that cause the host system to determine whether there is data in the first object that corresponds to data in the second object, and if there is data in the first object that corresponds to data in the second object, causing the host system to represent the data in the first object that corresponds to data in the second object with a first graphical line, which is located in the first column, and a corresponding second graphical line, which is in the second column; and

implementing one or more machine instructions that cause the host system to determine whether there is also data in the first object that corresponds to data in the second object, and if there is also data in the first object that corresponds to data in the second object, causing the host system to represent the data in the first object that does not correspond to data in the second object with a third graphical line, which is located in the first column, and a corresponding blank space in the second column, the blank space being located where a fourth graphical line would be located were there data in the second object corresponding to the data in the first object represented by the third graphical line.

16. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer program instructions, which when invoked causes a processor system to carry out operations including:

(a) receiving, at a host system from a user machine that is remote from the host system, a selection of at least a first object and a second object stored in an on-demand database service on a memory system of the host system and a definition of at least one relationship between the first object and the second object;

(b) providing, to the user machine, based upon the at least one relationship between the first object and the second object, a diagram pictorially illustrating the at least one relationship; and

(c) providing, to the user machine, a pictorial representation of a report that illustrates the at least one relationship, the pictorial representation having a visual appearance suggestive of a report;

the pictorial representation not being the report; and

the pictorial representation of the report being different than the diagram;

(d) providing, to the user machine, in association with the pictorial representation of the report and the diagram, a representation of choices of data relationships, the representation of choices including at least one or more links for accepting user input, and a configurable hierarchical arrangement of selected relationships;

(e) receiving, at the host system, user input at the server via the one or more links;

(f) computing a new arrangement that is an update to the configurable hierarchical arrangement, an update to the diagram, and an update to the pictorial representation of the report;

(g) providing to the user machine the update to the diagram, the update to the pictorial representation of the report and the new arrangement in association with the diagram and the pictorial indication.