Hierarchical Table

• US 20090216766A1
• Filed: 02/27/2008
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Vignet, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a method may include storing a plurality of database records, storing a value associated with each database record, receiving a request to sort the database records, sorting the database records, and sending a response message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing, in a computer-readable database of a storage system connected to a computer network, a plurality of database records, including at least one parent record, at least one child record associated with at least one of the parent records, and at least one grandchild record associated with at least one of the child records;

storing a value associated with each database record;

receiving a request over the computer network from a client to sort the database records in either ascending or descending order;

in response to the receiving the request, sorting the database records in the either ascending or descending order by;

ranking the parent records in the ascending or descending order based on their values;

ranking the child records associated with each parent record in the ascending or descending order based on their values; and

ranking the grandchild records associated with each child record in the ascending or descending order based on their values; and

sending a response message to the client, the response message being configured to cause a browser of the client to display the plurality of database records according to the sorting performed in response to the receiving the request.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sorting the database records includes sorting:

a first ranked parent record;

a first ranked child record associated with the first parent record;

grandchild records associated with the first parent record in the ascending or descending order based on their ranking;

subsequent child records associated with the first ranked parent record and grandchild records associated with the subsequent child records based on their rankings; and

subsequent parent records, child records associated with the subsequent parent records, and grandchild records associated with the child records associated with the subsequent parent records based on their rankings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in response to running a software program which calls a class associated with a Java programming language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorting the database records includes providing the database records with peer rank indexes based on the rankings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of database records further include great-grandchild records associated with each of the grandchild records; and

the sorting further includes ranking the great-grandchild records associated with each grandchild record based on a value associated with each great-grandchild record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sorting includes:

finding a first parent record from among the database records;

finding child records associated with the parent record from among the plurality of database records; and

finding grandchild records associated with each of the child records from among the plurality of database records.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is configured to cause a graphical user interface (GUI) of the browser of the client to display the plurality of database records according to the sorting performed in response to the receiving the request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving the request in response to a user clicking a sort button on the browser.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer network includes an Internet.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a unique identification (ID) for each database record.

11. A computer program product for sorting a hierarchical table displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a remote client, the computer program product being tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and including executable code that, when executed, is configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

store, in a computer-readable database of a storage system connected to a computer network, a plurality of database records, including at least one parent record, at least one child record associated with at least one of the parent records, and at least one grandchild record associated with at least one of the child records;

store a value associated with each database record;

receive a request over the computer network from the client to sort the database records in either ascending or descending order;

in response to the receiving the request, sort the database records in the either ascending or descending order by;

ranking the parent records in the ascending or descending order based on their values;

ranking the child records associated with each parent record in the ascending or descending order based on their values; and

ranking the grandchild records associated with each child record in the ascending or descending order based on their values; and

send a response message to the client, the response message being configured to cause the GUI of the client to display the plurality of database records according to the sorting performed in response to the receiving the request.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the sorting the database records includes sorting:

a first ranked parent record;

a first ranked child record associated with the first parent record;

grandchild records associated with the first parent record in the ascending or descending order based on their ranking;

subsequent child records associated with the first ranked parent record and grandchild records associated with the subsequent child records based on their rankings; and

subsequent parent records, child records associated with the subsequent parent records, and grandchild records associated with the child records associated with the subsequent parent records based on their rankings.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program product includes a software program written in a Java programming language.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the sorting the database records includes providing the database records with peer rank indexes based on the rankings.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of database records further include great-grandchild records associated with each of the grandchild records; and

the sorting further includes ranking the great-grandchild records associated with each grandchild record based on a value associated with each great-grandchild record.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the sorting includes:

finding a first parent record from among the database records;

finding child records associated with the parent record from among the plurality of database records; and

finding grandchild records associated with each of the child records from among the plurality of database records.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the response message is configured to cause the GUI of the client to display the plurality of database records according to the sorting performed in response to the receiving the request.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the receiving the request includes receiving the request in response to a user clicking a sort button on the browser.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer network includes an Internet.

20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer program product is further configured to store a unique identification (ID) for each database record.