Integrated Repository of Structured and Unstructured Data

• US 20120117120A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jacobson, Eric, Thomas, Les, Zhang, Gang
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/793
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems

Abstract

Methods, program products, and systems implementing integrated repository of structured and unstructured data are disclosed. An integrated environment is provided for accessing, structured data (e.g., data of a relational database) and unstructured data (e.g., data stored in a text or binary file), including creating, managing, modifying, and searching the structured data and unstructured data. The integrated environment can include an integrated user interface, a set of commands and application programming interface (API), and storage for a relational database and a document repository. The integrated environment can include a database abstraction layer that allows database operations on both the structured data and the unstructured data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving structured data and unstructured data;

integrating the structured data and the unstructured data, including;

generating metadata from the unstructured data; and

based on the generated metadata, configuring an abstraction layer to perform a database operation on both the structured data and the unstructured data; and

providing an integrated view of the structured data and the unstructured data for display, the integrated view including a user interface for allowing the user to control the database operation of the abstraction layer.

2. The method of claim 1, where:

receiving the structured data includes receiving a data record of a relational database;

receiving the unstructured data includes receiving a document to be inserted into a data field of the data record, the document having an internal structure that is different from a structure of the database.

3. The method of claim 2, where generating the metadata from the unstructured data includes:

extracting the metadata from the document; and

incorporating user created document attributes into the extracted metadata.

4. The method of claim 3, where extracting the metadata includes determining a file type of the document.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the document from a client device; and

storing the received document in a document repository.

6. The method of claim 5, where configuring the abstraction layer includes storing metadata of the document and a reference of the document into one or more document description data fields of the database, where storing the reference of the document includes storing a location of the document in the document repository in one of the document description data fields.

7. The method of claim 6, where configuring the abstraction layer includes creating a document catalog defined using a predefined or configurable schema.

8. The method of claim 7, where the document catalog is associated with a document catalog form that is configured to provide for display a portion of content of the document.

9. The method of claim 2, where providing the integrated view includes providing for display in the user interface the metadata of the document and at least a portion of content of the document.

10. The method of claim 9, where the user interface is a graphical user interface configured to display a thumbnail image of the portion of the content of the document.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request to replace the document using a new document; and

updating at least a portion of the metadata using metadata retrieved from the new document.

12. The method of claim 2, where performing the database operation includes performing a database search.

13. The method of claim 2, where performing the database operation includes providing access to other database data through the document.

14. A method executed by one or more data processing devices, comprising:

receiving a first request to associate a document with a data record of a database;

generating metadata for the document;

storing the metadata of the document and a reference of the document into one or more document description data fields of the database; and

upon receiving a second request to perform a database operation on the data record, performing the database operation on the document description data fields and the document.

15. A computer program product stored on a storage device, operable to cause one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving structured data and unstructured data;

integrating the structured data and the unstructured data, including;

generating metadata from the unstructured data; and

based on the generated metadata, configuring an abstraction layer to perform a database operation on both the structured data and the unstructured data; and

providing an integrated view of the structured data and the unstructured data for display, the integrated view including a user interface for allowing the user to control the database operation of the abstraction layer.

16. The product of claim 15, where:

receiving the structured data includes receiving a data record of a relational database;

receiving the unstructured data includes receiving a document to be inserted into a data field of the data record, the document having an internal structure that is different from a structure of the database.

17. The product of claim 16, where generating the metadata from the unstructured data includes:

extracting the metadata from the document; and

incorporating user created document attributes into the extracted metadata.

18. The product of claim 17, where extracting the metadata includes determining a file type of the document.

19. The product of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

receiving the document from a client device; and

storing the received document in a document repository.

20. A system comprising:

one or more computers configured to perform operations comprising;

receiving structured data and unstructured data;

integrating the structured data and the unstructured data, including;

generating metadata from the unstructured data; and

based on the generated metadata, configuring an abstraction layer to perform a database operation on both the structured data and the unstructured data; and

providing an integrated view of the structured data and the unstructured data for display, the integrated view including a user interface for allowing the user to control the database operation of the abstraction layer.