Interfacing with a Relational Database for Multi-Dimensional Analysis via a Spreadsheet Application

• US 20160019281A1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pathak, Ashish, Raman, Ramchand, Hariharan, Sreeram, Uppala, Swathi, Shirkol, Mohammed Hussain, Arora, Usha, Suleman, Kashif
• Granted Patent: US 10,140,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2452 Query translation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable mediums are presented that may provide for an interface to a relational database. A request may be received for data stored in a relationship database, wherein the request is received from a spreadsheet application. In response to the request for data stored in the relational database, a plurality of tables in the relational database may be accessed to retrieve the data indicated in the request. The retrieved data may be translated from the plurality of tables of the relational database into a format for output to the spreadsheet application. The translated data may be output to the spreadsheet application.

Claims

1. A system for providing an interface to a relational database, the system comprising:

a relational interface web server system, comprising;

one or more processors; and

a memory communicatively coupled with and readable by the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a request for data stored in a relationship database, wherein the request is received from a spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for data stored in the relational database, accessing a plurality of tables in the relational database to retrieve the data indicated in the request;

translate the retrieved data from the plurality of tables of the relational database into a format for output to the spreadsheet application; and

output the translated data to the spreadsheet application.

2. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 1, the system further comprising:

a user computer system, configured to;

execute the spreadsheet application, wherein the spreadsheet application uses a software extension to enable communication with the relational interface web server system; and

cause, via a first plurality of cells of the spreadsheet application, data retrieved from the plurality of tables of the relational database to be presented, wherein the user computer system accesses the relational interface web server system via a first network connection.

3. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 1, the system further comprising:

a relational database server system, configured to;

store data using the plurality of tables, wherein the relational database server system is accessible by the relational interface web server system.

4. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions of the relational interface web server system, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for a layout of the data wherein the request is received from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for the layout of the data, fetch metadata from the relational database that defines one or more properties of the data; and

output the metadata to the spreadsheet application.

5. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions of the relational interface web server system, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for an authorization and an authentication of a user from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request, perform the authorization and the authentication of the user; and

provide an authorization response and an authentication response to the spreadsheet application.

6. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 2, wherein the user computer system is further configured to:

cause, via a second plurality of cells of the spreadsheet application, presentation of data retrieved from a multidimensional database management system distinct from the relational database.

7. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 6, wherein the first plurality of cells and the second plurality of cells are presented concurrently.

8. The system for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 1, wherein the processor-readable instructions of the relational interface web server system, when executed, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive an indication of a selection of a cell from within the spreadsheet application;

determine that the cell corresponds to hierarchical data;

retrieving, from the relational database server system, data corresponding to the hierarchical data; and

outputting data corresponding to the hierarchical data to the spreadsheet application.

9. A method for providing an interface to a relational database, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server system, a request for data stored in a relationship database, wherein the request is received from a spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for data stored in the relational database, accessing, by the server system, a plurality of tables in the relational database to retrieve the data indicated in the request;

translating, by the server system, the retrieved data from the plurality of tables of the relational database into a format for output to the spreadsheet application; and

outputting, by the server system, the translated data to the spreadsheet application.

10. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 9, the method further comprising:

executing, by a user computer system, the spreadsheet application, wherein the spreadsheet application uses a software extension to enable communication with the server system; and

cause, via a first plurality of cells of the spreadsheet application, presentation of data retrieved from the plurality of tables of the relational database, wherein the user computer system accesses the server system via a first network connection.

11. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 9, the method further comprising:

storing, using a relational database server system, data using the plurality of tables, wherein the relational database server system is accessible by the server system.

12. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 9, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the server system, a request for a layout of the data wherein the request is received from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for the layout of the data, fetching, by the server system, metadata from the relational database that defines one or more properties of the data; and

outputting, by the server system, the metadata to the spreadsheet application.

13. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 9, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the server system, a request for an authorization and an authentication of a user from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request, performing, by the server system, the authorization and the authentication of the user; and

providing, by the server system, an authorization response and an authentication response to the spreadsheet application.

14. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 10, the method further comprising:

cause, by the user computer system, via a second plurality of cells of the spreadsheet application, presentation of data retrieved from a multidimensional database management method distinct from the relational database.

15. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 14, wherein the first plurality of cells and the second plurality of cells are presented concurrently.

16. The method for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 9, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the server system, an indication of a selection of a cell from within the spreadsheet application;

determining, by the server system, that the cell corresponds to hierarchical data;

retrieving, by the server system, from the relational database server system, data corresponding to the hierarchical data; and

outputting, by the server system, data corresponding to the hierarchical data to the spreadsheet application.

17. A non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing an interface to a relational database, comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to:

receive a request for data stored in a relationship database, wherein the request is received from a spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for data stored in the relational database, accessing a plurality of tables in the relational database to retrieve the data indicated in the request;

translate the retrieved data from the plurality of tables of the relational database into a format for output to the spreadsheet application; and

output the translated data to the spreadsheet application.

18. The non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 17, wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for a layout of the data wherein the request is received from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request for the layout of the data, fetch metadata from the relational database that defines one or more properties of the data; and

output the metadata to the spreadsheet application.

19. The non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 17, wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for an authorization and an authentication of a user from the spreadsheet application;

in response to the request, perform the authorization and the authentication of the user; and

provide an authorization response and an authentication response to the spreadsheet application.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable medium for providing the interface to the relational database of claim 17, wherein the processor-readable instructions are further configured to cause the one or more processors to:

receive an indication of a selection of a cell from within the spreadsheet application;

determine that the cell corresponds to hierarchical data;

retrieving, from the relational database server system, data corresponding to the hierarchical data; and

outputting data corresponding to the hierarchical data to the spreadsheet application.