Database navigation

• US 7,720,887 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Covington, Clinton D, Hough, Daniel, Sigler, Jonathan M, Naramore, Theresa A, Krout, Kelly M, Gardner, Scott T., Miller, Andrew R., Coggins, Robert E, Bryant, Christopher W., McCormack, Michael J
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bullock; Joshua
• Application Number:
  US11/027,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103, 707/101, 715/810
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

Database interaction is facilitated by graphically presenting database objects in groups that are not necessarily dictated by object types of the database objects. In an example implementation, database navigation is facilitated by determining object dependency groups for a database in which each object dependency group corresponds to a database source object and includes at least those database objects that depend directly or indirectly from the corresponding database source object. When these data source object-based dependency groups are graphically displayed, selecting a database object thereof provides access thereto. In another example implementation, a user can designate an attribute associated with database objects by which the database objects are to be grouped. Thus, the database objects are grouped by various values that the user-designated associated attribute takes. These designated-attribute-based value-driven groups may also be graphically displayed to enable navigation of and access to the different database objects assigned to them.

Claims

1. One or more processor-accessible storage media comprising processor-executable instructions that include a database interface module, the database interface module configured to group database objects by object dependencies into multiple groups of database objects;

wherein the database interface module is configured to display the multiple groups of database objects, each respective group of database objects corresponding to a respective data source object of the database and including at least one data consuming database object that indirectly depends from the respective data source object and excluding data consuming database objects that do not directly or indirectly depend from the respective data source object, wherein direct dependency and indirect dependency is traced via (i) upstream dependencies and (ii) downstream dependencies;

wherein the database interface module is further configured to provide access to the displayed multiple groups of database objects as a navigational capability for the database;

wherein the database interface module is further configured to provide access to a particular database object of a displayed particular group of database objects when the particular database object is selected by a user; and

wherein the database objects of the displayed particular group of database objects, besides the data source object thereof, comprise dependent database objects that provide a view on or a view of data stored in the data source object of the displayed particular group of database objects;

wherein the database interface module is further configured to display the multiple groups of database objects in a column inside at least a portion of a window, the column including each respective group of database objects having a table as each respective data source object and wherein each respective dependent database object comprises one or more of a query, a report, or a form; and

wherein the database interface module is further configured to display an icon adjacent each table displayed in the displayed column, the icon being selectable by a user to;

(i) collapse a group of database objects that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table; and

(ii) expand the group of database objects that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table,

wherein the database interface module is further configured to establish a selection hotzone around each database object entry and around a graphical icon adjacent to each database object, wherein the graphical icon indicates the database object type, and

wherein placing a pointer icon in the hotzone identifies an associated database object as the current target of the pointer icon, and wherein selection of a hotzone by the pointer icon causes contents of a corresponding database object to be accessed and displayed via a pop-up window or a full window.

2. The one or more processor-accessible storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the dependent database objects comprise at least one of data processing objects, data formatting objects, or data input objects.

3. The one or more processor-accessible storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the provided access to the particular database object comprises displaying at least one of (i) one or more details of the particular database object or (ii) at least a portion of the particular database object.

4. The one or more processor-accessible storage media as recited in claim 1, wherein the database interface module is further configured to display the particular group of database objects by presenting the dependent database objects of the particular group of database objects as entries that are proximate to a group header identifying the data source object of the displayed particular group of database objects.

5. A method comprising:

determining object dependencies among database objects of a database in relation to multiple data source objects of the database;

displaying the determined object dependencies as a navigational map;

wherein the navigational map comprises multiple respective object dependency groups corresponding to respective ones of the multiple data source objects, a particular object dependency group including a plurality of database objects that depend from a particular data source object; and

enabling access to the displayed database objects of the database in the multiple object dependency groups of the navigational map, including enabling access to the displayed plurality of database objects that depend from the particular data source object of the particular object dependency group;

wherein the database objects of each respective object dependency group, besides the respective data source object thereof, comprise dependent database objects that provide a view on or a view of data stored in the respective data source object of the respective object dependency group;

wherein the displaying comprises;

displaying the multiple object dependency groups in a column inside at least a portion of a window, the column including the particular object dependency group having a table as the displayed particular data source object thereof and one or more of a query, a report, or a form as the displayed plurality of database objects that depend from the displayed particular data source object;

displaying an icon adjacent each table displayed in the displayed column, the icon being selectable by a user to;

(i) collapse an object dependency group that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table; and

(ii) expand the object dependency group that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table; and

establishing a respective selection hotzone around each respective database object of the plurality of database objects and around a graphical icon adjacent to each respective database object of the plurality of database objects, wherein the graphical icon indicates the database object type, wherein placing a pointer icon in the hotzone identifies an associated database object as the current target of the pointer icon,

wherein selection of a hotzone by the pointer causes contents of a corresponding database object to be accessed and displayed via a pop-up window or a full window.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the plurality of database objects depend both directly and indirectly from the particular data source object;

and

wherein the enabling comprises;

enabling access to the displayed plurality of database objects that depend both directly and indirectly from the particular data source object.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the determining comprises:

determining the object dependencies using a data structure that is maintained to identify object dependencies within the database.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the determining comprises:

determining the object dependencies for each database object of the database starting with individual ones of the database objects and tracking dependencies upstream toward at least one data source object.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the determining comprises:

determining at least a portion of the object dependencies by starting with the particular data source object.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the determining further comprises:

ascertaining those database objects of the plurality of database objects that directly depend from the particular data source object;

ascertaining those database objects of the plurality of database objects that indirectly depend from the particular data source object by tracing downstream dependencies from directly dependent database objects; and

recording those database objects that are ascertained to directly or indirectly depend from the particular data source object in association with the particular data source object for the particular object dependency group.

11. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the plurality of database objects that depend from the particular data source object include at least one database object that has a second level of dependency with respect to the particular data source object.

12. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the enabling comprises:

detecting a user selection of a database object from the displayed plurality of database objects; and

providing access for the user to the selected database object.

13. A device comprised of at least one processor processor coupled to memory, the device being configured to create a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate interaction with a database;

the device configured to display a navigational map including a plurality of dependency groups as part of the GUI, each respective dependency group corresponding to a respective data source object of the database and including one or more data consuming database objects that depend from the respective data source object and excluding data consuming database objects that do not directly or indirectly depend from the respective data source object, wherein direct dependency and indirect dependency is trace via (i) upstream dependencies and (ii) downstream dependencies;

the device further configured to enable access to one or more database objects of each dependency group of the plurality of dependency groups via the displayed navigational map;

wherein the one or more data consuming database objects that are included as part of each respective dependency group and that depend from the respective data consuming data source object thereof provide a view on or a view of data stored in the respective data consuming data source object of the respective dependency group;

wherein the device is further configured to display the plurality of dependency groups in a column inside at least a portion of a window as a part of the GUI, the column including each respective dependency group having a table as each respective displayed data consuming data source object and one or more of a query, a report, or a form as the displayed data consuming database objects that depend from each respective data source object; and

wherein the device is further configured to display an icon adjacent each table displayed in the displayed column, the icon being selectable by a user to;

(i) collapse a dependency group that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table; and

(ii) expand the dependency group that includes the displayed one or more of a query, a report, or a form that depend from the respective displayed table.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more database objects of a respective dependency group comprise view objects that depend directly and/or indirectly from the respective data source object thereof.

15. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the device is further configured to enable the access to the one or more database objects of each dependency group responsive to user input when a pointer icon is located within one or more respective hotzones established around respective ones of the one or more database objects.