Compositional query comprehensions

• US 7,865,533 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vick, Paul A. Jr., Zabokritski, Eugueni, Silver, Amanda K., Tsingauz, Aleksey V., Meijer, Henricus Johannes Maria
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tim T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, ANHTAI V
• Application Number:
  US11/671,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9032 Query formulation

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate query comprehension that are constructed in a compositional manner. In accordance therewith, the query comprehensions can be assembled together in virtually in order without common requirements that force query operators of a query expression to follow ordering/syntactic rules. In addition, the architecture can provide for query expressions that arbitrarily composable and which can be terminated at any point. If the query expression terminates without a Select or Return clause at the end, the architecture can facilitate generation of an implicit Select or Return, and output results.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system that facilitates query comprehensions, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement the query comprehension system including;

a comprehension component that manages a scope of a control variable; and

a transformation component that receives from a user a query that includes initialization data and a set of query clauses in a sequence characterized by a query expression, wherein the user can perform at least the following;

input new control variables into the received user-inputted query, the control variables comprising unique local variables that are configured to represent a property or column of an individual data row in a collection as the user-inputted query evaluates, hide existing control variables in the user-inputted query that are determined to be out of scope when the hidden variables are no longer part of the user-inputted query, reveal hidden variables that are determined to be in scope when the previously hidden variables are now part of the user-inputted query and implement the existing control variables in a different syntactical order than that in which the new control variables were inputted in the user-inputted query, wherein the control variable of the user inputted query have no syntactical order restriction, and wherein;

the initialization data includes a control variable and at least one of a collection or an expression;

the transformation component resolves values of the control variable in scope for each query clause, and based upon a type of each query clause, respectively;

the transformation component operates on each query clause in a manner that is independent of an ordering of the sequence; and

the transformation component outputs the results of the transformation performed on the collection or expression based upon the query expression and based on the number of control variables in scope, wherein the format in which the results are output is variable depending on the number of control variables in scope.

2. The system of claim 1, the comprehension component declares a new control variable and bring the new control variable in scope based upon a type of query clause received.

3. The system of claim 1, the comprehension component takes an extant control variable out of scope based upon a type of query clause received.

4. The system of claim 1, the comprehension component, based upon a type of query clause received, declares and scopes a new control variable and brings an extant control variable in scope for a particular set of subsequent query clauses.

5. The system of claim 1, the comprehension component takes all extant control variables out of scope based upon a type of query clause received.

6. The system of claim 1, the comprehension component generates an alias for a tuple of an extant control variable based upon a type of query clause received.

7. The system of claim 1, the transformation component uses results of a current query clause to process a next query clause in the sequence independent of the ordering of the clauses in the sequence.

8. The system of claim 1, the set of query clauses is not required to include an explicit termination query clause.

9. The system of claim 1, the transformation component is configured to append an implicit termination clause to each query clause received.

10. The system of claim 1, the transformation component is configured to allow arbitrary nesting of sets of query clauses.

11. The system of claim 1, the transformation component evaluates a query clause based upon an expected type associated with the query clause.

12. The system of claim 1, the transformation component is configured to receive multiple collections and output a single collection with control variables associated with the multiple collections merged according to a type of query clause.

13. The system of claim 2, the new control variable is associated with at least one of a collection or a computed expression.

14. The system of claim 7, the transformation component passes control variables in scope to the next query clause.

15. The system of claim 9, the implicit termination clause facilitates return of the values of the control variable when only one control variable is in scope.

16. The system of claim 9, the implicit termination clause facilitates return of a name-value pair tuple for each control variable when more than one control variable is in scope.

17. A computer-implemented method for facilitating construction of query comprehensions in a compositional manner, comprising:

employing a processor executing computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium to implement the following acts;

obtaining a collection and a control variable associated with the collection;

receiving from a user in succession a query that includes a current query clause from a set of query clauses included in a query expression without placing syntactical ordering restrictions on the query expression, wherein the user can perform at least the following;

input new control variables into the received user-inputted query, the control variables comprising unique local variables that are configured to represent a property or column of an individual data row in a collection as the user-inputted query evaluates, hide existing control variables in the user-inputted query that are determined to be out of scope when the hidden variables are no longer part of the user-inputted query, reveal hidden variables that are determined to be in scope when the previously hidden variables are now part of the user-inputted query and implement the existing control variables in a different syntactical order than that in which the new control variables were inputted in the user- inputted query, wherein the control variable of the user inputted query have no syntactical order restriction;

modifying the collection based upon the current query clause; and

providing access to control variables that are in scope for the current query clause, the access is provided to a next query clause;

outputting the results of the transformation based upon the query expression and based on the number of control variables in scope, wherein the format in which the results are output is variable depending on the number of control variables in scope.

18. A computer-implemented system for facilitating compositional query comprehensions, comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor;

the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configure to implement the query comprehension system including;

computer-implemented means for acquiring a collection or an expression, and a control variable associated with the collection or the expression;

computer-implemented means for receiving from a user a query that includes a present query clause from a sequence of query clauses, the sequence is not required to conform to a predefined order, wherein the user can input new control variables into the received user-inputted query, the control variables comprising unique local variables that are configured to represent a property or column of an individual data row in a collection as the user-inputted query evaluates, hide existing control variables in the user-inputted query that are determined to be out of scope when the hidden variables are no longer part of the user-inputted query, reveal hidden variables that are determined to be in scope when the previously hidden variables are now part of the user-inputted query and implement the existing control variables in a different syntactical order than that in which the new control variables were inputted in the user-inputted query, wherein the control variable of the user inputted query have no syntactical order restriction;

computer-implemented means for transforming the collection based upon the present query clause, wherein the results of the transformation are outputted based on the expression and based on the number of control variables in scope, wherein the format in which the results are output is variable depending on the number of control variables in scope; and

computer-implemented means for granting a next query clause access to control variables in scope for the present query clause.