Building A Unified Query That Spans Heterogeneous Environments

Abstract

A unified query building system generates a source structure comprising nodes from a data structure input of an identified data source, displays the generated source structure in a logical view, adds a selected node or element from the nodes to a design query canvas, generates a query object from the selected node based on a source type of the selected node, presents a logical view of a query function of a selected query object, and generates a unified query comprising the generated query objects. The logical view is displayed in a graphical user interface comprising a design query canvas comprising grids corresponding to functions in a query language such as SQL or XML. The generated unified query is displayed in an actual query view and is outlined in a query outline view.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Under 35 USC §120, this application is a continuation application and claims the benefit of priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 368,293, filed Mar. 3, 2006, entitled “Building a Unified Query that Spans Heterogeneous Environments”, all of which is incorporated herein by reference.[0002]The present application relates to co-pending U.S. patent application, titled “System and Method for Generating an Xpath Expression,” Ser. No. 11 / 368,292, which is filed concurrently herewith, and to co-pending U.S. patent application, titled “Query Builder Using Context Sensitive Grids,” Ser. No. 10 / 985,431, filed on Nov. 10, 2004, both of which applications are assigned to the same assignee as the present application.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention generally relates to data storage in structured or semi-structured, or unstructured format. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for generically constructing a ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present system may be embodied in a utility program such as a unified query building utility program. The present system also provides a method for the user to identify a data source by specifying a location of the data source and then invoking the unified query building utility to generate a data structure input. The present system further provides a method for the user to select nodes or elements from the data structure input for inclusion in a unified query. The present system generates objects corresponding to the selected nodes or elements and displays these objects to the user such that the user can select objects for expansion. The present system provides a method by which the expanded objects can be manipulated or otherwise modified by the user. The present system provides a method for the user to invoke the unified query building utility to generate the unified query from the selected nodes or elements.

Problems solved by technology

With the addition of native XML support in databases, the queries required to find, manipulate, and publish data stored in a conventional database have become more complex.

Consequently, the process of querying over XML data and relational data is cumbersome; a user is required to build combined queries using more than one tool, each with a different user experience.

The need for such a solution has heretofore remained unsatisfied.

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