Visualization of combined table data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10083206-B2
Application number	US-201514946549-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2015
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments effect the combination of data from different tables (e.g., of an underlying database), and the visualization of that combined table data in an incremental manner. Columns from a second table may be selectively combined with those of a first table, manually by user selection and/or automatically by best guess matching. Such matching may be based upon commonalities between table column headers. A menu may allow user selection of specific table(s)/table column(s) to be combined with a first table, as well as a manner of that combination (e.g., particular types of SQL join operations). The table data combination process is visualized step-by-step (e.g., allowing toggling and forward/backward navigation between interface screens), ensuring the user is able to follow data migration in the combined workflow, and appreciate/recognize changing values resulting therefrom. Particular embodiments may leverage the processing power of an in-memory database engine to accomplish combination and/or visualization of table data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
displaying a first database table from an in-memory database;
in response to a first instruction, an in-memory database engine of the in-memory database adding a column to the first database table from a second database table stored in the in-memory database, wherein fields of the column are blank, and the first instruction comprises the column recommended by a suggestion component;
in response to the second instruction, the in-memory database engine populating the fields of the column with stored values;
in response to a third instruction, the in-memory database engine performing a combination operation of the column with another column of the first database table; and
in response to a fourth instruction, the in-memory database engine displaying the fields with updated values resulting from the combination operation.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the column is recommended based upon matching a header of the column by the suggestion component.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the first instruction is received from a menu.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the combination operation comprises a Structured Query Language (SQL) join operation.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein the combination operation specifies a type of the SQL join operation.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein adding the column to the first database table comprises including a column header.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying a computer program for performing a method, said method comprising:
displaying a first database table from an in-memory database;
in response to a suggestion resulting from matching of a second database table stored in the in-memory database, an in-memory database engine adding a column to the first database table from the second database table, wherein fields of the column are blank;
in response to a first instruction, the in-memory database engine populating fields of the column with stored values;
in response to a second instruction, the in-memory database engine performing a combination operation of the column with another column of the first database table; and
in response to a third instruction, the in-memory database engine displaying the fields with updated values resulting from the combination operation.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 7 wherein the suggestion results from matching a header of the column.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 7 wherein the suggestion is received from a suggestion component of the engine.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 7 wherein the suggestion is received from a suggestion component of an application layer.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium as in claim 7 wherein adding the column to the first database table comprises including a column header.

12. A computer system comprising:
one or more processors;
a software program, executable on said computer system, the software program configured to cause an in-memory database engine to:
display a first database table from an in-memory database;
add a column to the first database table from a second database table stored in the in-memory database, in response to a first instruction, wherein fields of the columns are blank, and the first instruction comprises the column recommended by a suggestion component;
populate fields of the column with stored values in response to a second instruction;
perform a combination operation of the column with another column of the first database table in response to a third instruction; and
display the fields with updated values resulting from the combination operation, in response to a fourth instruction.

13. A computer system as in claim 12 wherein the column is recommended based upon matching of a header of the column by the suggestion component.

14. A computer system as in claim 12 wherein the suggestion component is part of the in-memory database engine.

15. A computer system as in claim 12 wherein the suggestion component is separate from the in-memory database engine.

16. A computer system as in claim 12 wherein the suggestion component is in an application layer overlying the in-memory database.

17. A computer system as in claim 12 wherein adding the column to the first database table comprises including a column header.

Assignees

• Business Objects Software Ltd

Inventors

• Zaidi Huma
• Visser Marjolein
• Poon Madison

Classifications

• G06F17/30398

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30466 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/2428 Primary

  Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms (G06F16/2423 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F16/24544 Primary

  Join order optimisation · CPC title