Systems and methods for visually building an object model of database tables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11429264-B1
Application number	US-201916572506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 16, 2019
Priority date	Oct 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

A computer displays data sources associated with tables of data. The computer also displays data object icons, each representing a logical combination of tables. While displaying the data sources and the data object icons, the computer detects a portion of an input on a table. In response, the computer generates a candidate data object icon corresponding to the table. The computer also detects another portion of the input on the candidate data object icon. In response, the computer moves the candidate object icon towards the data object icons, while providing a visual cue connecting the candidate object icon to a neighboring data object icon. The computer detects yet another portion of the input, and, in response, displays a connection between the candidate object icon and the neighboring data object icon, and updates the tree of the one or more data object icons to include the candidate data object icon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming object models for data sources, the method comprising:
at an electronic device with a display:
displaying, in a connections region, a plurality of data sources, each data source associated with a respective one or more tables;
concurrently displaying, in an object model visualization region, a tree consisting of a plurality of data object icons, each data object icon representing a respective table having a respective plurality of columns; and
while concurrently displaying the tree in the object model visualization region and the plurality of data sources in the connections region:
detecting, in the connections region, a first portion of an input on a first table associated with a first data source in the plurality of data sources;
in response to detecting the first portion of the input on the first table, generating a candidate data object icon corresponding to the first table;
detecting, in the connections region, a second portion of the input on the candidate data object icon;
in response to detecting the second portion of the input on the candidate data object icon, moving the candidate data object icon from the connections region to the object model visualization region, displaying the candidate data object icon at a fixed non-zero offset from a mouse cursor during the moving;
in response to moving the candidate data object icon to the object model visualization region and while still detecting the input:
selecting a subset of the plurality of data object icons whose right edges are left of the mouse cursor by a predefined positive horizontal distance;
selecting a neighboring data object icon, from the subset, having a shortest distance to a predefined vertical offset from the mouse cursor, as measured from a respective designated point on each data object icon; and
providing a visual cue to connect the candidate data object icon to the neighboring data object icon;

detecting, in the object model visualization region, a third portion of the input on the candidate data object icon; and
in response to detecting the third portion of the input on the candidate data object icon:
displaying a connection between the candidate data object icon and the neighboring data object icon; and
updating the tree of the one or more data object icons to include the candidate data object icon.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to providing the visual cue, performing a nearest object icon calculation that corresponds to a location of the candidate data object icon in the object model visualization region to identify the neighboring data object icon.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the visual cue comprises displaying a Bézier curve between the candidate data object icon and the neighboring data object icon.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, in the object model visualization region, a second input on a respective data object icon; and
in response to detecting the second input on the respective data object icon, providing an affordance to edit the respective data object icon.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
detecting, in the object model visualization region, a selection of the affordance to edit the respective data object icon; and
in response to detecting the selection of the affordance to edit the respective data object icon, displaying, in the object model visualization region, a second one or more data object icons corresponding to the respective data object icon.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising displaying an affordance to revert to displaying a state of the object model visualization region prior to detecting the second input.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a respective type icon corresponding to each data object icon, wherein each type icon indicates if the corresponding data object icon includes a join, a union, or custom SQL statements.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising detecting an input on a first type icon and, in response to detecting the input on the first type icon, displaying an editor for editing the corresponding data object icon.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to detecting that the candidate data object icon is moved over a first data object icon in the object model visualization region, depending on a relative position of the first data object icon with respect to the candidate data object icon, either replacing the first data object icon with the candidate data object icon or displaying shortcuts to combine the first data object icon with the candidate data object icon.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
in response to detecting the third portion of the input on the candidate data object icon:
displaying one or more affordances to select linking fields that connects the candidate data object icon with the neighboring data object icon;
detecting a selection input on a respective affordance of the one or more affordances; and
in response to detecting the selection input, updating the tree of the one or more data object icons by creating a data source according to a linking field corresponding to the selection input.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the candidate data object icon includes displaying the candidate data object icon in the connections region by superimposing the candidate data object icon over the first table.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
concurrently displaying, in a data grid region, data fields corresponding to one or more data object icons.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
in response to detecting the third portion of the input on the candidate data object icon, updating the data grid region to include data fields corresponding to the candidate data object icon.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting, in the object model visualization region, an input to delete a first data object icon; and
in response to detecting the input to delete the first data object icon:
removing one or more connections between the first data object icon and other data object icons in the object model visualization region; and
updating the tree of the one or more data object icons to omit the first data object icon.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying a prep flow icon corresponding to a first data object icon;
detecting an input on the prep flow icon; and
in response to detecting the input on the prep flow icon, displaying one or more steps of the prep flow that define a process for calculating data for the first data object icon.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
detecting a prep flow edit input on a respective step of the one or more steps of the prep flow; and
in response to detecting the prep flow edit input, displaying one or more options to edit the respective step of the prep flow.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising displaying an affordance to revert to displaying a state of the object model visualization region prior to detecting the input on the prep flow icon.

18. A computer system for forming object models for data sources, comprising:
a display;
one or more processors; and
memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed, perform:
displaying, in a connections region, a plurality of data sources, each data source associated with a respective one or more tabl

Assignees

• Tableau Software Inc

Inventors

• Weir Jeffrey Jon
• Talbot Justin

Classifications

• G06T11/26

  Drawing of charts or graphs · CPC title

• G06F16/26 Primary

  Visual data mining; Browsing structured data · CPC title

• G06T2200/24

  involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] · CPC title

• G06F3/04842 Primary

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F16/904 Primary

  Browsing; Visualisation therefor (for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957) · CPC title