Dynamically creating queries to find related records in a database

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9477705-B2
Application number	US-201213621142-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2012
Priority date	Dec 28, 2009
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A system that generates display objects in a graphical user interface that enable the user of an application which accesses a data repository through result sets to dynamically construct a new query to show all database records having the same contents as a specified set of fields in a currently active database record. Display objects are further generated that enable the user to specify how the contents of the selected fields are to be matched (e.g. exact matching, inclusion, etc.) and/or logical relationships between specified field contents (e.g. Boolean operators such as AND, OR, NOT, etc.). In one embodiment, once a query is defined in this way, it is stored, for example in the user's profile, so that the user can access it across uses of the application.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method embodied in at least one computer system for dynamically creating queries to find related records in a database, including steps performed by said computer system comprising:
receiving a first search query from a user;
retrieving and displaying a result set of database records from said database responsive to said first search query, said result set containing database records matching criteria in said first search query, and wherein fields in said database records in said result set contain values retrieved from said database;
detecting, from said user, selection of a currently active database record within said result set;
displaying said currently active database record responsive to said user selecting said currently active database record from said previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, by opening a separate tabbed user interface window for independently displaying said currently active database record and displaying said currently active database record within said separate tabbed user interface window;
receiving a first user indication from said user, said first user indication indicating a plurality of user selected fields in said currently active database record;
displaying at least one user interface object over said currently active database record, said user interface object including a list of relational requirements and a list of logical operations, said user interface object enabling said user to indicate a selected one of said listed relational requirements for each of said user selected fields, and to indicate a selected one of said list of logical relationships to be associated with multiple ones of said user selected fields in said currently active database record;
generating a second search query requesting all records in said database both having values in said user selected fields that meet each of said user selected relational requirements with regard to values contained in said user selected fields in said currently active database record, and that also satisfy said selected one of said logical relationships between multiple ones of said user selected fields;
retrieving and displaying a second result set of database records from said database responsive to said second search query;
changing, in response to said first user indication, a visual appearance of each of said plurality of user selected fields in said currently active database record;
one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record receiving, subsequent to said first user indication, a second user indication, wherein said second user indication comprises a right-click operation; and
wherein said displaying of said user interface object including said list of relational requirements and said list of logical operations is in response to said one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record receiving said second user indication.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein one of said user selected relational requirements comprises an exact match requirement for one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said exact match requirement is met by a value in said one of said user selected fields in said records in said database that exactly matches a current value of said one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein one of said user selected relational requirements comprises a contains requirement for one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said contains requirement is met by said one of said user selected fields in said records in said database that contains a current value of said one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein one of said at least one user selected relational requirements comprises a greater than requirement for one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said greater than requirement is met by said one of said user selected fields in said records in said database that contains a value that is greater than a current value of said one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein one of said at least one user selected relational requirements comprises a less than requirement for one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said less than requirement is met by said one of said user selected fields in said records in said database that has a value less than a current value of said one of said user selected fields in said currently active database record.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical AND operation between a first one and a second one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said logical AND operation is satisfied for a given record in said database only when relational requirements for said first one and said second one of said user selected fields are met by values in corresponding fields in said record in said database.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical OR operation between a first one and a second one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said logical OR operation is satisfied for a given record in said database when a relational requirement for either said first one or said second one of said user selected fields is met by a value in a corresponding field in said record in said database.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical NOT operation between a first one and a second one of said user selected fields; and
wherein said logical NOT operation is satisfied for a given record in said database when a relational requirement for a first one of said user selected fields is met by a value in a corresponding field in said record in said database but a relational requirement for a second one of said user selected fields is not met by a value in a corresponding field in said record in said database.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
persistently storing said search query such that said user can access and submit said search query again in the future.

10. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor and at least one computer readable memory, said computer readable memory having program code stored thereon for, when executed by said processor, causing said processor to dynamically create queries to find related records in a database, said program code including
program code for receiving a first search query from a user,
program code for retrieving and displaying a result set of database records from said database responsive to said first search query, said result set containing database records matching criteria in said first search query, and wherein fields in said database records in said result set contain values retrieved from said database,
program code for detecting, from said user, selection of a currently active database record within said result set,
program code for displaying said currently active database record responsive to said user selecting said currently active database record from said previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, by opening a separate tabbed user interface window for independently displaying said currently active database record and displaying said currently active database record within said tabbed user interface window,
program code for receiving a first us

Assignees

• Schimpf Brian C
• Rella Sreedhar
• Rokosz Vaughn T
• IBM

Inventors

• Schimpf Brian C
• Rella Sreedhar
• Rokosz Vaughn T

Classifications

• G06F16/2428 Primary

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

• G06F17/30398 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic