Dynamically creating queries to find related records in a database

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9529842-B2
Application number	US-64796509-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2009
Priority date	Dec 28, 2009
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 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 system comprising:
at least one processor and at least one computer readable memory, said computer readable memory having stored thereon program code for dynamically creating queries to find related records in a database, said program code including
program code for displaying a currently active database record, wherein said displaying is responsive to a user selecting said currently active database record from a previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, by opening said currently active database record into a separate tabbed user interface window that displays said currently active database record in response to detecting said user selecting said currently active database record from said previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, and wherein fields in said currently active database record display values retrieved from said database,
program code for receiving indication from a user of at least one user selected field in said currently active database record,
program code for generating a user interface object enabling said user to indicate a user selected relational requirement to be applied when determining matching records in said database, and
program code for generating a search query that contains a value of said at least one user selected field in said active database record, wherein said value of said at least one user selected field in said active database record was retrieved from said database, and requesting all other records in said database having values in said at least one user selected field that satisfy said user selected relational requirement with respect to said value of said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected relational requirement comprises an exact match requirement; and
wherein, responsive to said exact match requirement, said search query requests all records having values in said at least one user selected field exactly matching said value of said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected relational requirement comprises a contains requirement; and
wherein, responsive to said contains requirement, said search query requests all records having said at least one user selected field containing said value of said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected relational requirement comprises a greater than requirement; and
wherein, responsive to said greater than requirement, said search query requests all records having values in said at least one user selected field greater than said value of said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected relational requirement comprises a less than requirement; and
wherein, responsive to said less than requirement, said search query requests all records having values in said at least one user selected field less than said value of said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said program code for generating said user interface object enabling said user to indicate said user selected relational requirement includes program code for displaying a plurality of relational requirements from which said user can select said selected relational requirement.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected field in said currently active database record comprises a plurality of user selected fields in said currently active database record; and
wherein said program code further comprises
program code for generating a user interface object enabling said user to indicate at least one user selected logical operation to be applied when determining matching records in said database, and
wherein said program code for generating said search query requests all records having values in said plurality of user selected fields matching a result of applying said at least one user selected logical operation to said values of said plurality of user selected fields in said currently active database record.

8. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical AND operation; and
wherein, responsive to said logical AND operation, said search query requests all records having values matching said values of a first one of said user selected plurality of fields and a second one of said user selected plurality of fields in said currently active database record.

9. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical OR operation; and
wherein, responsive to said logical OR operation, said search query requests all records having values matching said values of a first one of said user selected plurality of fields or a second one of said user selected plurality of fields in said currently active database record.

10. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
wherein said at least one user selected logical operation comprises a logical NOT operation; and
wherein, responsive to said logical NOT operation, said search query requests all records having values matching said values of a first one of said user selected plurality of fields and not matching a second one of said user selected plurality of fields in said currently active database record.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said program code further comprises:
program code for persistently storing said search query such that said user can access and submit said search query again in the future.

12. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon program code for dynamically creating queries to find related records in a database, said program code including
program code for displaying a currently active database record, wherein said displaying is responsive to a user selecting said currently active database record from a previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, by opening said currently active database record into a separate tabbed user interface window that displays said currently active database record in response to detecting said user selecting said currently active database record from said previously generated result set of database records retrieved from said database, and wherein fields in said currently active database record display values retrieved from said database,
program code for receiving indication from a user of at least one user selected field in said currently active database record,
program code for generating a user interface object enabling said user to indicate a user selected relational requirement to be applied when determining matching records in said database, and
program code for generating a search query that contains a value of said at least one user selected field in said active database record, wherein said value of said at least one user selected field in said active database record was retrieved from said database, and requesting all other records in said database having values in said at least one user selected field that satisfy said user selected relational requirement with respect to said valu

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