Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-25
2004-01-27
Amsbury, Wayne (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684216
ABSTRACT:
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to method and computer systems which support flexible, user-defined data structures, together with the ability to support user-defined data markup language and rule processing. More specifically the present invention relates to a fifth-generation programming environment for end users, implemented in a relational or object-relational database, in a multiclient environment.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
The rapidity of today's business environment demands that users continue to analyze more data in new and interesting ways. However, many business systems lack the capability for a user to generate new data analyses or reports. Further, employees frequently do not have the luxury of submitting new requirements to the system developers. And even in cases where users can provide developers with new requirements, typically the users must then wait long periods, possibly some months, to obtain the code from the developers, and then deliver the new data, analyses and reports to company management.
Consequently, users may turn to software development tools (such as, for example, spreadsheets) that they are familiar with. A spreadsheet is useful for tracking information over two dimensions (e.g., one spreadsheet, with rows and columns), and three dimensions (e.g., several spreadsheets in a workbook). However, there might be other dimensions over which the users need to analyze their data, e.g., to total four dimensions. An added dimension requires a series of complex, linked spreadsheets with formulas and cell addresses that are generally, by nature of their complexity, unstable and unreliable, through which the user regularly produces the analyses, reports, and graphics. If even one formula or cell address contains an error, the entire analysis may produce an incorrect and/or inappropriate result. Therefore, there is a great need for end users to be able to store, manipulate and display their own information in a stable and robust environment without lengthy delays in requesting support from professional programming staff.
As a result, there is a need for a data markup language that will allow a user to store and display complex information. Document processing methods have typically distinguished between a document's structure, format, or layout and the document's content. For example, one method employs so-called metacodes that can be used to divide the content into titles, paragraphs, words, and footnotes. Recently, XML (“Extended Markup Language”) has achieved popularity through its use of tags and text, which allow users to define fields and content, thereby allowing users to share data.
Document processing methods and XML can be viewed as, and therefore suffer all the limitations associated with, flat file processing. Although the information can be stored in a database, because each text item is defined through the use of tags, these methods do not lend themselves to non-sequential (e.g., random) access. Flat file database deficiencies focus on a high level of data integrity problems, which was a prime motivator for the design and development of relational database systems. There is a need to explicitly specify complex relationships among the data or groups of data displayed in the report, and then to specify how the data and their relationships are displayed. A data markup language should allow the user to store and display multidimensional data and the relationships between the data.
Even some generalized object-oriented methods that allow users to create a table suffer from flat file processing deficiencies. In particular, they do not allow users to specify what the relationships are between tables if the user creates more than one table.
However, data markup languages are of insufficient capability for fifth-generation programming languages. Without the ability to manipulate multi-dimensional information easily, such languages are not useful enough to be adopted by end users. In particular, users expect to be able to enter an equation into a tool as easily as entering a formula into a spreadsheet. Users today will not write a program in a third generation language to manipulate data. Existing alternatives, such as, for example, most code generators or program generators, are inadequate because they do not store rules in a database, but instead store them in a third generation or procedural language.
There is also a need for users to define their own flexible data structures. A spreadsheet implicitly defines any data structure that a user wants, appropriate or inappropriate. Providing an environment in which a user can define a (flexible) data structure consistent with relational database design principles increases the quality of the data, the analytics of the data, and the reports generated based on the data. However, today's relational database design and development environments are mastered only by relational database designers and developers, not by end users.
Although online analytical processing databases typically store large amounts of data, they are generally inadequate for a flexible, user-defined database environment. These tools typically define a multi-dimensional database structure at the outset, and do not allow users to easily change the structure of the database. Online analytical processing or relational online analytical processing is a technique of designing a data warehouse where there is a central, pre-defined fact table, and central, pre-defined level of aggregation with some number of surrounding factor tables which define dimensionality of the fact table. If a user wanted to add another dimension to the analysis, the user would have to tell the database designer, who would then add another table to the database.
Finally, a fifth-generation programming language should be able to be deployed in a multiclient environment. With the advent of the World Wide Web as a customer interface to traditionally unseen, back-office applications, users may want to customize their systems for each client. To date, in a multiclient environment such as, for example, the Web, client-specific information has been captured through information stored on user's computers, e.g., so-called cookies. However, it is difficult to analyze and report on information contained in the cookies. Capturing the customized information in a relational database, however, easily supports analysis and reporting.
Given the above problems, the present invention provides novel methods and computer systems which support flexibly entering, storing, and displaying multi-dimensional information and analytics, in an efficient and effective manner (such as, for example, recursive data structures), while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior methodologies.
The present invention allows users to identify and describe the variables or data elements of interest.
The system, according to the present invention, allows users to describe the structure of the variables, data, or data elements in a database, consistent with relational or object-relational principles.
The invention, in a further aspect, allows users to define, in a recursive manner, how different structural elements relate to each other, in a database consistent with relational or object-relational principles.
The present invention allows users, when processing multidimensional information, to define their data in such a way as to help minimize the number of complex, linked spreadsheets, filled with numbers, metrics, potentially incorrect and/or unstable formulas and cell addresses, thereby increasing the quality of the data and analytics associated with or derived from the information.
The present inventio
Dorsey Paul R.
Duliba Katherine A.
Amsbury Wayne
Duliba Katherine A.
Goddard Brian
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
LandOfFree
Method and computer system for providing input, analysis,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and computer system for providing input, analysis,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and computer system for providing input, analysis,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3198350