Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture for providing a visual display of information that quickly conveys how information, as represented by data retrieved for a set of queries, may have changed over time is disclosed. By animating information retrieved for a plurality of queries, a visual display is created that conveys how a data in a database has changed over time. Users compose a query template specifying a plurality of queries. The query template further specifies a time period and frequency range over which the queries in the query template should be executed. After executing a query to retrieve data corresponding to each point in time, a snapshot of the database is available to generate the visual display of information.

Abstract: Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for query building with selectability of aggregation operations and grouping. Abstract queries are composed on the basis of a data abstraction model abstractly describing data in the database. The abstract queries may include result criterions and aggregation operations to be performed with respect to the result criterions for generating aggregation information. An object is generated containing query entities and allowing a user to selectively (i) generate an executable query corresponding to the abstract query inclusive of the aggregation operation and aggregation logic; and (ii) resolve the abstract query to the individual entities contained in the object exclusive of the aggregation operation and aggregation logic.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods, systems, and articles of manufacture that provide a managed software development environment. In one embodiment, software programmers interact with the managed software development environment to develop a target software application. Embodiments of the invention prevent source code from being included in the target software application if the license for the project is incompatible with either the license under which the source code is available or with company policy. Embodiments of the invention further prevent linking to a library file if the library file is available under a license that is incompatible with the intended license of the target software application.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods, systems and articles of manufacture that enhance the capability of a database abstraction model and query application constructed for an underlying physical database. Typically, the query application is used to compose and execute an abstract query. Once an initial query result is presented to a user, a user may select to execute a model entity operation by interacting with a query interface of the query application. A model entity operation allows the user to retrieve additional information from the underlying database, based on information included in the initial query result, without having to create a new query or having to correlate the results of multiple queries.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems and articles of manufacture for constructing a database abstraction model over an underlying physical database. Typically, queries of the database abstraction model are directed to queries of a model entity defined for the database abstraction model. To compose an abstract query, users select conditions evaluated using data associated with instances of the model entity. Using the database abstraction model, users may compose an abstract query according to logical or intuitive relationships among data elements stored in the underlying database. One addition to the database abstraction model is the ability to apply query criteria against related instances of a model entity. Because model entities may share a predefined relationship, embodiments of the invention allow for users to specify query criteria applied against related instances. Related instances may be identified by invoking a path function provided by the database abstraction model.

Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium, and apparatus for programmatically providing a graphical user interface for creating queries are provided. Generally, the graphical user interface includes a first-level region for displaying one or more first-level query conditions and a first-level operator selection element, the selected first-level operator being applied to logically relate the one or more first-level query conditions. The graphical user interface also contains a second-level region for displaying two or more second-level query conditions and contains a second-level operator selection element, the selected second-level operator being applied to the two or more second-level query conditions within the second-level region to form a second-level query portion. The selected first-level operator is applied to the second-level query portion and the one or more query conditions of the first-level region to form a first-level query portion.

Abstract: The present invention generally provides methods, systems and articles of manufacture that provide a database query application that allows user to compose an abstract query that includes a sequence operator. In one embodiment, sequence operators are used to specify which data elements, from a sequence of data elements, should be retrieved for an abstract query. In another embodiment, a sequence operator may be used to specify that a condition included in an abstract query should be evaluated against particular data elements of the sequence.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, system, and signal-bearing medium that, in an embodiment, detect a first user, detect a second user, determine a presentation rule based on the detection of the first and second user, and send the presentation rule to an application. The presentation rule instructs the application to modify data presented by the application. In an embodiment, the presentation rule contains an action that the application is to take. In another embodiment, the presentation rule includes categories of the users, and the application determines the action to take to modify the data in response to the categories. In various embodiments, the rule may instruct the application to remove information from the presented data, exclude information from a directory from the presented data, remove a window from the presented data, remove a portion of the window from the presented data, or restrict a user interface element.

Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture for query processing and, more particularly, for managing execution of queries with respect to different data sources. The different data sources may be logically represented by one or more data abstraction models. One embodiment comprises receiving a first abstract query against physical data in a first data source. The first abstract query has one or more result fields configured to return requested data from the first data source. In response to receiving the first abstract query and determining that the first abstract query is configured for retrieving data from the first data source, it is detected whether the first data source is available. If the first data source is unavailable, a second abstract query against physical data in a second data source containing at least a portion of the requested data is created on the basis of the first abstract query.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for constructing a database abstraction model over an underlying physical database. Once constructed, users may interact with the database abstraction model, rather than the underlying physical database representation, to query the database and view query results. In one embodiment, information is retrieved from the underlying physical database that is related to a model entity and displayed on a timeline. Generally, a model entity identifies the logical focus, or the central entity, being queried by user interacting with a query application. An abstract record identifies what data about each model entity is available to query using the database abstraction model.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for context insensitive model entity searching are provided. A model entity is used to identify to a central entity or concept modeled by a database abstraction model. Instances of a model entity may be defined in reference to an identifier in an underlying database. Model entity relationships specify relationships between the model entity and other datasets in the database (e.g., tables of a relational database). A database abstraction model provides an interface to both the model entity and the data in the underlying database. Rather than creating a query of the database using a series of restrictive conditions, or selecting individual the tables or datasets to search, a user may specify search term(s). Instances of the model entity containing the search term(s), regardless of where the search term(s) occur in the underlying database, are returned for the search. Thereafter, a user may select individual instances of the model entity to view in greater detail.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for constructing a database abstraction model over an underlying physical database. Once constructed, users may interact with the database abstraction model, rather than the underlying physical database representation, to query the database and view query results. In one embodiment, information is retrieved from the underlying physical database that is related to a model entity. Generally, a model entity identifies the logical focus, or the central entity, being queried by user interacting with a query application. An abstract record identifies what data about each model entity is available to query using the database abstraction model. In addition, once presented with data for an instance of a first model entity, embodiments of the invention provide for a user to switch the display presented to an instance of a second model entity. A conversion function may be used to map between model entities.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and articles of manufacture improving the process of query composition, query processing, and presenting query results to users of an abstract database. Embodiments of the present invention organize and view data using abstract records. Specifically, users compose a query according to the logical relationships present in the data. Rather than evaluate conditions against a set of rows from a relational table, conditions included in abstract query are evaluated against instances of an abstract record. Instances that satisfy the conditions specified by an abstract query are returned as query results. In a specific case abstract records are used to evaluate a “never exists conditions, that determine the absence of data in an abstract records that satisfy a particular condition.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for associating a virtual column with a target physical table. The data for the virtual column originates from a source physical table where the data physically resides. In this way, users can access the data in a manner consistent with the users' logical perspective of the data.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate data retrieved from the logical fields of an abstract database using a timeline. The logical fields specified by a database abstraction model are extended to include attributes that specify where data corresponding to a logical field occurs on a timeline. Query results may be displayed by ordering query results as points (for an event) or segments (for a duration) on the timeline. Further, query processing techniques disclosed by the present invention allow users to include temporal operators such as “before”, “after”, “during”, and “within” in an abstract query. Temporal operators provide users with the ability to include temporal relationships in an abstract query, without having to construct a complex conditional expression from more primitive logical operators (e.g., “ands” and “ors”).

Abstract: Method, computer readable medium and computer system are provided for coordinating configuration changes among components in a multi-component environment.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for processing an abstract query and generating well organized user results are disclosed. Well organized user results preserve the cardinality of one-to-one and one-to-many between data elements retrieved using a database query. Embodiments of the present invention use an abstract database that separates a user from the physical representation of data stored in a data repository by providing a plurality of logical fields based on the substantive information stored in the underlying data repository. During query processing, query results generated from an abstract query are generated and organized according to the one-to-one and one-to-many relationships. Subsequently, query results are presented to users according to the intuitive relationships between data understood by users of an abstract database.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally provide methods systems and articles of manufacture for query processing and for constructing a database abstraction model over an underlying physical database. The database abstraction model allows users to compose an abstract query using a logical view of data, instead of using the view of the underlying database architecture. Embodiments of the invention constrain the results returned from processing an abstract query according to relationships that exist for a group of logical fields. First, a group of logical fields may be related because they are part of a logical set. Field-to-field join constraints specify the logical fields that form a set, and an instance indicator used to determine the particular instance of a set that an element of data belongs to, according to a discrimination rule.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for a graphical user interface allow performing operations simply by dragging a first object to touch a second object. The selection of the first object places a corresponding first object in a chain of objects. When the selected first object touches a second object, a corresponding second object is added to the chain of objects. This process may continue for the selection of many objects by merely touching each object with the selected first object, which causes a corresponding object to be added to the chain of objects. The chain of objects may then be processed as an atomic group of operations that may be rolled back if any of the operations in the group fail.

Abstract: A method, system and article of manufacture for managing access to a data abstraction model abstractly describing physical data and, more particularly, for creating a logical security model for a data abstraction model abstractly describing data in a database. One embodiment provides a computer-implemented method for creating a logical security model based on a physical security model defining user access rights to physical data. The method comprises, for each of the user access rights defined by the physical security model, creating a logical access right definition for a logical model. The logical model comprises a plurality of logical field definitions each comprising a field name and access information for accessing a field of the physical data. The logical access right definitions are applied to the logical model so that the logical model reflects the user access rights to the physical data.