US 11,106,861 B2Granted

Logical, recursive definition of data transformations

AssigneeSap SE

InventorsJan Portisch, Joachim Gross, Sandra Bracholdt

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Abstract

Techniques and solutions are described for defining transformation specifications in a programming-language independent language and converting such specifications to one or more executable formats. The language can provide for defining rules and actions. Rules can refer to (e.g., be based at least in part on) data targets, such as attributes of a schema, whose identifiers are to be read or updated, or to other rules. Rules can be reused, and can recursively refer to one another, such that a large number of complex schema transformations can be accomplished using a series of first order logic statements. Actions can define what, and how, values will be changed when a predicate rule is satisfied. A transformation specification in the language can be parsed and selectively complied to one or more executable formats, including in programming languages such as the structured query language. Disclosed technologies can facilitate data transformations by non-technical users.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving first user input defining at least a first rule, the at least a first rule being in a rule format comprising a first building block, a first operator, and a second building block, wherein the first and second building blocks serve as operands for the first operator and are selected from rules having the rule format, a data target, or a literal of a data type, and wherein a rule in the rule format evaluates to a Boolean result;
receiving second user input defining at least a second rule, the at least a second rule being in the rule format and comprising the at least a first rule as the first building block or as the second building block;
receiving third user input defining at least one action, the at least one action being of an action format comprising the at least a second rule serving as a predicate for the at least one action, a second operator to be executed if the predicate is satisfied, a data target serving as a first operand for the second operator, and a value serving as a second operand for the second operator;
instantiating a transformation specification comprising the at least a second rule and the at least one action;
determining an execution format to which the transformation specification is to be converted;
and
compiling the transformation specification to the execution format.

4 more elements

One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when loaded into a memory of a computing device and executed on the computing device, perform operations for rendering a data transformation specification user interface useable to define a data transformation specification in a domain specific language, the operations comprising:

displaying a rule definition template, the rule definition template comprising a user interface element for a first building block, a user interface element for an operator, and a user interface element for a second building block, wherein rules defined using the rule definition template evaluate, when called, to a Boolean result;
displaying an action definition template, the action definition template comprising a user interface element for a rule and a user interface element for a value;
receiving first user input for the rule definition template and the action definition template defining at least a first rule and at least a first action;
receiving second user input for the rule definition template and the action definition template defining at least a second rule and at least a second action, the at least a second rule comprising the at least a first rule as a first building block or as second building block of the at least a second rule, wherein the at least a second action is the at least a first action or is an action other than the at least a first action;
and
generating a data transformation specification in a domain specific language comprising the at least a second rule and the at least a second action.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/265,063Filed 1 Feb 2019
Published: US 2020/0250260 A16 Aug 2020
Granted: 31 Aug 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G06F 16/254
Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems: extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in…
G06F 40/151
Use of codes for handling textual entities: transformation
G06F 16/2433
Query formulation: query languages
G06F 16/2458
Query processing: special types of queries, e.g. statistical queries, fuzzy queries or distributed queries