Database displays typically take the form of tables with multiple columns and rows, which can be very large depending on the size and dimension of the underlying data. The displayed multiple columns and rows are typically viewed in a single frame and the user can scan the data extending beyond the edges of the frame by scrolling or paging through the data. A user may also select and/or constrain rows and or columns for display through manipulation of the data in a spreadsheet or application of a query against the database.
At the same time, the computer languages most often used for such applications, particularly in the relational database context, require textual input to define a query against a database or reliance on menus and/or buttons to select predetermined queries. In particular, Structured Query Language (SQL) and similar query languages comprise high level commands, often referred to as “queries,” which typically describe a data set to be retrieved, selected or otherwise processed. Such programming environments allow the specification of data selection using constructs similar to other query languages, natural English, and/or logic functions.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds