JPH07129623A - Data retrieval device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide desired data by narrowing the range of a retrieved result with a simple operation. CONSTITUTION:In a retrieval execution part 1, retrieval object data 6 are retrieved based on an inputted retrieval formula 5 and the retrieved result is obtained. The obtained retrieved result is displayed on a display device by a data output part 2. When the need of performing retrieval further is present, a user selects and inputs additional conditions from an additional condition input part 3 based on retrieved result data displayed by the data output part 2 or the list of values possibly taken by the retrieved result, etc. A retrieval condition addition part 4 adds retrieval conditions to the retrieval formula based on the additional conditions inputted from the addition condition input part 3 and generates the new retrieval formula and the retrieval execution part 1 performs the retrieval by the new retrieval formula to which the retrieval conditions are added.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data search device for searching data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a data retrieval apparatus for retrieving desired data, when retrieving a combination of data such as table data, the number of combinations of data obtained as a retrieval result is often very large. . However, what is really needed is only a small part of the combinations, and the user often has to find only the search result that is really needed. For example, when a specific search formula for searching the data desired by the user is not obtained, the rough search formula is once searched, and the user corrects the search formula while visually checking the result. By repeating, the data desired by the user is searched for.

It is also conceivable that a search formula for searching a desired structure from a structured document will be exemplified by using a structured document for the purpose of example and created and modified based on the example. There is. However, once the creation and modification work is completed and the information of the search example is discarded, the search example must be restored in order to modify the search expression again. Also in this case, the structured document for exemplification is searched by the search formula, and the obtained search result is referred to to find the search example from the structured document for exemplification.

However, in the conventional data retrieval apparatus as described above, the retrieved data combinations are collectively output at one time, so that the required data has to be selected from a very large number of combinations. .

When there are a large number of search results by the data search device, the range of the search results can be narrowed down by re-inputting the search formula in which an appropriate condition is added to the given search formula itself and performing the search. It is possible. However, since a search expression generally has a complicated grammar, the work of creating a new search expression is not easy, and especially when narrowing down the range of search results by trial and error, it imposes a heavy burden on the user.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a data search device capable of narrowing the range of search results by a simple operation to obtain desired data. The purpose is.

[0007]

According to the present invention, in a data retrieval device for retrieving desired data, a set of data satisfying a condition specified in the retrieval formula is extracted from a given retrieval formula and retrieval target data. Search execution means, output means for outputting the search result by the search execution part, additional condition input means for inputting an additional condition to the search formula indicated by the user based on the search result, and the additional condition input means It further comprises a search condition adding means for modifying the search expression based on the additional condition input from and applying it to the search of the search executing means.

[0008]

According to the present invention, first, the search execution means performs a search using a given search expression, the search result is output to the output means, and the additional condition is input by the user from the additional condition input means based on the search result. , The search condition adding means adds the additional condition to the search expression and applies it to the search performed by the search executing means to search for data satisfying both the condition of the given search expression and the additional condition, The desired search data can be obtained.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data search device of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a search execution unit, 2 is a data output unit, 3 is an additional condition input unit, 4 is a search condition addition unit, 5 is a search formula, and 6 is search target data.

The search execution unit 1 executes a search process on the search target data 6 based on the given search formula 5 or the search formula to which the condition has been added by the search condition adding unit 4. The data output unit 2 outputs the search result obtained by the search execution unit 1 to an output device such as a display or a file. At this time, it is also possible to format and output records, tables, and figures. The additional condition input unit 3 is based on the search result by the search execution unit 1 output to the data output unit 2,
Accepts additional conditions entered by the user. At this time, it is also possible to show a list of possible values of the data in the data output unit 2 and allow the user to select one or more of them as an additional condition. Additional condition input section 3
Can be configured to include an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard. The search condition adding unit 4 receives the given search formula 5 or the search formula added with the previous condition,
The additional condition input from the additional condition input unit 3 is added to create a new search formula, and the search execution unit 1 searches for the search target data 6
To search again.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation in one embodiment of the data search apparatus of the present invention. First, in S11, the search expression 5 is input. The input search formula 5 is passed to the search execution unit 1. In S12, the search execution unit 1 searches the search target data 6 based on the passed search formula, and obtains the search result. The obtained search result is displayed on the display device, for example, by the data output unit 2 in S13. If this search result is the desired one, the search process ends in S14. If a further search is required, the process proceeds from S14 to S15 and the search result data displayed on the data output unit 2
Alternatively, the user inputs the additional condition from the additional condition input unit 3 based on the list of values that the search result can take. S1
In 6, the search condition adding unit 4 adds the search condition to the search formula based on the additional condition input from the additional condition input unit 3, and the process returns to S12 to execute the search by the search formula to which the search condition is added. Perform a search in Part 1.

FIGS. 3 to 6 are explanatory views of an example of a specific search in one embodiment of the data search apparatus of the present invention. In this example, an example in which data in the address book file and data in the occupation file are searched for a combination in which the respective name fields match each other is shown. FIG. 3A shows an address book file in which a data set of name and address is stored. Further, FIG. 3B shows an occupation file, in which a set of a name and occupation data is stored. These files correspond to the search target data 6 in FIG.

Here, the retrieval formula 5 as shown in FIG.
Is entered. This search formula is performed by a notation method that can be interpreted by the search execution unit 1. The search formula shown in FIG. 3C is obtained from the data in which the name in the address book file matches the name in the occupation file,
It outputs occupational data. The search expression input at this time does not have to be the final search expression, and may be a simple search expression that includes the data to be searched. Such an input search formula is passed to the search execution unit 1 and the search is actually executed. The search result obtained by the search is shown in FIG. The search result is the data output unit 2
And is displayed on the display, for example.

When the user designates, for example, an address column in the search result displayed on the display as shown in FIG. 3D, the additional condition input unit 3 displays the address as shown in FIG. Show the user the list of values displayed in the column. The user specifies one or more of them.
The additional condition input unit 3 receives the instructed value as an additional condition that the address field should satisfy. For example, in the list of addresses shown in FIG. 4, when the user selects “Kohoku Ward, Yokohama City”, the selection input is searched for data in which the address column has “Kohoku Ward, Yokohama City” as a value. You receive as an additional condition of. The user's selection instruction can be performed using a pointing device such as a mouse or a keyboard.

The search condition addition unit 4 satisfies the search formula of FIG. 3C and has the additional condition input in the additional condition input unit 3, that is, the address column is "Kohoku Ward, Yokohama City" as a value. A corrected search formula that outputs data that also satisfies the condition is generated. Figure 5 shows the new search formula generated.
It shows in (A). In this example, a temporary address file is created from the data in the address field designated as the additional condition. Using this temporary address file, a search formula is generated in which only the address column that matches the data in the temporary address file is the search result. The search formula shown in FIG. 5 (A) is automatically generated by the search condition adding unit 4,
The user does not need to input such a complicated search expression.

The search executing unit 1 executes the search again using the search formula created by the search condition adding unit 4. As a result of this search, the value specified in the address field, that is, FIG.
As shown in, only combinations having "Kohoku Ward, Yokohama City" are extracted. The search result is passed to the data output unit 2 again,
For example, it is displayed on the display. When adding a search condition again to this search result, the above-mentioned fields and data are instructed, and the search condition adding unit 4 adds a further condition to the search expression to which the condition is added. , Generate a new search expression and perform a search. When the desired data is obtained, the user gives an instruction to end, and the process ends.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 11 are explanatory views of another specific example of the search in the embodiment of the data search apparatus of the present invention. This example shows an example of searching a subtree having a desired structure from a structured document. FIG. 7 shows an example of a structured document that is a search target. Structured documents are
As shown in FIG. 7, documents are stored as a tree structure. Figure 7
In the document shown in (1), there are two sections, the first section has a title and one body paragraph, and the second section has a title and two body paragraphs. Under each title node, a specific character string to be the title is arranged. Below each paragraph of the text, a tree structure is further developed.

When the structured document as shown in FIG. 7 is given as the retrieval target data 6, it is assumed that the retrieval formula shown in FIG. 8 (A) is given. The search formula of FIG. 8A indicates that all combinations of the content of the title and the content of the following body paragraph are searched. "/" In the search expression indicates that the node on the right side is connected under the node on the left side. It also indicates that each part of "?" Is output as a search result. That is, the search formula shown in FIG.
It indicates that the node following the title and the node following the body paragraph are paired and searched. The structured document shown in FIG. 7 is searched by the search execution unit 1 using the search formula shown in FIG.
The result of the search by is shown in FIG.

Depending on the document, there may be a large number of sets of titles and body paragraphs retrieved by the retrieval formula shown in FIG. 8 (A). In the case of such search results, it is advisable to list the titles and narrow down the search results. Therefore, the additional condition input unit 3 displays a list of values displayed in the title block shown in FIG. 9, for example, based on the search result. The list shows duplicate titles only once.

The user selects a desired title based on the title list as shown in FIG. For example, if "main theme" is selected from the title list shown in FIG. 9, the search condition adding unit 4 generates a search expression as shown in FIG. That is, based on the search formula shown in FIG. 8A, the nodes following the title are limited to the nodes having the character string “main theme”, and the search formula shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. By performing a search by the search execution unit 1 using this search formula, only a set of a title and a body paragraph whose title is “main theme” is searched, and the search result shown in FIG. 11 is obtained.

When searching for such a combination, the result of the search by the given search formula may be large. However, even if, for example, 1000 combinations are obtained, generally, the number of kinds of values taken by a column in the combination is considerably smaller than that. By selecting the value that the column should have in the combination desired by the user from the values taken by a certain column, the desired combination can be derived more easily than selecting the desired combination from all the search results. be able to.

In the above-described two specific examples, the search condition adding unit 4 creates a temporary file of additional conditions and corrects the search formula using the temporary file, or corrects the direct search formula to newly create a new formula. It generates a simple search formula. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the search execution unit 1 newly creates a search formula for extracting a set satisfying the added condition from the search results obtained by the previous search, and the search execution unit 1 first It is also possible to perform a search by using the search result obtained by the search of as a search target and obtain a combination that satisfies both the given search expression and the additional condition.

Further, in the above-mentioned specific example, the list of instructed items is displayed, and the data as the additional condition is selected and input from the list, but the selection result may be directly input to the display of the search result. It can also be configured. Further, the input of the additional condition can be configured, for example, by selecting two values and designating the range that the search result can take. Furthermore, it is possible to add a search condition that excludes the specified condition from the search target. Furthermore, it is possible to cancel the added condition or to accept an input for expanding the condition.

As a result of the search, when there is only one applicable data, that is, when the data having no condition to be added is displayed, it is configured to display that the condition cannot be added in that column. be able to.

[0025]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the range of search results can be narrowed down by a simple operation.
A desired search result can be obtained from a large number of search results. At this time, it is not necessary to input a complicated search expression from the beginning, and a simple search expression may be used at the beginning. Further, it is not necessary to input a new search expression when narrowing down, and a new search expression is generated only by inputting an additional condition based on the search result, for example, by a simple operation of selectively inputting the search result. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user's input and to search for the target data without knowing the detailed notation method of the search expression.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of operation in one embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of search target data, a search formula, and a search result in a specific search example of the data search device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a search result list in a specific search example of an embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a new search expression and a temporary file generated in a specific search example of an embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search result by a new search formula in a specific search example of an embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a structured document that is search target data in another specific search example of the data search apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a search expression and a search result in another specific search example of the embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a list of search results in another specific search example of the embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a new search expression generated in another specific search example of the embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search result by a new search expression in another specific search example of the embodiment of the data search device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 search execution part, 2 data output part, 3 additional condition input part, 4 search condition adding part, 5 search formula, 6 search target data.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A data retrieving device for retrieving desired data, and retrieval executing means for extracting a set of data satisfying a condition specified in the retrieval formula from a given retrieval formula and retrieval target data, and the retrieval. An output unit that outputs the search result by the execution unit, an additional condition input unit that inputs an additional condition to the search formula indicated by the user based on the search result, and an additional condition that is input from the additional condition input unit. A data search device comprising a search condition adding means for modifying a search expression and applying the search condition to the search of the search executing means.