Patent ID: 8086568
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving an abstract query comprising one or more logical fields defined by a first data abstraction model comprising a plurality of first logical field definitions mapped to physical fields of a first database in a first device, wherein each of the first logical field definitions further specifies a respective access method selected from a first two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective first logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding first physical field, and wherein one or more of the first logical fields definitions associate respective first logical fields to respective concepts of a predefined set of concepts, the concepts being standardized metadata, and wherein each concept in the predefined set of concepts represents a respective standardized field definition; for each of the one or more logical fields of the abstract query, determining whether a second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, wherein each of the second logical field definitions further specifies a respective access method selected from a second two or more types of access methods for determining a value for the respective second logical field based on at least an underlying physical value of a corresponding second physical field, and wherein the second data abstraction model comprises a plurality of second logical field definitions mapping the second logical fields to physical fields of a second database in a second device, wherein one or more of the second logical fields definitions associate respective second logical fields to respective concepts of the predefined set of concepts; and upon determining that the second data abstraction model comprises a logical field associated with a concept having a predefined relationship to a concept associated with the respective logical field of the abstract query, transferring metadata describing the logical field of the second data abstraction model to the first device.