Patent Publication Number: US-8126915-B2

Title: Expanding the scope of an annotation to an entity level

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/664,537 filed on Sep. 19, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,899,843, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of data entry and retrieval and, more particularly, to a method and system for associating annotations with entities associated with a data object related to the annotation. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     There are well known methods for capturing and storing explicit knowledge as data, for example, in relational databases, documents, flat files, and various proprietary formats in binary files. Often, such data is analyzed by various parties (e.g., experts, technicians, managers, etc.), resulting in rich interpretive information, commonly referred to as tacit knowledge. However, such tacit knowledge is often only temporarily captured, for example, as cryptic notes in a lab notebook, discussions/conversations, presentations, instant messaging exchanges, e-mails and the like. Because this tacit knowledge is typically not captured in the application environment in which the related data is viewed and analyzed, it is often lost. 
     One approach to more permanently capture tacit knowledge is to create annotations containing descriptive information about data objects. Virtually any identifiable type of object may be annotated, such as a matrix of data (e.g., a spreadsheet or database table), a text document, or an image. Further, subportions of objects (sub-objects) may be annotated, such as a cell, row, or column in a database table or a section, paragraph, or word in a text document. An indexing scheme is typically used to map each annotation to the annotated data object or sub-object, based on identifying information, typically in the form of an index. The index should provide enough specificity to allow the indexing scheme to locate the annotated data object (or sub-object). Further, to be effective, the indexing scheme should work both ways: given an index, the indexing scheme must be able to locate the annotated data object and, given an object, the indexing scheme must be able to calculate the index for use in classification, comparison, and searching (e.g., to search for annotations for a given data object). 
     In many situations, portions of a collection of data, such as database rows, are roughly analogous to ‘entities’ or objects. As an example, a table with patient records may have a primary key which is a patient number (patient ID) and would likely also have a patient name (first and last), address, preferences, and the like. All the other information for a particular row may be regarded as being related to a ‘patient entity’ uniquely identified by the patient ID. Similarly, all the information for a particular row of information in a table of test results may be regarded as being related to a ‘test result entity.’ Some information may be related to more than one entity. For example, a patient&#39;s test results may be related to both patient and test results entities. Further, information related to a single entity may be contained in multiple tables. For example, demographic information related to a patient entity may be contained in a table of patient records, while test results for the same patient entity may be contained in a table of test results. 
     One potential problem, however, presented when capturing and sharing information in an annotation, is selecting the proper scope of an annotation describing data related to an entity. The problem may be described with reference to the table of exemplary query results (listing patient test results) shown in Table I below. 
                     TABLE I                  Exemplary query results                                     Patient Name   Test Name   Test Result   Test Date                       John Doe   Hemoglobin   12   Jan. 24, 2003           Jane Smith   Hemoglobin   22   Feb. 25, 2003                        
The test results for the second patient (Jane Smith) may be invalid, for example, because the patient forgot to fast before the test, possibly skewing the results. Accordingly, a user (e.g., a lab technician) may wish to create an annotation describing this situation and suggesting the test be re-run, for example, during the patient&#39;s next scheduled visit.
 
     While there are several locations from which the user may choose to specify the annotation, none of these may be ideal to accomplish the desired result (make someone aware the patient should be retested). For example, the user may choose to associate the annotation with the row. However, this may not be ideal, as the information may span multiple tables (e.g., patient records and test results). Similarly, associating the annotation with the entire table of results is not appropriate, as the annotation concerns the test results for only one patient. Associating the annotation with the name column clearly is inappropriate, as the annotation is not applicable to the first patient (John Doe), whose test results are fine. However, associating the annotation with the particular name cell (Jane Smith) may not be ideal either, as many queries may not include name information (which may not be unique, as multiple patients may have the same name), preferring unique identifiers, such as a patient ID. While associating the annotation with the patient ID may be a logical choice, patient IDs are not available in the query results in TABLE I. In fact, in many cases, for security reasons, certain users may be prohibited from viewing any type of identifying information (e.g., patient IDs and names). 
     Accordingly, there is a need for methods and systems allowing a user to associate an annotation with an entity, regardless of whether information uniquely identifying the entity (e.g., a primary key) is displayed in query results. Preferably, the methods and systems will allow subsequent users viewing information related to the same entity to view the annotation, regardless of whether they are viewing the particular information described by the annotation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally is directed to methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for associating an annotation describing a particular data object with an entity encompassing the particular data object. 
     One embodiment provides a method of exchanging information. The method generally includes displaying first query results to a first user, receiving, from the first user, a data object selected from the first query results, providing an interface allowing the first user to create an annotation describing the selected data object and associate the annotation with a model entity having a corresponding model entity definition specifying a field related to the selected data object, and storing the annotation with a reference to the model entity. 
     Another embodiment provides a method of exchanging information via an annotation. The method generally includes providing an interface allowing a user to view query results, select a data object from the query results, and create an annotation with a scope related to the selected data object, and providing an interface allowing the user to expand the scope of the annotation to a model entity encompassing the selected data object. 
     Another embodiment provides a method of accessing data. The method generally includes displaying query results in response to issuing a query, wherein at least one data object in the query results is associated with a model entity having a corresponding model entity definition specifying a field related to the at least one data object, retrieving at least one annotation associated with the model entity, and providing an indication of the annotation associated with the model entity. 
     Another embodiment provides a computer-readable medium containing a program for exchanging information via annotations. When executed by a processor, the program performs operations generally including receiving, from a first user, an indication of a data object selected from a set of first query results, providing an interface allowing the first user to create an annotation describing the selected data object and associate the annotation with a model entity having one or more associated fields related to the selected data object, and storing the annotation with a reference to the model entity. 
     Another embodiment provides a system for sharing information via annotations generally including a set of one or more model entity definitions, each specifying one or more fields encompassed by a corresponding model entity, a query building interface and an annotation system. The query building interface is generally configured to allow a first user to build a first query and view first query results received in response to issuing the query. The annotation system is generally configured to allow the first user to create an annotation for a data object selected from the query results and associate the annotation with a first model entity encompassing a field related to the selected data object. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. 
       It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  is an exemplary computing environment in which embodiments of the present invention may be utilized. 
         FIGS. 2A-2D  illustrate relational views of software components according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are flow charts illustrating exemplary operations for capturing and sharing annotations associated with an entity according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 4A-4E  illustrate exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) screens in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention provides methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for creating and sharing an annotation associated with a data object other than the particular data object described by the annotation. For example, the annotation may be associated with an entity, even though the annotation may describe only a particular data object encompassed by the entity. In other words, the scope of the annotation may be “pushed out” beyond the particular data object to the entire entity. By associating the annotation with the entity, the annotation may be made available to other users viewing information related to the entity, even if the particular data object described by the annotation is not displayed to the other users. 
     As used herein, the term model entity generally refer to a data object associated with a set of related fields. The set of related fields may be specified explicitly, for example, in a model entity definition or implicitly, for example, by reference to a primary key of a table or tables containing the set of related fields. As used herein, the term annotation generally refers to any type of descriptive information and may exist in various forms, including textual annotations (descriptions, revisions, clarifications, comments, instructions, etc.), graphical annotations (pictures, symbols, etc.), sound clips, etc. While an annotation may exist in any or all of these forms, to facilitate understanding, embodiments of the present invention may be described below with reference to textual annotations as a particular, but not limiting, example of an annotation. 
     Further, as used herein, the term user may generally apply to any entity utilizing the annotation system described herein, such as a person (e.g., an individual) interacting with an application program or an application program itself, for example, performing automated tasks. While the following description may often refer to a graphical user interface (GUI) intended to present information to and receive information from a person, it should be understood that in many cases, the same functionality may be provided through a non-graphical user interface, such as a command line and, further, similar information may be exchanged with a non-person user via a programming interface. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, a data model may be implemented as a data repository abstraction component containing a collection of abstract representations of physical fields of a searchable database (hereinafter “logical fields”). Thus, this data abstraction model provides a logical view of the underlying database, allowing the user to generate “abstract” queries against the data warehouse without requiring direct knowledge of its underlying physical properties. A runtime component (e.g., a query execution component) performs translation of abstract queries (generated based on the data abstraction model) into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation. 
     The concepts of data abstraction and abstract queries are described in detail in the commonly owned, co-pending application Ser. No. 10/083,075, entitled “Improved Application Portability And Extensibility Through Database Schema And Query Abstraction,” filed Feb. 26, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,996,558 issued Feb. 7, 2006, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. While the data abstraction model described herein provides one or more embodiments of the invention, persons skilled in the art will recognize that the concepts provided herein can be implemented without such a data abstraction model while still providing the same or similar results. 
     One embodiment of the invention is implemented as a program product for use with a computer system such as, for example, the computer system  100  shown in  FIG. 1  and described below. The program(s) of the program product defines functions of the embodiments (including the methods described herein) and can be contained on a variety of signal-bearing media. Illustrative signal-bearing media include, but are not limited to: (i) information permanently stored on non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memory devices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROM drive); (ii) alterable information stored on writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette drive or hard-disk drive); or (iii) information conveyed to a computer by a communications medium, such as through a computer or telephone network, including wireless communications. The latter embodiment specifically includes information downloaded from the Internet and other networks. Such signal-bearing media, when carrying computer-readable instructions that direct the functions of the present invention, represent embodiments of the present invention. 
     In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, may be part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, module, object, or sequence of instructions. The software of the present invention typically is comprised of a multitude of instructions that will be translated by the native computer into a machine-readable format and hence executable instructions. Also, programs are comprised of variables and data structures that either reside locally to the program or are found in memory or on storage devices. In addition, various programs described hereinafter may be identified based upon the application for which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. 
     An Exemplary Environment 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary networked computer system  100 , in which embodiments of the present invention may be utilized. For example, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a program product for use with the system  100  (e.g., as part of a query building interface  122 , query execution runtime component  150 , and/or annotation system  140 ) to allow the capture and exchange of information between users performing related research. Queries may be generated via the query building interface  122  and may target data stored in an application data store  156 . As will be described in greater detail below, annotations made via the annotation system  140 , may be associated with an entity, although the annotations may actually describe only a particular portion of data related to the entity. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the system  100  generally includes client computers  102  and at least one server computer  104 , connected via a network  126 . In general, the network  126  may be a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN). In a particular embodiment, the network  126  is the Internet. For other embodiments, however, the methods described herein may be performed on a single (e.g., non-networked) computer system. 
     As illustrated, the client computers  102  generally include a Central Processing Unit (CPU)  110  connected via a bus  130  to a memory  112 , storage  114 , an input device  116 , an output device  119 , and a network interface device  118 . The input device  116  can be any device to give input to the client computer  102 . For example, a keyboard, keypad, light-pen, touch-screen, track-ball, or speech recognition unit, audio/video player, and the like could be used. The output device  119  can be any device to give output to the user, e.g., any conventional display screen. Although shown separately from the input device  116 , the output device  119  and input device  116  could be combined. For example, a client  102  may include a display screen with an integrated touch-screen or a display with an integrated keyboard. 
     The network interface device  118  may be any entry/exit device configured to allow network communications between the client  102  and the server  104  via the network  126 . For example, the network interface device  118  may be a network adapter or other network interface card (NIC). If the client  102  is a handheld device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), the network interface device  118  may comprise any suitable wireless interface to provide a wireless connection to the network  126 . 
     Storage  114  is preferably a Direct Access Storage Device (DASD). Although it is shown as a single unit, it could be a combination of fixed and/or removable storage devices, such as fixed disc drives, floppy disc drives, tape drives, removable memory cards, or optical storage. The memory  112  and storage  114  could be part of one virtual address space spanning multiple primary and secondary storage devices. 
     The memory  112  is preferably a random access memory (RAM) sufficiently large to hold the necessary programming and data structures of the invention. While the memory  112  is shown as a single entity, it should be understood that the memory  112  may in fact comprise a plurality of modules, and that the memory  112  may exist at multiple levels, from high speed registers and caches to lower speed but larger DRAM chips. 
     Illustratively, the memory  112  contains an operating system  124 . Examples of suitable operating systems, which may be used to advantage, include Linux and Microsoft&#39;s Windows®, as well as any operating systems designed for handheld devices, such as Palm OS®, Windows® CE, and the like. More generally, any operating system supporting the functions disclosed herein may be used. 
     The memory  112  is also shown containing the query building interface  122 , such as a browser program, that, when executed on CPU  110 , provides support for building queries based on a data repository abstraction (DRA) component  148 . In one embodiment, the query interface  122  includes a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI), which allows the user to display Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) information. More generally, however, the query interface  122  may be any program (preferably GUI-based) capable of exposing a portion of the DRA component  148  on the client  102  for use in building queries. As will be described in greater detail below, queries built using the query interface  122  may be sent to the server  104  via the network  126  to be issued against one or more databases  156 . 
     The server  104  may be physically arranged in a manner similar to the client computer  102 . Accordingly, the server  104  is shown generally comprising a CPU  131 , a memory  132 , and a storage device  134 , coupled to one another by a bus  136 . Memory  132  may be a random access memory sufficiently large to hold the necessary programming and data structures that are located on the server  104 . 
     The server  104  is generally under the control of an operating system  138  shown residing in memory  132 . Examples of the operating system  138  include IBM OS/400®, UNIX, Microsoft Windows®, and the like. More generally, any operating system capable of supporting the functions described herein may be used. As illustrated, the server  104  may be configured with an abstract query interface  146  for issuing abstract queries (e.g., received from the client application  120 ) against one or more of the databases  156 . 
     In one embodiment, elements of a query are specified by a user through the query building interface  122  which may be implemented as a browser program presenting a set of GUI screens for building queries. The content of the GUI screens may be generated by one or more applications of the abstract query interface  146 . In a particular embodiment, the GUI content is hypertext markup language (HTML) content which may be rendered on the client computer systems  102  with the query building interface  122 . Accordingly, the memory  132  may include a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) server process  152  (e.g., a web server) adapted to service requests from the client computer  102 . For example, the server process  152  may respond to requests to access the database(s)  156 , which illustratively resides on the server  104 . Incoming client requests for data from a database  156  invoke a server application which, when executed by the processor  130 , perform operations necessary to access the database(s)  156 . In one embodiment, the server application comprises a plurality of servlets configured to build GUI elements, which are then rendered by the query interface  122 . 
     Components of the server computer  104  may be physically arranged in a manner similar to those of the client computer  102 . For example, the server computer  104  is shown generally comprising a CPU  135 , a memory  133 , and a storage device  134 , coupled to one another by a bus  136 , which may all functions as similar components described with reference to the client computer  102 . The server computer  104  is generally under the control of an operating system (e.g., IBM OS/400®, UNIX, Microsoft Windows® and the like). 
     As illustrated, the server computer  104  may be configured with the annotation system  140 , also shown residing in memory  132 . The annotation system  140  may be used to generate annotations  159  that, for some embodiments, may be stored in an annotation store  158  separate from the application data store  156 . The annotations  159  may include a variety of annotations, for example, describing data in the application data store  156 . The universal annotation system  111  may be any suitable type annotation system and, for some embodiments, may be similar to the universal annotation system described in the commonly owned, co-pending application Ser. No. 10/600,014, entitled “Universal Annotation System,” filed Jun. 20, 2003, herein incorporated by reference. 
     An Exemplary Relational View 
     Operation of various components of the system  100  and concepts of model entities may be further described with reference to  FIGS. 2A-2C .  FIG. 2A  illustrates a relational view of the query building interface  122 , query execution runtime component  150 , and annotation system  140 , according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the abstract query interface  122  may be used to generate an initial abstract query  202   I  to be issued by the query execution runtime component  150 . 
     As illustrated, the abstract query  202   I  may include a set of one or more query conditions  204  and an initial results list  206   I , each based on logical fields defined in the DRA component  148 . As previously described, abstract queries  202  may be executed by the query execution component  150 . In the exemplary abstract data model, the logical fields are defined independently of the underlying data representation being used in the DBMS  154 , thereby allowing queries to be formed that are loosely coupled to the underlying data representation  214 . 
     For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the DRA component  148  includes a set of logical field specifications  208  that provide abstract representations of corresponding fields in a physical data representation  214  of data in the one or more databases  156  shown in  FIG. 1 . Each logical field specification  208  may include various information used to map the specified logical field to the corresponding physical field, such as field names, table names, and access methods describing how to access and/or manipulate data from the corresponding physical field in the physical data representation  214 . The physical data representation  214  may be an XML data representation  214   1 , a relational data representation  214   2 , or any other data representation, as illustrated by  214   N . Therefore, regardless of the actual physical data representation  214 , a user may generate an abstract query  202  based on the logical fields defined by the logical field specifications  216 , in order to access data stored therein. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2A , the query execution component  150  is generally configured to transform the abstract query  202  into a concrete query compatible with the physical data representation (e.g., an XML query, SQL query, etc), by mapping the logical fields of the expanded abstract query  208  to the corresponding physical fields of the physical data representation  214 . The mapping of abstract queries to concrete queries, by the query execution component  150 , is described in detail in the previously referenced co-pending application Ser. No. 10/083,075. 
     Model Entities 
     As illustrated, the initial abstract query  202   I  may include a reference to a model entity (defined in a model entity specification  525 ). As will be described in greater detail below, upon executing the initial abstract query  202   I , the initial results list  206 , may be supplemented with logical fields  216  specified in a model entity definition for the referenced model entity, resulting in an effective results list  216   I . The concepts of model entities are described in detail in the commonly-owned, co-pending application Ser. No. 10/403,356, entitled “Dealing With Composite Data Through Data Model Entities,” filed Mar. 31, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,054,877 issued May 30, 2006, incorporated by reference herein. 
     As described in the above-referenced application, model entities may serve to identify a higher level abstraction of the underlying data by representing a composite of individual logical fields  216 . Model entities may provide end users and applications a higher level conceptual view of the underlying data that can simplify data query and modification tasks (i.e., insert and deletion). Rather than having to understand all of the individual fields that make up entities such as a patient or a lab test result, the user/application can work at the more conceptual model entity level. As will be described below in more detail, the definition of a model entity contains sufficient metadata to streamline and simplify transactions performed against instances of a model entity. 
     For some embodiments, model entities are defined via additional metadata to that already found in an abstract data model representation (i.e., the DRA). More generally, however, model entities can be defined within an abstract data model definition or could be defined external to an abstract data model definition. Further, while embodiments are described herein with reference to relational databases, the invention is applicable to any other data representation including, for example, markup languages such as XML. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2C , the model entity specification  525  defines a plurality of model entities  506 , each identified by a name  602 . Illustratively two model entities, a “Patient” model entity  506   1 , a “Test” model entity  506   2  are shown. However, any number of model entities may be defined. In addition to the name  602 , each model entity may define multiple sets of fields used to implement query, insert and delete operations against the physical data corresponding to the model entity. 
     Specifically, each model entity  506  may be partitioned to include a query portion  604   1-2 , the insert portion  606   1-2  and a delete portion  608   1-2 . The appropriate portion may be accessed according to the type of operation being run against the model entity  506 . Note that for queries, the full complement of fields defining a model entity (e.g., Patient) is specified, while in the case of inserts and deletes a subset of all the fields defining the model entity is specified. 
     It should be understood that a portion of a model entity  506  may include only a single logical field pointing to a single physical entity. Further, a model entity  506  may itself only have a single logical field pointing to a single physical entity. The model entities provide a particular advantage, however, when they span multiple fields/entities since in this case users are able to work with a singular abstract representation rather than being burdened with knowing what logical fields make up an abstract entity. In this regard, it is noted that, in practice, each portion (query, insert and delete) of a model entity  506  is itself a model entity in that the portions each define an abstract entity for a given operation, whether the abstract entity spans multiple logical fields and/or multiple physical fields. 
     As described in the application Ser. No. 10/403,356, model entity definitions may also include physical entity relationships specification which defines hierarchical relationships between entities in a physical model. For example, the physical entity relationships specification may define relationships between multiple tables containing data associated with a single model entity. 
     Query Operations Using Model Entities 
     In the case of query operations, a set of fields defined by the model entity  506  in the query portion  604  may serve a variety of purposes. First, the query portion  604  may specify fields that are required output from queries involving the model entity. As illustrated, required fields for query results may be identified in the query portion of the model entity by a “required” attribute. For example, the “patient” model entity  506   1  defines “patient id” as a required field with the provision of a required attribute  610  in the query portion  604 , thereby ensuring that all query results for patients will include patient id. 
     In any case,  FIG. 2D  illustrates an example of how the required attribute  610  may be applied to an initial abstract query  202   I . The abstract query  202   I  represents the initial form of an abstract query as specified by a user, for example. As illustrated, the abstract query  202   I  may contain an explicit reference  602  to the “Patient” model entity  506   1 . As a result of this reference, the logic of the model entity specification  525 , specifically the metadata of the Patient model entity  506   1 , is applied to convert the initial abstract query  202   I  into an effective abstract query  202   E . In this case, “Patient ID” was added to the result fields specified in the effective abstract query  202   E  because the “patient” model entity  506   1  defines “Patient id” as a required field with the provision of a required attribute  610 . 
     For some embodiments, however, for security reasons, certain fields (even if listed as required) may not be displayed to certain users. As an example, a researcher may not be authorized to see a patient ID or name. However, the researcher may nonetheless be able to view test results and recognize particular results that look interesting (e.g., alarmingly high, out of range, or otherwise appear invalid). Even though the researcher is not authorized to view the patient ID, it would be desirable for the researcher to have the ability to create an annotation describing the test results and have that annotation available to subsequent viewers of information related to the patient. One way to accomplish this would be to provide the researcher with the ability to create an annotation for the test results and specify that the scope of the annotation should be “pushed out” beyond the test results to the patient entity level. In so doing, subsequent users viewing information related to the patient entity may be able to view the annotation, even if they are not viewing the particular information (e.g., test results in this example) described by the annotation. 
     Associating Annotations with Entities 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate exemplary operations  300  and  350  for creating and viewing an annotation associated with an entity, respectively. Interestingly, the operations  300  and  350  may be performed during query building sessions for different users. In other words, an annotation created by a first user during a first session may be viewed by a second user during a second session. Further, as will be illustrated in the following example, by associating the annotation with a model entity, the first user may allow the annotation to be viewed by the second user even if the second user&#39;s query results do not contain the particular data object described by the annotation. 
     In any case, the operations  300  and  350  may be best described with reference to the exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) screens illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-4D . The GUI screens may be provided, for example, as components of the query building interface  122  and/or annotation system  140 . 
     The operations  300  begin, at step  302 , by creating an annotation for a selected data object. For example, a first user may have issued a query and obtained a table of query results  401 , as shown in the exemplary GUI screen  400  of  FIG. 4A , and the user may wish to create an annotation for a data object related thereto. For example, the table  401  may include a group of cells, each corresponding to a value of a field/column in a particular row of the table  401 . Various techniques may be used to allow the creation of annotations for one of more of the cells, columns, rows, or the entire table  401  itself. 
     For example, a check box  402  may be displayed adjacent each cell value, allowing a user to specify cells for which annotations are to be created. For some embodiments, users may be able to create annotations of differing scope (e.g., describing different data objects), via an Annotation Scope pull-down menu  406 . For example, the user may be able to specify a row, column, or table annotation scope, causing similar check boxes  402  to be displayed adjacent the rows, columns, or table, accordingly. 
     As illustrated, the user may choose to annotate a particular value  408  of a test result, for example, that the user finds particularly relevant (e.g., the results may be particularly high, low, outside an expected range, or otherwise interesting). After selecting the check box  402  adjacent the value  408 , the user may access the GUI screen  410  of  FIG. 4B , for example, via a Create Annotations button  404 . The GUI screen  410  may indicate the annotation author at  412  and provide a text box  414  for entering a comment. 
     As illustrated, the user may comment that the annotated test result appears invalid, as being much greater than an expected maximum value, possibly indicating that the test was performed improperly or the data was entered incorrectly, and that the results are likely invalid. In either case, the annotation may also serve to alert a subsequent user viewing data related to the corresponding patient that the test should be rerun. If the annotation is associated only with the selected test result, a subsequent user would likely only see the annotation if the test results were being viewed. However, it would be desirable for the subsequent viewer to see the annotation if they were viewing any information related to the patient. In other words, the user entering the annotation may wish to have the annotation scope expanded (e.g., pushed out) to encompass the patient as an entity, rather than just the selected data object. This expansion may be accomplished by associating the annotation with a patient model entity, if one exists. 
     Therefore, at step  304 , a determination is made as to whether the data object selected for annotation is associated with a model entity. If not, the user may only have the option of associating the annotation with the selected data object, at step  306 . However, if the selected data object is associated with a model entity, the user may be given the option to associate the annotation with a model entity, for example, via a checkbox  416 . In other words, if a model entity exists and its entity definition includes the data object being annotated, the checkbox  416  may be enabled (otherwise, the checkbox  416  may be disabled or not displayed at all). As illustrated, a user may also be able to specify, via a checkbox  418 , that a reference to the annotated data object be generated. As will be described below, with reference to  FIG. 4E , the reference may effectively provide subsequent viewers of the annotation with a link to the data described thereby. 
     If more than one model entity exists that includes the data object being annotated in its entity definition, the user creating the annotation may be presented with a list allowing the user to associate the annotation with one or more of the corresponding entities. As an illustration, in the current example, the selected test results field may be included in a patient model entity definition, as well as a test results model entity, and the user may wish to associate the annotation with both. 
     At step  308 , a determination is made as to whether entity push through is enabled, for example, via the check box  416  or any other means (e.g., as a configurable default). If not, the annotation is associated with the selected data object, at step  306 . However, if entity push through is enabled, the annotation is associated with a model entity, at step  310 . In either case, the operations  300  are exited, at  312 , for example, by storing the annotation in an annotation record, along with the reference to the selected data object and/or one or more model entities. 
     One approach to associate the annotation with the model entity is to store a specific reference to the model entity (e.g., by name) with the annotation, along with information describing the instance value of the model entity related to the data described by the annotation, such as a primary key cell (e.g., the patient ID). In fact, it should be appreciated that associating an annotation with a primary key cell of a table containing data described by an annotation may allow the scope of annotations to be effectively “pushed out” to a higher level, even if no explicit model entity definitions are in place. In other words, annotations may be associated with a primary key cell even if that primary key cell is not displayed to the user creating the annotation. To create the association, for example, the primary key cell may be looked up based on one or more other pieces of data (e.g., a patient name, date of birth, etc.). 
     In any case, by allowing a user to push out the scope of an annotation (e.g., to a defined model entity or a primary key), the user may, in effect, be able to create annotations for data the user is not even authorized to view. As an illustration, in the current example, the user may not be authorized to view any identifying patient information (names, patient IDs, etc.). Nonetheless, by associating annotations with a model entity (or primary key cell), the user can capture useful information and share this information with other users viewing information related to the patient, which may be of great benefit, as described below with reference to the exemplary operations  350  of  FIG. 3B . 
     Viewing Annotations Associated with Entities 
     The exemplary operations  350  may be best described with an example illustrated with reference to GUI screens  420 - 440 , shown in  FIGS. 4C-4E , respectively. The example illustrates a query building session of a nurse generating a list of patients for a doctor. As will be described, the list of patients may include the patient whose test results were described by the annotation generated in the example above. Although the nurse may not view the annotated test results in the query results, because the annotation was associated with the patient model entity, the annotation may still be displayed to the nurse. 
     The operations  350  begin, at step  352 , by receiving a query with reference to a model entity. For example, as described above, with reference to  FIG. 2D , a query may have an explicit reference to a model entity by name. In some cases, a reference to a model entity may be added by selecting a focus for the query, for example, via a pull down menu  422  listing one or more available model entities, as shown in the query building GUI screen  420  of  FIG. 4C . Alternatively, rather than contain an explicit reference to a model entity, the query may reference a model entity implicitly, through the specification of query results including fields contained in one or more model entity definitions. 
     At step  354 , the model entity definition for the model entity referenced by the query is obtained. The fields contained in the model entity definition are optionally added to the results list of the query, at step  356 , for example, as described above with reference to  FIG. 2D . A list of fields  426  associated with an exemplary patient model entity are shown in  FIG. 4C . At step  358 , the query is issued and a set of query results is received. As illustrated in  FIG. 4D , the set of query results  431  may include a list of patients, by name, along with an associated appointment time. 
     If any annotations are associated with data objects in the results set (e.g., cells, columns, or rows), as determined at step  360 , an indication of such is provided at step  362 . The existence of annotations for data objects may be found, for example, by querying the annotation store  158  for annotations  159  containing references to the data objects in the query results  431 . Techniques for determining a set of annotations associated with a set of data objects are described in detail in the co-pending, commonly-owned patent application Ser. No. 10/600,382, now pending, entitled, “Heterogeneous Multi-Level Extendable Indexing For General Purpose Annotation Systems” filed Jun. 20, 2003, now U.S. Publication No. 2005/0203876 published Sep. 15, 2005, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. To facilitate understanding, the present example assumes there are no annotations explicitly associated with data objects in the query results  431 . 
     At step  364 , however, a determination is made as to whether annotations exist for a model entity referenced by the query and, if so, an indication of such is provided, at step  366 , prior to exiting the operations  350 , at step  368 . Annotations for the model entity may be retrieved, for example, using the techniques described in the above-reference application Ser. No. 10/600,382. As described in application Ser. No. 10/600,382, in some cases, even if an annotation exists, a user may only be able to view the annotation if the user has corresponding credentials (e.g., a user ID, a specified role, security level, and the like) that provide authority to view the annotation. 
     In any case, assuming the user is authorized to view the annotation, indication of the annotation for the model entity may be provided as an annotation icon  435 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4D . As the annotation is associated with the patient model entity rather than any particular data object, it may be displayed at any location deemed appropriate. For example, as illustrated, the annotation icon  435  may be displayed by the last name of the corresponding patient. 
     In order to display the annotation, the user may select (e.g., click on) the annotation icon  425 , resulting in the View Annotation GUI screen  440 , shown in  FIG. 4E , presenting the user with the annotation. As illustrated, the GUI screen  440  may also display the actual data described by the annotation. In other words, the GUI screen  440  may provide the same view of the actual data described by the annotation that the user creating the annotation had. For example, when creating the annotation the user may have specified that a reference to the annotated data object be generated, as described above with reference to  FIG. 4B . In response to viewing the annotation, the nurse may schedule the patient for re-testing during the upcoming visit. 
     Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that the incorrect data scenario portrayed in the invalid test results example illustrates just one of many ways in which “pushing out” the scope of an annotation to the entity level may allow users to exchange information about data. Other examples include exchanging insightful information regarding particular data regarded as interesting (e.g., a user&#39;s interpretation of particularly interesting test results, or other type of data). Further, associating annotations with a model entity may facilitate gathering available information regarding an instance of the model entity. For example, in a business enterprise, an annotation “roll-up” feature may allow human resources personnel to quickly gather and view all annotations related to a particular employee, for example, by searching for annotations that contain a reference to the particular employee&#39;s ID (which may be used as a primary key). 
     CONCLUSION 
     By extending the scope of an annotation beyond a particular data object described by the annotation to a higher level entity, such as a model entity, embodiments of the present invention may facilitate the sharing of information related to the entity. In some cases, a first user may create an annotation describing a particular data object selected by the first user. By associating the annotation with a model entity encompassing the particular data object, the first user may allow the annotation to be viewed by a second user, regardless of whether the second user actually views the particular data object. 
     While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.