Patent ID: 7912845

Claim:
A method for dynamically creating a hierarchy for use in searching one or more databases, each of the one or more databases having a data model, the method comprising: extracting a data model from each of the one or more databases, wherein each data model describes two or more data objects stored in a respective database of the one or more databases, and describes at least one relationship between the data objects; defining a data network comprising a plurality of nodes, a plurality of connectors, and at least one root connector, wherein each of the plurality of connectors describes a relationship between two or more of the plurality of nodes, the plurality of connectors nodes being based on the two or more data objects in the extracted data model, the plurality of connectors being based on relationships in the extracted data model, and the at least one root connector defining an entry point into the data network; receiving a search query on the data network regarding data stored in the one or more databases, the search query specifying a root connector and at least one of the two or more nodes, wherein the at least one of the two or more nodes is specified in the search query as a member of a hierarchy having the specified root connector at its root level; translating, using a computer, the search query on the data network into a query that is configured to run on the one or more databases, wherein the translation comprises a dynamic creation of a hierarchy based on the specified root connector and the specified nodes; and searching the one or more databases with the translated query.