Patent ID: 8676864

Claim:
A method for placing data objects of a database schema using an online tool, the method comprising: receiving input at a system, about a schema, the system including at least a processor system having at least a processor, and a memory system having one or more computer readable media; determining, by the processor system, relationships between objects of the schema; determining, by the system, positions on a graphical canvas of graphical representations of the objects based on the relationships between the objects by at least performing an iterative computation having one or more iterations, for each iteration, computing a net force on each graphical representation of one of the objects, for each object, after a net force is computed for that graphical representation, checking if a sum of an absolute value of a first component of the net force and an absolute value of a second component of the net force that is orthogonal to first component is less than a threshold value; if the sum is less than the threshold, not updating the position; and if the sum is greater than the threshold, updating the position; wherein the computation reduces the net forces on the graphical representation of the objects; and automatically displaying the positions of each graphical representation of one the objects on a graphical canvas.