Systems, Methods and Apparatus for Assessing Compliance and Federating Databases

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus as discussed herein, provide for enabling a user to select containers and parent level requirements to be retrieved. A navigation panel is provided that enables a user to navigate through the selected containers. A sieve module filters non applicable requirements in the containers based on the selected parent level requirements. The system further joins and integrates compliance information stored within in the Compliance Database, and the associated requirements stored in the containers. The system further stores, manages and reports compliance information associated with specific requirements located in the identified container. Additionally, a federation module may enable user to link requirements located in different containers, and may copy requirements from one container and paste into another container.

1 . A method for creating a filter to extract requirement information from a remote database, the method comprising:
 creating and executing a first query at a local database to retrieve at least one parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a second query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 creating and executing a third query at a local database to retrieve at least one sub-parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one sub-parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from the local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object; and   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a fourth query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, retrieving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       5 . An apparatus for creating a filter to extract requirement information from a remote database, the method comprising:
 a memory configured to store a set of instructions; and   a processor, configured to execute the stored set of instructions to perform a method for creating a filter to extract requirement information, the method comprising:   creating and executing a first query at a local database to retrieve at least one parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a second query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object.   
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the method further comprises:
 creating and executing a third query at a local database to retrieve at least one sub-parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one sub-parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from the local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object; and   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a fourth query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object.   
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, retrieving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       9 . A method for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the method comprising:
 enabling access to the plurality of databases, at least two of the plurality of remote databases having different data structures;   receiving input identifying at least one of the plurality of remote databases for accessing;   obtaining meta data locally stored and associated with the identified at least one remote database;   generating a navigation control and displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from a user identifying an object type;   creating and executing a first query at the identified at least one remote database to obtain all parent level objects associated with the at least one object type;   receiving input identifying at least one selected parent level object from the obtained parent level objects and storing the input;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the at least one remote database and the meta data being associated with the selected at least one parent level object; and   creating and executing a second query at the at least one remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the selected at least one parent level object, wherein the second query includes a filter, based on the meta data and the selected at least one parent level object, for filtering out sub-parent level objects that are only associated with non-selected parent level objects.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, receiving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       12 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a memory configured to store a set of instructions; and   a processor, configured to execute the stored set of instructions, to perform a method for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the method comprising:   enabling access to the plurality of databases, at least two of the plurality of remote databases having different data structures;   receiving input identifying at least one of the plurality of remote databases for accessing;   obtaining meta data locally stored and associated with the identified at least one remote database;   generating a navigation control and displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from a user identifying an object type;   creating and executing a first query at the identified at least one remote database to obtain all parent level objects associated with the at least one object type;   receiving input identifying at least one selected parent level object from the obtained parent level objects and storing the input;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the at least one remote database and the meta data being associated with the selected at least one parent level object; and   creating and executing a second query at the at least one remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the selected at least one parent level object, wherein the second query includes a filter, based on the meta data and the selected at least one parent level object, for filtering out sub-parent level objects that are only associated with non-selected parent level objects.   
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, receiving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       15 . A method for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the method comprising:
 enabling access to the plurality of databases, at least two of the plurality of remote databases having different data structures;   receiving input from a user identifying one of the plurality of remote databases for accessing;   obtaining meta data locally stored and associated the identified one remote database;   generating a navigation control and displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from the user identifying an object type;   receiving input from the user identifying at least one parent object associated with the selected object type; and   retrieving from the remote database only those children objects that are associated with the identified parent objects based on a query and a filter, the filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected at least one selected parent object.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the retrieved children objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected children objects, and   retrieving from the remote database only those grand children that are associated with the identified selected children objects based on a second query and a second filter, the second filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected children objects.   
   
   
       18 . An apparatus for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the apparatus comprising:
 a sieve module configured to create custom, dynamic filters to be executed against the plurality of remote databases based on selected parent level objects and based on meta data associated with the plurality of remote databases, the filter, when combined with a query, enables selection of only those children objects associated with the selected parent level objects;   a container meta data management module configured to receive and process requests for meta data associated with the plurality of remote data bases; and   a container query generator configured to create and execute queries based on meta data provided by the container meta data management module and further based on filters created by the sieve module and further configured to provide the results of the queries for display.   
   
   
       19 . A method for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases and storing data associated with the accessed data, the method comprising:
 generating a navigation control for navigating a remote database based on locally stored meta data;   displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from the user identifying an object type;   receiving input from the user identifying at least one parent object associated with the selected object type; retrieving from the remote database only those children objects that are associated with the identified parent objects based on a query and a filter, the filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected at least one selected parent object;   retrieving from the local database data associated with the retrieved children objects; and   displaying on a display the retrieved children objects and the data associated with the retrieved children objects.   
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the retrieved children objects displayed are selectable by the user. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected children objects, and   retrieving from the remote database only those children that are associated with the identified selected children objects based on a second query and a second filter, the second filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected children objects.   
   
   
       22 . An apparatus for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases and storing data associated with the accessed data, the apparatus comprising:
 a sieve module configured to create custom filters to be executed against the plurality of remote databases based on selected parent level objects and based on meta data associated with the plurality of remote databases, the filter, when combined with a query, enables selection of only those children objects associated with the selected parent level objects;   a container meta data management module configured to receive and process requests for meta data associated with the plurality of remote data bases;   a container query generator configured to create and execute queries based on meta data provided by the container meta data management module and further based on filters created by the sieve module and further configured to provide the results of the queries for display; and   a compliance database configured to store meta data associated with the plurality of remote databases and further configured to store compliance information associated with parent and children objects stored in the plurality of remote databases.   
   
   
       23 . A method for associating requirements included in containers, the method comprising:
 receiving input identifying at least two remote containers;   accessing meta data from a local database associated with the identified at least two containers;   displaying the identified at least two containers and at least one of the requirements of each of the identified at least two containers simultaneously on a display in accordance with the accessed meta data;   enabling linking of two requirements, wherein the two requirements are not located within the same container;   receiving input identifying two requirements to be linked;   displaying an indication that the two requirements are linked; and   storing information relating to the link of the two requirements in the local database.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein enabling linking of two requirements includes:
 enabling a user to select a first requirement;   receiving an indication of a selection of the first requirement;   enabling the user to drag the first requirement to a second requirement; and   receiving an indication of the user dragging the first requirement to the second requirement.   
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 determining compliance information associated with the first requirement; and   automatically associating compliance information of the first requirement with the linked second requirement.   
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein attribute information associated with each of the displayed requirements is displayed, wherein attribute information includes at least one of name, description, requirement number, creator of the requirement, editorial comments, history of the requirement. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the first requirement is copied into the container of the second requirement and the first requirement inherits the relationships of the requirements in the container of the second requirement. 
   
   
       28 . An apparatus, comprising:
 A memory configured to store a set of instructions; and   A processor configured to execute the stored set of instructions, to perform a method for associating requirements included in containers, the method comprising:   receiving input identifying at least two remote containers;   accessing meta data from a local database associated with the identified at least two containers;   displaying the identified at least two containers and at least one of the requirements of each of the identified at least two containers simultaneously on a display in accordance with the accessed meta data;   enabling linking of two requirements, wherein the two requirements are not located within the same container;   receiving input identifying two requirements to be linked;   displaying an indication that the two requirements are linked; and   storing information relating to the link of the two requirements in the local database.   
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein enabling linking of two requirements includes:
 enabling a user to select a first requirement;   receiving an indication of a selection of the first requirement;   enabling the user to drag the first requirement to a second requirement; and   receiving an indication of the user dragging the first requirement to the second requirement.   
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising:
 determining compliance information associated with the first requirement; and   automatically associating compliance information of the first requirement with the linked second requirement.   
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein attribute information associated with each of the displayed requirements is displayed, wherein attribute information includes at least one of name, description, requirement number, creator of the requirement, editorial comments, history of the requirement. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the first requirement is copied into the container of the second requirement and the first requirement inherits the relationships of the requirements in the container of the second requirement. 
   
   
       33 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, for performing a method for creating a filter to extract requirement information from a remote database, the method comprising:
 creating and executing a first query at a local database to retrieve at least one parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a second query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one parent level object.   
   
   
       34 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 33 , further comprising:
 creating and executing a third query at a local database to retrieve at least one sub-parent level object previously selected by a user;   retrieving the at least one sub-parent level object based on the executed query;   obtaining meta data from the local database, the meta data relating to the remote database and the meta data being associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object; and   creating a filter to be executed against the remote database based on the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object and based on the obtained meta data associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object;   wherein the filter is combined with a fourth query to be executed at the remote database to retrieve only sub-sub-parent level objects associated with the retrieved at least one sub-parent level object.   
   
   
       35 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 34 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       36 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, retrieving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       37 . A computer-readable medium for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the method comprising:
 enabling access to the plurality of databases, at least two of the plurality of remote databases having different data structures;   receiving input identifying at least one of the plurality of remote databases for accessing;   obtaining meta data locally stored and associated with the identified at least one remote database;   generating a navigation control and displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from a user identifying an object type;   creating and executing a first query at the identified at least one remote database to obtain all parent level objects associated with the at least one object type;   receiving input identifying at least one selected parent level object from the obtained parent level objects and storing the input;   obtaining meta data from a local database, the meta data relating to the at least one remote database and the meta data being associated with the selected at least one parent level object; and   creating and executing a second query at the at least one remote database to retrieve only sub-parent level objects associated with the selected at least one parent level object, wherein the second query includes a filter, based on the meta data and the selected at least one parent level object, for filtering out sub-parent level objects that are only associated with non-selected parent level objects.   
   
   
       38 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 37 , wherein the retrieved sub-parent level objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       39 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 38 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected sub-parent level objects, and   repeating the creating, receiving and obtaining steps for the sub-parent level objected selected by the user.   
   
   
       40 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, for performing a method of accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases, the method comprising:
 enabling access to the plurality of databases, at least two of the plurality of remote databases having different data structures;   receiving input from a user identifying one of the plurality of remote databases for accessing;   obtaining meta data locally stored and associated the identified one remote database;   generating a navigation control and displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from the user identifying an object type;   receiving input from the user identifying at least one parent object associated with the selected object type; and   retrieving from the remote database only those children objects that are associated with the identified parent objects based on a query and a filter, the filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected at least one selected parent object.   
   
   
       41 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein the retrieved children objects are displayed on a display and selectable by the user. 
   
   
       42 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected children objects, and   retrieving from the remote database only those grand children that are associated with the identified selected children objects based on a second query and a second filter, the second filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected children objects.   
   
   
       43 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases and storing data associated with the accessed data, the method comprising:
 generating a navigation control for navigating a remote database based on locally stored meta data;   displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from the user identifying an object type;   receiving input from the user identifying at least one parent object associated with the selected object type; retrieving from the remote database only those children objects that are associated with the identified parent objects based on a query and a filter, the filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected at least one selected parent object;   retrieving from the local database data associated with the retrieved children objects; and   displaying on a display the retrieved children objects and the data associated with the retrieved children objects.   
   
   
       44 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 43 , wherein the retrieved children objects displayed are selectable by the user. 
   
   
       45 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 43 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected children objects, and   retrieving from the remote database only those children that are associated with the identified selected children objects based on a second query and a second filter, the second filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected children objects.   
   
   
       46 . A computer-readable medium, storing a set of instructions, executed by a processor, for accessing data stored in at least one of a plurality of remote databases and storing data associated with the accessed data, the method comprising:
 generating a navigation control for navigating a remote database based on locally stored meta data;   displaying the navigation control on a display;   receiving input from the user identifying an object type;   receiving input from the user identifying at least one parent object associated with the selected object type; retrieving from the remote database only those children objects that are associated with the identified parent objects based on a query and a filter, the filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected at least one selected parent object;   retrieving from the local database data associated with the retrieved children objects; and   displaying on a display the retrieved children objects and the data associated with the retrieved children objects.   
   
   
       47 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 46 , wherein the retrieved children objects displayed are selectable by the user. 
   
   
       48 . The computer-readable medium of  claim 46 , further comprising:
 receiving input from the user indicating selected children objects, and   retrieving from the remote database only those children that are associated with the identified selected children objects based on a second query and a second filter, the second filter created based on the meta data associated with the identified one remote database and the selected children objects.