Associative data management system utilizing metadata

Abstract

Data management systems, interactions, interfaces, and methods are disclosed for utilizing metadata in the storage, management, organization, and retrieval of items through a visual interface. An associative interface component corresponds to an associative element of metadata including an associative category and one or more elements of associative data corresponding to the associative category. A user may interact with a data management system interface to associate a piece of selected data with a metadata element by dragging and dropping or otherwise adding a corresponding associative interface component to an interface panel associated with the piece of selected data. The user may access the piece of data by causing a search for data elements responsive to dragging and dropping or otherwise adding an associative interface component to a search interface panel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for managing data associated with a selected item comprising:
 a first memory component for storing item data associated with the selected item;   a second memory component for storing metadata associated with the selected item;   an item management storage component operable to:
 display indicia corresponding to one or more attributes of the selected item; 
 display a first tag interface component in a first library interface location, the first tag interface component corresponding to at least an associative category, wherein an indicium representing the associative category is displayed in association with the first tag interface component; 
 responsive to user interaction, select an associative attribute associated with the associative category, wherein indicia representing the associative attribute is displayed in association with the first tag interface component; 
 responsive to a first drag and drop operation by a user, add the first tag interface component to a selected item interface location associated with the selected item; 
 store the item data to the first memory component; and 
 store item metadata associated with the selected item to the second memory component, wherein the item metadata is at least based on associative information associated with one or more tag interface components in the selected item interface location, the associative information at least including the associative category and the associative attribute associated with the first tag interface component; and 
   an item management search component operable to:
 display a second tag interface component in a second library interface location, the second tag interface component corresponding to the associative category, wherein indicia at least representing the associative category is displayed in association with the second tag interface component; 
 responsive to user interaction, select the associative attribute, wherein an indicium representing the associative category is displayed in association with the second tag interface component; 
 responsive to a second drag and drop operation by a user, add the second tag interface component to a search interface location; 
 identify the item data stored in the first memory component based at least on a comparison between aspects of the item metadata stored in the second memory location and one or more of the associative category and associative attribute associated with the second tag interface component; and 
 access at least a part of the item data stored in the first memory component. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the item metadata is at least based on associative information associated with a plurality of tag interface components in the selected item interface location, including at least the first tag interface component. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein each member of the plurality of tag interface components in the selected item interface location are displayed in association with indicia representing at least an associative category associated with the member of the plurality of tag interface components and an associative attribute associated with the member of the plurality of tag interface components. 
     
     
         4 . A computer-implemented method for managing data associated with a selected item comprising:
 displaying, by one or more computing devices, a selected item interface location associated with the selected item;   responsive at least to a user interaction, adding a first associative interface component to the selected item interface location, the first associative interface component corresponding to a first associative category;   responsive at least to a user interaction, identifying a first associative attribute associated with the first associative category, including displaying one or more indicia corresponding to the first associative attribute in association with the first associative interface component;   storing, by one or more computing devices, item metadata associated with the selected item in a first memory component, wherein the item metadata is at least based on first associative information associated with one or more associative interface components in the selected item interface location, including at least the first associative category and the first associative attribute associated with the first associative interface component;   responsive at least to a user interaction, adding a second associative interface component to a search interface location; and   identifying, by one or more computing devices, item data associated with the selected item at least based on a second associative category and a second associative attribute associated with the second associative interface component.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first associative attribute and the second associative attribute is associated with an attribute data type comprising at least one of a text data type, a decimal data type, a floating point data type, an integer data type, a date data type, a time data type, a datetime data type, a custom data type, a system user data type, an event data type, and a system item data type. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the first associative attribute is one of a plurality of user-defined associative attributes associated with the first associative category. 
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4  further comprising identifying the item data at least based on a comparison between the stored item metadata and at least one of the second associative category and second associative attribute. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein the second associative category corresponds to the first associative category, and wherein the second associative attribute corresponds to the first associative attribute. 
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4  further comprising identifying the item data at least based on associative information associated with a plurality of associative interface components in the search interface location, including at least the second associative interface component. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4 , wherein the first associative category is associated with at least one display characteristic, wherein the at least one display characteristics is displayed in association with one or more associative interface components associated with the first associative category, including at least the first associative interface component. 
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 10 , wherein a display characteristic comprises at least one of a sound, an animation, a background color, a font, a font color, a transparency style, a visual style, an image, an icon, or a border style. 
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 10 , wherein the second associative category corresponds to the first associative category, and the at least one display characteristic is displayed in association with the second associative interface component. 
     
     
         13 . A system for managing data associated with a selected item comprising:
 a memory component for the storage of metadata; and   an item management component operable to:
 display a first interface location associated with the selected item, wherein the first interface location contains a first one or more associative interface components including at least a first associative interface component, wherein the first associative interface component has been added to the first interface location at least responsive to a user interaction; 
 store item metadata associated with the selected item at least based on information associated with the first one or more associative interface components including the first associative interface component; 
 display a second interface location, wherein the second interface location contains a second one or more associative interface components including at least a second associative interface component, wherein the second associative interface component has been added to the second interface location at least responsive to a user interaction; and 
 identify item data associated with the selected item at least based on information associated with the second one or more associative interface components including the second associative interface component. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the first associative interface component is not displayed to a first user at least based on a first access permission, and the first associative interface component is displayed to a second user at least based on a second access permission 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the first associative interface component and the second associative interface component are associated with an associative category and an associative attribute corresponding to the associative category. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the associative attribute corresponding to the associative category is selected responsive to user interaction with at least one of the first associative interface component and the second associative interface component. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the item management component is further operable to identify item data associated with the selected item at least based on a comparison between:
 one or more elements of the stored item metadata, the one or more elements associated with at least one of the associative category and the associative attribute; and   the associative category and the associative attribute associated with the second associative interface component.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the first interface location contains a plurality of associative interface components, and wherein the item management component is further operable to store item metadata associated with the selected item at least based on information associated with the plurality of associative interface components. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein at least two of the plurality of associative interface components are added to the first interface location responsive to a user operation. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the user operation includes at least one of a user drag and drop operation, a user associative interface component click operation, and a user associative interface component selection operation.