Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Daniel Hough

Michael J McCormack

Clinton Dee Covington

Christopher Warren Bryant

Scott Timothy Gardner

Robert Coggins

Kelly Michael Krout

Theresa Naramore

Andrew Robert Miller

Jonathan McPherson

George R Fordham

Jonathan M Sigler

Database interaction is facilitated by graphically presenting database objects in groups that are not necessarily dictated by object types of the database objects. In an example implementation, database navigation is facilitated by determining object dependency groups for a database in which each object dependency group corresponds to a database source object and includes at least those database objects that depend directly or indirectly from the corresponding database source object. When these data source object-based dependency groups are graphically displayed, selecting a database object thereof provides access thereto. In another example implementation, a user can designate an attribute associated with database objects by which the database objects are to be grouped. Thus, the database objects are grouped by various values that the user-designated associated attribute takes. These designated attribute-based value-driven groups may also be graphically displayed to enable navigation of and access to the different database objects assigned to them.

Database interaction

Database interaction is facilitated by graphically presenting database objects in groups that are not necessarily dictated by object types of the database objects. In an example implementation, database navigation is facilitated by determining object dependency groups for a database in which each object dependency group corresponds to a database source object and includes at least those database objects that depend directly or indirectly from the corresponding database source object. When these data source object-based dependency groups are graphically displayed, selecting a database object thereof provides access thereto. In another example implementation, a user can designate an attribute associated with database objects by which the database objects are to be grouped. Thus, the database objects are grouped by various values that the user-designated associated attribute takes. These designated-attribute-based value-driven groups may also be graphically displayed to enable navigation of and access to the different database objects assigned to them.

Database navigation

A one-screen entry point to a document management program ('program') is provided to allow a user to browse templates associated with the program. The templates can be local templates and/or online templates provided by one or more Web services. The one-screen entry point allows a user to search, browse, or download online templates, and/or create documents using the templates. Each template is identified with a template category and displayed together with templates identified with the same template category. Local templates are presented along with online templates if the local templates and the online templates are identified with the same online template category. A user or an administrator of the program can create and/or customize local templates and local template categories. A blank template is provided so a user can create custom documents for the program.

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