Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Kelly Michael Krout

Clinton Dee Covington

Christopher Warren Bryant

Michael J McCormack

Robert Coggins

Ethan Joseph Bernstein

Jonathan Bailor

Scott Timothy Gardner

Jonathan Ian Gordner

Vitore Selca

Theresa Naramore

Dan Jacob Hough

Daniel Hough

Matthew Eric Mizulo

Richard Lee Dickinson

Andrew Robert Miller

Timothy E Getsch

Zachary P Woodall

Shane L Groff

Adam Russell Kenney

Jonathan M Sigler

Robert E Coggins

Michael J Mccormack

Christopher W Bryant

Victore Selca

Embodiments of a collaborative authoring environment enable a user to resolve editing conflicts arising when synchronizing a user copy of a data file with a master copy of the data file. Content updates may be synchronized separately from metadata updates. Metadata updates may be synchronized automatically, whereas content updates may be synchronized only when any identified editing conflicts are resolved. When an editing conflict is identified, the user interface of the authoring application may be configured to toggle between displaying and hiding the identified editing conflicts.

Conflict resolution

An improved user interface is provided for displaying selectable software functionality controls of a database application. When a task-based functionality tab is selected from the user interface, selectable functionality controls provided by the associated database application for performing aspects of a task related to the selected tab are presented in a ribbon-shaped user interface above a workspace in which a user is entering or editing data. Upon selection of a different task-based functionality tab, the presentation of functionality controls associated with the first task is removed, and selectable functionality controls associated with the second selected task-based functionality tab are presented in the user interface. The selectable functionality controls presented in the user interface are grouped into logical groupings for more efficient utilization. An extensibility model is provided for allowing users to develop and use customized user interfaces and to allow utilization of legacy user interfaces.

Command user interface for displaying selectable functionality controls in a database application

A schema editor allows for definition, distribution, and use of schema templates. The schema editor allows schema to be edited and then saved in such a way that the saved file can be reimported into the schema editor.

Templates in a schema editor

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

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Kelly Michael Krout