(12) United States Patent
`Goldman et al.
`
`US006321229B1
`US 6,321,229 B1
`*Nov. 20, 2001
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING AN
`INFORMATION MODEL TO ORGANIZE AN
`INFORMATION REPOSITORY INTO A
`HIERARCHY OF INFORMATION
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Jason David Goldman; Brian John
`O’Keefe, both of Fort Collins, CO (US)
`
`(73)
`
`Assignee:
`
`Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto,
`CA (US)
`
`(*)
`
`Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis
`claimer.
`
`(21)
`Appl. N0.: 09/258,576
`(22) Filed:
`Feb. 26, 1999
`
`(51)
`
`(52)
`(58)
`
`Int. Cl.7
`
`.................................................... .. G06F 17/30
`
`US. Cl. .............................. .. 707/100; 707/103; 707/1
`
`Field of Search ................................... .. 707/100, 102,
`707/103, 1
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,815,703 * 9/1998 Copeland et al. ................. .. 707/102
`6,023,703 * 2/2000 Hill ........... ..
`.. 707/100
`6,098,072 * 8/2000 Sluiman et al. ................... .. 707/103
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner—Jean R. Homere
`Assistant Examiner—Greta L. Robinson
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`The invention described herein is an apparatus for accessing
`an information repository, including computer readable pro
`gram code stored on computer readable media, Where the
`computer readable program code includes code for organiz
`ing information stored in the information repository into a
`hierarchy. The hierarchy is a hierarchy of a number of
`derived containers that are generated in conformance With
`an information model Which is a hierarchy of container
`de?nition nodes. Each of the derived containers corresponds
`to a different one of the container de?nition nodes, repre
`sents a category of information in the information repository,
`and has contents Which can be other derived containers
`and/or information extracted from the information reposi
`tory.
`
`20 Claims, 17 Drawing Sheets
`
`13-118
`
`j120
`
`INFORMATION
`REPOSITORY
`
`INFORMATION
`REPOSITORY
`
`INFORMATION MODEL
`
`---112-
`
`5 I02
`
`HIERARCHY
`
`INFORMATION HIERARCHY
`
`DERIVED HIERARCHY
`
`100 L
`
`INFORMATION HIERARCHY
`
`DERIVED HIERARCHY
`
`5 108
`
`; 110
`
`ServiceNow, Inc.'s
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`Nov. 20, 2001
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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 20, 2001
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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 20, 2001
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`US 6,321,229 B1
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`U.S. Patent
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`Nov. 20, 2001
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`US 6,321,229 B1
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING AN
`INFORMATION MODEL TO ORGANIZE AN
`INFORMATION REPOSITORY INTO A
`HIERARCHY OF INFORMATION
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention pertains to the ?eld of computer imple
`mented organizational systems, and more particularly to a
`method and apparatus for using an information model to
`organize an information repository into a hierarchy of infor
`mation.
`
`10
`
`2
`change, and delete database records, it can be overkill for a
`user Who needs minimal access, such as When the user only
`needs to vieW database records.
`For minimal use, a database can also be accessed by
`“querying” the database, Which at the very least does not
`require the expertise, time, and expense of a custom pro
`gram. Aquery is a speci?c set of instructions for the purpose
`of extracting data from a database based on one or more
`selection criterion. For example, if a user Wants to see all
`jobs in a job database that pay more than $20,000, a query
`might read “(Salary>=$20,000)”. The query, Which is Writ
`ten in commands comprehensible by the particular database
`being queried (eg., SQL), instructs a program to search the
`database for any and all records that satisfy the one or more
`selection criterion of the query. In the previous example,
`therefore, a program reads the Salary ?eld of each record to
`determine if the value in that ?eld is greater than or equal to
`$20,000. If the test fails, the program proceeds to test the
`next record. If the test passes, the program Will extract that
`record from the database for processing, such as vieWing or
`displaying. The result is a cost effective method of extracting
`information from a database tailored to a user’s speci?c
`needs.
`While creating queries is cost effective, it is not alWays
`ef?cient. Oftentimes, a user needs access to a speci?c set of
`records that requires a more complex query, such as When a
`user Wants to see all of the available professional jobs that
`do not require computer programming skills. A query to
`obtain this information from a database might read
`“((isAvailable=TRUE) AND (Tech/Prof=TRUE) AND
`(skills<>computer) AND (job<>programmer))”. In a com
`plex query, such as this one, the results can sometimes be
`uncertain, requiring the user to make several attempts at
`creating the query to produce the correct results. Another
`disadvantage of queries, simple or complex, is that they can
`result in Wasted time and space in obtaining commonly used
`data, and in creating a litany of queries Which produce the
`same results and/or erroneous results.
`A need exists, therefore, for meaningful and easy access
`to information in an information repository that provides the
`detail of information available from a custom program
`Without the time and expense of creating one, as Well as the
`cost-effectiveness of querying an information repository
`Without the uncertainties of results and the inefficiencies in
`obtaining them. In a more general sense, a need also exists
`for a means of meaningful and easy access to information an
`information repository that presents a user With a conceptual
`vieW of the information repository.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention solves this problem by providing a
`method and apparatus of creating a hierarchy of information
`that alloWs information in an information repository to be
`meaningfully and easily accessed. The invention described
`herein is an apparatus for accessing an information
`repository, comprising computer readable program code
`stored on computer readable media, Where the computer
`readable program code comprises code for organiZing infor
`mation stored in the information repository into a hierarchy.
`The hierarchy comprises a number of derived containers that
`are generated in conformance With an information model
`comprising a hierarchy of container de?nition nodes. Each
`of the derived containers can correspond to a different one
`of the container de?nition nodes, represents a category of
`information in the information repository, and comprises
`contents. Furthermore, the invention described herein is a
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`This application is related to the copending US. Appli
`cation of Jason Goldman and Brian O’Keefe entitled
`“METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING AN INFOR
`MATION MODEL TO ORGANIZE AN INFORMATION
`REPOSITORY INTO AN EXTENSIBLE HIERARCHY OF
`INFORMATION” the copending US. Application of Jason
`Goldman and D. Jon Lachelt entitled “METHOD AND
`APPARATUS FOR USING AN INFORMATION MODEL
`TO ORGANIZE AN INFORMATION REPOSITORY
`INTO AN EXTENSIBLE HIERARCHY OF ORGANIZA
`TIONAL INFORMATION” and the copending US. Appli
`cation of Jason Goldman entitled “METHOD AND APPA
`RATUS FOR USING AN INFORMATION MODEL TO
`CREATE A LOCATION TREE IN A HIERARCHY OF
`INFORMATION” and incorporates by reference all that is
`disclosed therein.
`Generally, information repositories hold a Wealth and
`variety of information that can be accessed. Examples of
`information repositories include program ?les comprising a
`list of subroutines and/or variables used in the program, and
`databases comprising records. Information repositories can
`also be in non-automated form, such as library index cards
`comprising information like call numbers, publishers, and
`authors. In a small information repository, information can
`be relatively easy to decipher and organiZe. As is often the
`case, hoWever, any useful information repository Will con
`tain and accumulate an in?nite amount of information so
`that organiZing the information in any useful manner
`becomes a dif?cult task. This problem can be demonstrated
`in an information repository such as a database.
`Databases are a large and poWerful resource of informa
`tion in a society automated by computers and computer
`processes. A database is a repository of ?les containing
`records, Where each record contains ?elds that are attributes
`of the record, and every record in the same ?le comprises the
`same ?elds. For example, records in a job database can
`comprise ?elds such as Position, Level, Company, Salary,
`Years of Experience, and Skills, each of Which is an attribute
`of a job in the job database. In a more general sense, a
`database is also a collection of ?les containing records that
`are subject to the same set of operations for searching,
`sorting, recombining, and other functions.
`Information in a database can be accessed by a custom
`program Written for a particular application. For example, a
`program in a job placement application might display a list
`of all available jobs from a job database. This method of
`access to database information is limited, hoWever, because
`it requires that such a program be customiZed for a particular
`use, language, and/or database, amongst other factors, Which
`can involve a great deal of expertise, time, and expense.
`While this is oftentimes necessary, particularly Where a
`database is highly integrated into an application and a user
`needs sophisticated functionality such as the ability to add,
`
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`ServiceNow, Inc.'s
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`019
`
`

`

`US 6,321,229 B1
`
`3
`computer based method of accessing an information
`repository, comprising a computer creating a hierarchy of
`derived containers. The hierarchy comprises a hierarchy of
`a number of derived containers that correspond to container
`de?nition nodes of an information model comprising a
`hierarchy of container de?nition nodes, and that correspond
`to categories of information stored in the information reposi
`tory. The computer determines if a given one of the derived
`containers has been selected by a computer user, and upon
`selection of a given derived container, displays contents of
`the given derived container.
`These and other important advantages and objectives of
`the present invention Will be further eXplained in, or Will
`become apparent from, the accompanying description,
`draWings and claims.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`An illustrative and presently preferred embodiment of the
`invention is illustrated in the draWings in Which:
`FIG. 1 illustrates the relationship betWeen an information
`model and a hierarchy.
`FIG. 2 illustrates container de?nition nodes and levels of
`information that comprise an information hierarchy in an
`information model, and the relationships betWeen them.
`FIG. 3 illustrates a ?rst eXample implementation of a
`parent/child relationship betWeen container de?nition nodes
`in an information hierarchy, Which is implemented in a
`preferred embodiment.
`FIG. 4 illustrates a second eXample implementation of a
`parent/child relationship betWeen container de?nition nodes
`in an information hierarchy.
`FIG. 5 illustrates derived containers and levels that com
`prise a derived hierarchy, and the relationships betWeen
`them.
`FIG. 6 illustrates the relationship betWeen container de?
`nition nodes in an information hierarchy and corresponding
`derived containers in a hierarchy.
`FIG. 7 illustrates a database With sample records and
`values.
`FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, and 8D are sample hierarchy structures
`for the database of FIG. 7.
`FIG. 9 illustrates a container de?nition node structure.
`FIG. 10 illustrates an apeX of an information model.
`FIG. 11 is a sample information hierarchy for the derived
`hierarchy of FIG. 8A.
`FIG. 12 is a sample information hierarchy for the derived
`hierarchy of FIG. 8B.
`FIG. 13 illustrates a derived container structure and its
`relationship to a corresponding container de?nition node.
`FIG. 14 illustrates a method of using an information
`model.
`FIG. 15 illustrates an apeX and ?rst-level container de?
`nition nodes for the hierarchy represented by FIGS. 8A and
`8B.
`FIG. 16 illustrates ?rst-level derived containers and their
`corresponding container de?nition nodes for the hierarchy
`represented by FIGS. 8A and 8B.
`FIG. 17 illustrates derived containers and their corre
`sponding container de?nition nodes for the information
`hierarchy of FIG. 12.
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`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`The invention described herein is an apparatus for access
`ing an information repository, comprising computer read
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`able program code stored on computer readable media,
`Where the computer readable program code comprises code
`for organiZing information stored in the information reposi
`tory into a hierarchy. The hierarchy comprises a hierarchy of
`a number of derived containers that are generated in con
`formance With an information model comprising a hierarchy
`of container de?nition nodes. Each of the derived containers
`corresponds to a different one of the container de?nition
`nodes, represents a category of information in the informa
`tion repository; and comprises contents. Furthermore, the
`invention described herein is a computer based method of
`accessing an information repository, comprising a computer
`creating a hierarchy of derived containers. The hierarchy
`comprises a hierarchy of a number of derived containers that
`correspond to container de?nition nodes of an information
`model comprising a hierarchy of container de?nition nodes,
`and that correspond to categories of information stored in
`the information repository. The computer determines if a
`given one of the derived containers has been selected by a
`computer user, and upon selection of a given derived
`container, displays contents of the given derived container.
`Introduction and De?nitions
`An information model can be created to de?ne a hierarchy
`of information (also referred to as a hierarchy) for one or
`more information repositories to provide meaningful and
`easy access to information in the information repositories.
`An information model corresponds to a hierarchy, Wherein
`the hierarchy represents a hierarchical and logical grouping
`of information in the information repositories. The present
`invention contemplates de?ning a single information model
`for multiple information repositories, multiple information
`models for a single information repository, as Well as a
`single information model for a single information repository.
`As illustrated in FIG. 1, an information model 100 cor
`responds 112 to a hierarchy 102 for one or more information
`repositories 118, 120 in a preferred embodiment, Wherein a
`hierarchy is a logical and hierarchical grouping of informa
`tion in the information repository. An information model 100
`comprises one or more information hierarchies 104, 106 ,
`and a hierarchy 102 comprises one or more derived hierar
`chies 108, 110, such that each information hierarchy 104,
`106 corresponds 114, 116 to a derived hierarchy 108, 110 for
`an information repository 118.
`As illustrated in FIG. 2, an information hierarchy 104
`comprises one or more levels of information 200, 202, 204,
`and one or more container de?nition nodes 206, 208, 210,
`212, 214 at each level of information, Wherein a hierarchical
`relationship 216, 218 eXists betWeen a container de?nition
`node at one level of information and a container de?nition
`node at a second level of information, such that a container
`de?nition node at a higher level of information that points to
`a container de?nition node at a loWer level of information is
`a parent container de?nition node (also referred to as parent
`node), and a container de?nition node at a loWer level of
`information that is pointed to by a container de?nition node
`at a higher level of information is a child container de?nition
`node (also referred to as child node). Within a level of
`information, one or more container de?nition nodes refer
`encing the same parent container de?nition node are referred
`to as a container group. In a preferred embodiment, a
`container de?nition node at a loWer level of information
`provides more detail about a hierarchy than a container
`de?nition node at a higher level of information. All nodes in
`a loWer level of information referenced by a given container
`de?nition node, directly or indirectly, are descendants of the
`given container de?nition node, and all nodes in a higher
`level of information than a given container de?nition node
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`ServiceNow, Inc.'s
`Exhibit No. 1001
`
`020
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`

`

`US 6,321,229 B1
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`5
`of which the given container definition node is a descendant,
`are ancestors of the given container definition node. A node
`in the first level of information of an information hierarchy
`is referred to simply as a first-level container definition node,
`and a node that does not reference any child nodes in an
`information hierarchy is referred to as a leaf node. Through-
`out the description, an information hierarchy will refer to
`one which starts at a first level of information, and includes
`a first-level container definition node, all child nodes of the
`first-level container definition node, and all descendants
`thereof, including leaf nodes.
`There are various ways of implementing a hierarchical
`relationship between container definition nodes. In a pre-
`ferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a hierarchical
`relationship is implemented by a container definition node
`that comprises a pointer to a list of all of its child nodes.
`Therefore, container definition node 300 is a parent node
`that comprises a pointer 314 to a list 310 of child nodes 302,
`304, and container definition node 302 is a parent node that
`comprises a pointer 316 to a list 312 of child nodes 306, 308.
`In another implementation, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a con-
`tainer definition node comprises a pointer to a child node
`and/or a pointer to a peer node, rather than a pointer to a list
`of one or more child nodes. A peer node is a container
`definition node at the same level as that of the container
`
`definition node that comprises a pointer to the peer node. A
`peer node is also a child node of the parent node which
`comprises a pointer to a child node that is in the same level
`as the peer node, and in the same container group as the peer
`node. Therefore, container definition node 400 is a parent
`node that comprises a pointer 410 to a child node 402, which
`comprises a pointer 414 to peer node 404, and container
`definition node 402 is a parent node that comprises a pointer
`412 to a child node 406, which comprises a pointer 416 to
`peer node 408. Also, container definition node 400 is a
`parent node of peer node 404, and container definition node
`402 is a parent node of peer node 408. In both example
`implementations, nodes 300, 302, 400, 402 are parent nodes
`because they reference one or more child nodes; nodes 302,
`304, 306, 308, 402, 404, 406, 408 are all child nodes and/or
`descendants because they are referenced by a parent node,
`directly or indirectly; nodes 300, 400 are first-level nodes;
`and nodes 304, 306, 308, 404, 406, 408 are leaf nodes since
`they do not reference any child nodes. Additionally, nodes
`302, 402 are both parent nodes and child nodes, since they
`are both referenced by a parent node, and they both refer-
`ence a child node.
`
`As illustrated in FIG. 5, a derived hierarchy 108 in a
`hierarchy comprises one or more levels 500, 502, 504 and
`one or more derived containers 506, 508, 510, 512, 514,
`wherein each level 500, 502, 504 corresponds to a level of
`information 200, 202, 204 in an information hierarchy 104,
`and each derived container 506, 508, 510, 512, 514 corre-
`sponds to a container definition node 206, 208, 210, 212, 214
`in an information hierarchy 104. Furthermore, a hierarchical
`relationship 516, 518 exists between a derived container in
`one level and a derived container in a second level, such that
`a derived container at a higher level is a parent derived
`container (also referred to as a parent node) of a derived
`container at a lower level, and a derived container at a lower
`level is a child derived container (also referred to as a child
`node) of a derived container at a higher level. Within a level,
`one or more derived containers having the same parent
`derived container (as determined by hierarchical relation-
`ships of corresponding container definition nodes) are
`referred to as a container group. In a preferred embodiment,
`a derived container at a lower level provides more detail
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`about a hierarchy than a derived container at a higher level.
`All nodes in a lower level of information referenced by a
`given derived container, directly or indirectly, are descen-
`dants of the given derived container, and all nodes in a
`higher level of information than a given derived container of
`which the given derived container is a descendant, are
`ancestors of the given derived container. A node in the first
`level of a derived hierarchy is referred to simply as a
`first-level derived container, and a node that does not ref-
`erence any child nodes in a derived hierarchy is referred to
`as a leaf node. Throughout the description, a derived hier-
`archy will refer to one which starts at a first level, and
`includes a first-level derived container, all child nodes of the
`first-level derived container, and all descendants thereof,
`including leaf nodes.
`A hierarchical relationship between derived containers is
`implemented by each derived container referencing, or
`pointing to, a corresponding container definition node,
`thereby inheriting the hierarchical characteristics of its cor-
`responding container definition node. FIG. 6, which shows
`a derived hierarchy generated in response to a preferred
`embodiment of a hierarchical relationship between container
`definition nodes (FIG. 3), illustrates this point. One of the
`events that transpires when a derived container is created
`from its corresponding container definition node is that a
`pointer for that derived container is created which points
`back to the container definition node it was derived from
`
`(hence the term “derived containers”). Therefore, when
`derived container 506 is created, pointer 600 is created to
`reference corresponding container definition node 300;
`derived container 508 references 602 corresponding con-
`tainer definition node 302; derived container 510 references
`604 container definition node 304; derived container 512
`references 606 corresponding container definition node 306;
`and derived container 514 references 608 corresponding
`container definition node 308. This creates a chain of
`
`pointers to determine one derived container’s relationship to
`one or more other derived containers, such that a hierarchy
`comprising derived containers (FIG. 5) resembles a corre-
`sponding information hierarchy comprising container defi-
`nition nodes (FIG. 2). Thus, derived container 506 is a parent
`node of derived containers 508 and 510 (by virtue of its
`reference to a corresponding container definition node and
`the child container definition nodes of the corresponding
`container definition node), and derived container 508 is a
`parent node of derived containers 512 and 514.
`Using an information model to create a hierarchy allows
`the user to see two things. First, a hierarchy gives a user the
`ability to see how information in an information repository
`is organized and the relationship between information in the
`information repository via derived containers that represent
`user-defined categories of the information. Secondly,
`derived containers in a derived hierarchy allow a user to
`view logical subsets of information in the information
`repository. For example, an information model can be used
`to create a database hierarchy that hierarchically and logi-
`cally presents information in a database to a user.
`In presenting a hierarchical and logical view of informa-
`tion in a database, an information model allows a user to see
`two things. First, a hierarchy gives a user the ability to see
`how data in a database is organized and the relationship
`between data, i.e. fields, in the database. When a derived
`hierarchy is created in a preferred embodiment, derived
`containers are displayed such that hierarchical organization
`is conveyed to the user. In other words, a derived container
`can convey a category of information in the database as
`defined by its corresponding container definition node. A
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`021
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`ServiceNow, |nc.'s
`
`Exhibit No. 1001
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`ServiceNow, Inc.'s
`Exhibit No. 1001
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`021
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`

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`US 6,321,229 B1
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`7
`category of information corresponds to a field from the
`database from which its selection criteria is based, and the
`field can be used to create a label of the derived container.
`
`In a first embodiment, then, each derived container repre-
`sents a category of information. Furthermore, if a derived
`container corresponds to a container definition node in the
`second level of information in the information model, a user
`interface can convey this sense of hierarchy by indenting the
`label of the derived container in a list user interface, or
`presenting a secondary window in a graphical window
`interface, for example.
`Secondly, derived containers in a hierarchy allow a user
`to view logical subsets of database records, which are
`determined by a combined selection criteria attribute of a
`derived container. Records that are actually extracted from
`a database using a derived container’s combined selection
`criteria attribute, as will be discussed, are referred to as
`extracted records. In a preferred embodiment, records are
`only extracted at a leaf derived container (or a derived
`container corresponding to a leaf container definition node),
`although it is also within the scope of this invention that
`records may be extracted at any derived container.
`In summary, an information model defines how a hierar-
`chy is presented to a user as determined by the contents of
`one or more derived containers, wherein the contents of a
`given derived container can comprise child derived contain-
`ers (showing how information in an information repository
`is organized), extracted records (showing logical subsets of
`information), or both. In a preferred embodiment, the con-
`tents of a leaf derived container will comprise extracted
`records, and the contents of all other derived containers will
`comprise child derived containers, although it is also within
`the scope of this invention that the other derived containers
`may comprise both child derived containers and extracted
`records. Derived containers can