Apparatus, method and computer-readable storage medium for retrieving data from a data source

1. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to at least:

receive a query for data from a data source including data organized in one or more tables each of which includes one or more columns of attributes and rows of values in respective columns;

receive a rowset of data from the data source in response to the query, the rowset including one or more rows of values from the data source;

convert the rowset to markup data, wherein the markup data includes a plurality of elements each of which has a start tag, an end tag and content therebetween, wherein for each row of the rowset, the elements include a row element for which the content includes one or more column elements, and for which the content of each column element includes a value of the respective row;

organize the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source, wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes one or more row elements for the one or more rows of a respective logical group;

split the organized markup data of at least one of the logical groups into a plurality of smaller markup data sets, each of the smaller markup data sets including one or more row elements of the organized markup data of the at least one of the logical groups;

wherein the rowset is converted to markup data, and the row elements of the markup data are organized, to prepare the organized data for transformation to an output according to a markup transformation language.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus being caused to organize the row elements includes being caused to organize the row organizing the row elements of the markup data according to user-configurable parameters identifying the logical groups and including an indication of the one or more rows of each of the respective logical groups.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus being caused to organize the row elements includes being caused to organize the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups, and within each logical group, organize the row elements into a plurality of logical sub-groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source,

wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of sub-group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes at least some of the sub-group elements for each of which the content includes one or more row elements for one or more rows of a respective logical sub-group which are also one or more rows of a respective logical group.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory stores further executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to further:

separately transform the plurality of smaller markup data sets to portions of the output according to the markup transformation language; and

combine the portions of the output to form the output.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein at least two of the logical groups include different numbers of row elements, wherein each of the smaller markup data sets includes one or more row elements of the organized markup data, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data such that each of at least some of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes at least a minimum number of row elements, and such that no two of the smaller markup data sets includes a row element from the same logical group.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data further such that at least one of the smaller markup data sets includes row elements from more than one logical group.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the elements of the markup data further include a rowset element for which the content includes the row element for each row of the rowset, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data such that each smaller markup data set of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes a rowset element for which the content includes the one or more row elements of the respective smaller markup data set.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 4 , wherein the elements of the markup data further include a rowset element for which the content includes the row element for each row of the rowset, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data such that each smaller markup data set of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes a rowset element for which the content includes the one or more row elements of the respective smaller markup data set.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a query for data from a data source including data organized in one or more tables each of which includes one or more columns of attributes and rows of values in respective columns;

receiving a rowset of data from the data source in response to the query, the rowset including one or more rows of values from the data source;

converting the rowset to markup data, wherein the markup data includes a plurality of elements each of which has a start tag, an end tag and content therebetween, wherein for each row of the rowset, the elements include a row element for which the content includes one or more column elements, and for which the content of each column element includes a value of the respective row; and

organizing the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source, wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes one or more row elements for the one or more rows of a respective logical group;

splitting the organized markup data of at least one of the plurality of logical groups into a plurality of smaller markup data sets each of which includes one or more row elements of the organized markup data of the at least one of the plurality of logical groups;

wherein the rowset is converted to markup data, and the row elements of the markup data are organized, to prepare the organized data for transformation to an output according to a markup transformation language, and

wherein converting the rowset to markup data and organizing the row elements of the markup data are performed by an apparatus including a processor and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to at least convert the rowset to markup data and organize the row elements of the markup data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein organizing the row elements includes organizing the row elements of the markup data according to user-configurable parameters identifying the logical groups and including an indication of the one or more rows of each of the respective logical groups.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein organizing the row elements includes organizing the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups, and within each logical group, organizing the row elements into a plurality of logical sub-groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source,

wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of sub-group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes at least some of the sub-group elements for each of which the content includes one or more row elements for one or more rows of a respective logical sub-group which are also one or more rows of a respective logical group.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

separately transforming the plurality of smaller markup data sets to portions of the output according to the markup transformation language; and

combining the portions of the output to form the output.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least two of the logical groups include different numbers of row elements, wherein each of the smaller markup data sets includes one or more row elements of the organized markup data, and

wherein splitting the organized markup data includes splitting the organized markup data such that each of at least some of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes at least a minimum number of row elements, and such that no two of the smaller markup data sets includes a row element from the same logical group.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein splitting the organized markup data includes splitting the organized markup data further such that at least one of the smaller markup data sets includes row elements from more than one logical group.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the elements of the markup data further include a rowset element for which the content includes the row element for each row of the rowset, and

wherein splitting the organized markup data includes splitting the organized markup data such that each smaller markup data set of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes a rowset element for which the content includes the one or more row elements of the respective smaller markup data set.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by a processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive a query for data from a data source including data organized in one or more tables each of which includes one or more columns of attributes and rows of values in respective columns;

receive a rowset of data from the data source in response to the query, the rowset including one or more rows of values from the data source;

convert the rowset to markup data, wherein the markup data includes a plurality of elements each of which has a start tag, an end tag and content therebetween, wherein for each row of the rowset, the elements include a row element for which the content includes one or more column elements, and for which the content of each column element includes a value of the respective row; and

organize the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source, wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes one or more row elements for the one or more rows of a respective logical group;

split the organized markup data of at least one of the plurality of logical groups into a plurality of smaller markup data sets each of which includes one or more row elements of the organized markup data of the at least one of the plurality of logical groups;

separately transform the plurality of smaller markup data sets to portions of an output according to a markup transformation language; and

combine the portions of the output to form the output,

wherein the rowset is converted to markup data, and the row elements of the markup data are organized, to prepare the organized data for transformation to the output according to the markup transformation language.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the apparatus being caused to organize the row elements includes being caused to organize the row by organizing the row elements of the markup data according to user-configurable parameters identifying the logical groups and including an indication of the one or more rows of each of the respective logical groups.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the apparatus being caused to organize the row elements includes being caused to organize the row elements of the markup data into a plurality of logical groups, and within each logical group, organize the row elements into a plurality of logical sub-groups each of which includes one or more rows from the data source,

wherein the organized markup data further includes a plurality of sub-group elements, wherein for each group element, the content includes at least some of the sub-group elements for each of which the content includes one or more row elements for one or more rows of a respective logical sub-group which are also one or more rows of a respective logical group.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the apparatus to further:

separately transform the plurality of smaller markup data sets to portions of the output according to the markup transformation language; and

combine the portions of the output to form the output.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein at least two of the logical groups include different numbers of row elements, wherein each of the smaller markup data sets includes one or more row elements of the organized markup data, and

wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data such that each of at least some of the plurality of smaller markup data sets includes at least a minimum number of row elements, and such that no two of the smaller markup data sets includes a row element from the same logical group.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 , wherein the apparatus being caused to split the organized markup data includes being caused to split the organized markup data further such that at least one of the smaller markup data sets includes row elements from more than one logical group.