Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Patent
1998-05-04
1999-12-14
Black, Thomas G.
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
707 4, 707101, 707 2, G06F 1730
Patent
active
060030267
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of providing a subset of SQL (Structured Query Language) relational-database functions to existing applications.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There still exist a variety of commercially available databases with SQL interface, providing an exhaustive set of functions, but they are highly hardware resource consuming.
As a result, computer programs written for one computer with a software platform including a commercial SQL relational-database are frequently unsuitable for use with computers having a reduced hardware configuration.
In the past many existing applications had to be rewritten in order to enable them to interface with a proprietary database resident on that equipment.
Furthermore proprietary databases are usually equipment dependent and cannot be used for the same or other applications on other equipment.
One of the major problems that application developers are faced with when porting existing applications, developed on a different hardware and software platforms and using an SQL relational-database, toward equipment with reduced hardware configuration, for example communication servers, other network apparatus etc., is the need to rewrite part of the applications in order to enable them to interface with a proprietary database resident on that equipment, otherwise the applications could not be used or must be rewritten completely. Sometimes the destination equipment has a reduced availability of hardware resources because of the installation of other resource consuming applications (e.g., communication software like ISO/OSI stack protocols, TCP/IP and others) and since commercial SQL relational-databases are highly hardware resources consuming it could be desirable to avoid installing it, for example in the case of the porting of an application toward one or more communication servers.
It will be recognized that an SQL database running on any equipment with any configuration is essential in order to allow an existing application using an SQL database to be ported toward an equipment and to function correctly, when a commercial database has not been installed.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means of porting/supplying a set of SQL database functions to an existing application on any equipment, without a significant consumption of hardware resources.
The object is attained by methods with the features according to claim 1 or claim 5 and by means according to claim 7.
The invention as claimed enables the porting of existing user software applications using an SQL database toward any reduced hardware configuration on which a commercial resource consuming SQL relational-database cannot be installed, by only copying, recompiling and executing the application files, without any source code modification.
By using the invention, the waste of time to modify existing source code is avoided, where sometimes such source code is not easily modifiable and would require a big effort.
Furthermore, it is sometimes preferable to save hardware resources for other run time applications, in these cases the emulator object of the invention enables the saving in a configuration phase.
Furthermore, the emulator can be customized to be used with different platforms on any different equipment.
Further advantageous features of the invention are defined in the subclaims.
Advantageously, security of user data can be guaranteed, when necessary, by using an encryption/decryption module to access data files.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows the use of the emulator during a porting phase;
FIG. 2 enumerate all parts which make up the software architecture of the emulator;
FIG. 3 shows how an SQL statement is converted into an interface function which is then translated into a sequence of emulation library functions accessing the ASCII files;
FIG. 4
REFERENCES:
patent: 4205371 (1980-05-01), Feather
patent: 5553218 (1996-09-01), Li et al.
patent: 5640550 (1997-06-01), Coker
patent: 5717911 (1998-02-01), Madrid et al.
ALCATEL N.V.
Black Thomas G.
Trinh William
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