Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-22
2004-06-22
Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2171)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C715S252000, C715S252000, C715S252000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06754648
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to database software, and more particularly to relational databases.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Employing computer systems allows management of large amounts of data. This data is generally stored in databases. These databases comprise of a storage unit for storing this data. The storage unit may be any suitable storage medium, such as a hard disk. The storage unit and the data stored thereon are managed by a computer application, referred to as database software. The storage unit is controlled by a computer system on which the database software is run.
Prior art databases are mostly relational databases. These databases are organized as a set of formally-described tables from which data can be accessed or reassembled in many different ways without having to reorganize the database table. The tables are also called relations.
The sets of tables contain data organized into predefined categories. Each table contains one or more data categories in columns. Each row contains a unique instance of data for the categories defined by the columns. For example, a typical address book database may include a table that describes a “contact” with the name, surname, street, city, telephone number and birthday. A user of the database could obtain a view of the database that meets the user's needs; for example, the “contact” may be described only by surname, telephone number and birthday.
While creating a relational database, the domain of possible values in a data column and further constraints that may apply to that data value have to be defined. The definition of a relational database results in a table of metadata or formal description of the tables, columns, domains and constraints.
Such a relational database has the advantage of being relatively easy to create and access. Relational databases are also relatively easy to extend, because after the original database creation, a new data category can be added without requiring that all existing applications be modified. The standard user and application program interface to a relational database is the structured query language (SQL).
One disadvantage of relational databases is that their data storage structure is flat. All information of the database is stored in the relations. The structure between the relations is not stored. This means that information contained in these structures of the data is lost for the database when the data is stored. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that these databases require the set up of schemas by the database administrator to define the categories of the columns in the tables. This is laborious and confusing, since it may differ between the various databases. This is particularly unpleasant if several databases are to be brought into cooperation.
In the prior art object oriented databases are also known. These comprise objects and classes to which these objects belong. The objects may include values as well as methods. The classes refer to characteristics of objects relating to their potential further processing or handling. However, the classes are not related to the content of data as such, and therefore do not facilitate the management of the data with respect to the substantive information contained therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages and to provide a database which is easy to manage, particularly with respect to the substantive information contained in the database.
These and other objects are achieved by a method for storing and managing data on a storage medium connected to a computer system, wherein said data comprises a plurality of data elements and a plurality of tags, wherein each of said data elements is assigned one of said tags to form a plurality of pairs each comprising at least one of said data elements and one of said tags, wherein each of said pairs is assigned a position in a hierarchical structure, characterized in that each of said pairs is stored and managed on said storage medium together with a pair-individual hierarchy indicator indicating said position of said pair in said hierarchical structure.
A computer system which is able to carry out this inventive method comprises a processor, a storage medium, an input device and an output device. The storage medium can be a hard disk or other storage medium. This storage medium, as well as the input device and the output device, may be comprised in the computer system itself, or in another embodiment, may belong to another computer system and be connected via a data line or a network to the computer system.
The data to be stored and managed by employing this computer system may be divided into data elements and tags. In connection with an address database example, the data elements or entries would be the first name, the surname, the street, the house number, the city, the telephone numbers, the birthday and any other data element. These data elements are organized in relation to the tags. The tags describe the content of the corresponding data elements. For example, the data elements which belong to the tag “street” contain the information about the name of a street. Since these tags are organized in a hierarchical structure, the tags “street”, “house number” and “city” may belong to another tag, for example the tag “address”, which could be called a parent tag.
In connection with one embodiment of the present invention, storing describes the process of inserting new entries into the database, for example, a new contact in the address database, and managing describes the process of handling the various entries, like viewing, opening, amending and transmitting.
By means of the present invention the hierarchical structure of data may be conserved in the database, which means it is not lost for the database. This is achieved by employing a pair-individual hierarchy indicator indicating the position of the corresponding pair in the hierarchical structure, and being stored and managed together with the respective pair. Herein, a pair-individual hierarchy indicator may indicate the position of its related pair by describing the parent and the child(ren) of this pair in the hierarchical structure. However, this pair-individual hierarchy indicator may contain, in addition or instead, other information, for example about the grandparent, grandchildren or other relationships to other pairs in the hierarchical structure. Therefore, the pair-individual hierarchy indicator may also be called relationship attribute. Further additional information may be expressed by other attributes, for example the data type of the data element by a so-called content attribute.
By using the pair-individual hierarchy indicator in the mentioned way the method of the present invention allows the information about a pair relating to its position in the hierarchical structure to be maintained when storing this pair in a database and when further processing this pair in or in connection with this database.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention each of the pairs is listed in an index, wherein this index contains hierarchy information about the position of each of the pairs in the hierarchical structure. This index may be initiated with the storage of the first pair and may be updated with each change in the database, for example with the storing of a new pair, with amending or changing the hierarchical position of an existing pair, or with deleting a pair from the database.
This index contains information about the data, i.e., about each data element or each pair of data elements and tags. In the scope of the present invention the index contains at least the information about the position of each data element or pair in the hierarchical structure. Therefore, the index reflects this hierarchical structure. However, according to the present invention the index may also contain additional information which could be of interest to the user, such as information related to the content of the data elements as well as
Fittges Klaus
Harbarth Jurgen
Kinzinger Horst
Schoning Harlad
Hood Jeffrey C.
Metjahic Safet
Meyertons Hood Kivlin Kowert & Goetzel P.C.
Software AG
Thai Hanh
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