Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-09
2001-09-04
Choules, Jack (Department: 2177)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285996
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to the following copending and commonly-assigned patent applications:
Application Ser. No. 09/113,976, entitled “User-Defined Search in Relational Database Management Systems,” filed on same date herewith, by Gene Y. C. Fuh, et al., pending;
Application Ser. No. 09/112,723, entitled “Supporting Database Indexes Based on a Generalized B-Tree Index,” filed on same date herewith, by Stefan Dessloch, et al., pending;
Application Ser. No. 09/112,301, entitled “Multiple-Stage Evaluation of User-Defined Predicates,” filed on same date herewith, by Gene Y. C. Fuh, U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,358;
Application Ser. No. 09/112,307, entitled “A Generalized Model for the Exploitation of Database Indexes,” filed on same date herewith, by Gene Y. C. Fuh, et al., pending;
Application Ser. No. 09/112,302, entitled “A Fully Integrated Architecture For User-Defined Search,” filed on same date herewith, by Gene Y. C. Fuh, et al., pending;
Application Ser. No. 08/786,605, entitled “A Database Management System, Method and Program for Supporting the Mutation of a Composite Object Without Read/Write and Write/Write Conflicts,” filed on Jan. 21, 1997, by Linda G. DeMichiel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,182; and
Application Ser. No. 08/914,394, entitled “An Optimal Storage Mechanism for Persistent Objects in DBMS,” filed on Aug. 19, 1997, by Gene Y. C. Fuh, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,013;
all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to computer-implemented database systems, and, in particular, to run-time support for user-defined index ranges and index filters.
2. Description of Related Art
Databases are computerized information storage and retrieval systems. A Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is a database management system (DBMS) which uses relational techniques for storing and retrieving data. Relational databases are organized into tables which consist of rows and columns of data. The rows are formally called tuples or records. A database will typically have many tables and each table will typically have multiple tuples and multiple columns. The tables are typically stored on direct access storage devices (DASD), such as magnetic or optical disk drives for semi-permanent storage.
Many traditional business transaction are processed using a RDBMS. Since the inclusion of RDBMSs in business, user-defined data types and user-defined functions have been brought into RDBMSs to enrich the data modeling and data processing power. User-defined data based on the user-defined data types may include audio, video, image, text, spatial data (e.g., shape, point, line, polygon, etc.), time series data, OLE documents, Java objects, C++ objects, etc.
A table in a database can be accessed using an index. An index is an ordered set of references (e.g., pointers) to the records or rows in a database file or table. The index is used to access each record in the file using a key (i.e., one of the fields of the record or attributes of the row). Without an index, finding a record would require a scan (e.g., linearly) of an entire table. Indexes provide an alternate technique to accessing data in a table. Users can create indexes on a table after the table is built. An index is based on one or more columns of the table.
When a table contains user-defined data, conventional systems typically do not provide adequate support for user-defined index ranges and index filters. Therefore, there is a need in the art for run-time support for user-defined index ranges and index filters for data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for computer-implemented run-time support for user-defined index ranges and index filters.
In accordance with the present invention, a statement is executed in a database stored on a data storage device, which is connected to a computer. The database contains data. A search range is generated based on a user-defined range function associated with a user-defined index.
An object of the invention is to enable users to provide user-defined range functions for generating search ranges. Another object of the invention is to enable users to provide user-defined index filters to filter data.
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Jou Michelle Mei-Chiou
Lee Daniel Tsunfang
Li Ping
Pan Hsin
Tran Brian Thinh-Vinh
Choules Jack
International Business Machines Corp.
Lewis Cheryl
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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