System and method for sharing data between relational and hierarchical databases

• US 20020010700A1
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fair Isaac Corporation
• Original Assignee: Infoglide Software Corp. (Fair Isaac Corporation)
• Inventors: Ripley, John R., Wotring, Steven C.
• Granted Patent: US 6,853,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer-implemented system and method for transforming relational database information into a hierarchical data representation. It provides for data sharing between a relational and hierarchical data structures without requiring the data to be remodeled to fit a common format or convention. While maintaining the relational data in its original format, user may transform and associate the data with a structure compatible with another format definition. The present invention may use XML, HTML and SGML to structure a hierarchical data representation. Object-oriented formats may also be used to structure the data in an intermediary format for transformation into a hierarchical data structure.

Claims

1. A method for sharing data between a relational database and a hierarchical database, comprising:

defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements;

mapping each of the plurality of elements in the hierarchical data entity to information in a relational dataset contained in a relational database;

transforming the relational dataset information into corresponding mapped elements in the hierarchical data entity to form a hierarchical data structure; and

accessing data from the hierarchical data structure corresponding to the relational dataset information in the relational database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining a hierarchical data entity comprises defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and mapping information.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying each of the plurality of elements by an element name without reference to an entity path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining a hierarchical data entity comprises defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and defining a hierarchical map structure corresponding to the hierarchical data entity containing mapping information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising identifying each of the plurality of elements by an entity path referencing all parent elements in the entity path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining a hierarchical data entity comprises defining simple elements and compound elements.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of defining a simple element comprises defining an element name and mapped fields.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of defining a simple element comprises defining an entity path and mapped fields.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of defining a compound element comprises defining an element name, a database name, a database command, and database fields.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of defining a compound element comprises defining an entity path, a database name, a database command, and database fields.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of mapping each of the plurality of elements comprises:

reading the hierarchical data entity;

determining if a root element is present;

ending the mapping process if no root element is present;

mapping each compound element of the plurality of elements if a root element is present; and

mapping each simple element of the plurality of elements if a root element is present.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of mapping each compound element comprises:

selecting a compound element;

specifying a data source for the compound element;

specifying a database command expression for the compound element;

executing the database command expression;

receiving a dataset containing fieldnames from the data source;

adding the dataset fieldnames to a dataset field list in the compound

element for enabling simple elements to map to the information in the dataset; and

repeating the above steps for each compound element.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of mapping each simple element comprises:

selecting a simple element;

selecting a source dataset fieldname corresponding to the simple element in a dataset field list of a parent element;

specifying data transformation algorithms associated with the simple element; and

repeating the above steps for each simple element.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transforming the relational dataset information comprises:

receiving the mapped plurality of elements;

creating a dataset for each compound element of the plurality of elements that contains a database command expression;

opening the dataset for each compound element;

transforming each compound element in the mapped elements starting with the root element of the mapped elements; and

transforming each simple element of the plurality of elements in the mapped elements.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of transforming each compound element comprises:

selecting a compound element;

locating a dataset that is nearest to a compound element;

creating an instance of the compound element for every record in the dataset; and

repeating the above steps for each compound element.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of transforming each simple element comprises:

selecting a simple element;

extracting values from each dataset field that map to the simple element;

creating a simple element in the hierarchical data structure that corresponds to the simple map element;

transforming data values contained in the dataset fields by transformation algorithms;

adding the transformed values to other values corresponding to the simple map element; and

repeating the above steps for all simple elements.

17. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium incorporating the method of claim 1.

18. A system for sharing data between a relational and a hierarchical database, comprising:

means for defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements;

means for mapping each of the plurality of elements in the hierarchical data entity to information in a relational dataset contained in a relational database;

means for transforming the relational dataset information into corresponding mapped elements in the hierarchical data entity to form a hierarchical data structure; and

means for accessing data from the hierarchical data structure corresponding to the relational dataset information in the relational database.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for defining a hierarchical data entity comprises means for defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and mapping information.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for identifying each of the plurality of elements by an element name without reference to an entity path.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for defining a hierarchical data entity comprises means for defining a hierarchical data entity including a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and means for defining a hierarchical map structure corresponding to the hierarchical data entity containing mapping information.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for identifying each of the plurality of elements by an entity path referencing all parent elements in the entity path.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for defining a hierarchical data entity comprises means for defining simple elements and compound elements.

24. A system for sharing data between a relational and a hierarchical database, comprising:

a hierarchical data entity having a plurality of elements;

a mapping of each of the plurality of elements in the hierarchical data entity to information in a relational dataset contained in a relational database;

a transformation of the relational dataset information into corresponding mapped elements in the hierarchical data entity for forming a hierarchical data structure; and

a memory containing data from the hierarchical data structure corresponding to the relational dataset information in the relational database.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the hierarchical data entity comprises a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and mapping information.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the hierarchical data entity comprises a plurality of elements containing a data entity structure and a hierarchical map structure.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the hierarchical data entity comprises simple elements and compound elements.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein each simple element comprises an element name and mapped fields.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein each simple element comprises an entity path and mapped fields.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein each compound element comprises an element name, a database name, a database command, and database fields.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein each compound element comprises an entity path, a database name, a database command, and database fields.

32. A computer-readable medium containing a data structure for sharing data between relational and hierarchical databases, comprising:

a hierarchical data structure having a plurality of simple and compound elements stored in the memory;

database commands embedded in the compound elements for accessing information in a relational database;

tabular datasets created in the memory for storing the accessed information from the relational database; and

a relationship between the elements of the hierarchical data structure and the tabular datasets.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the compound elements comprise:

an element name property;

a database name property;

a database command expression; and

a database fields property.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the simple elements comprise an element name property and a mapped fields property.