System and method of operating a database

• US 20020059199A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 05/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harvey, Richard Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24537 of operators
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method of processing a database service query that results in improved service query performance is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a service query that includes a filter having one or more filter items, expanding the filter, and applying at least one condition test to each filter item. An example of a test condition includes determining if each filter item includes a NOT connective and is either of first form or a second form of filter item. The first form may be a type only filter item and the second form may be a type and value filter item.

Claims

1. A method of processing a database service query, comprising:

receiving a service query, including a filter having one or more filter items;

expanding the filter; and

applying a condition test to each filter item to determine if the filter item includes a NOT connective and if the filter item is one of two types of filter items.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two types of filter items comprise a type only filter item and a type and value filter item.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a logical methodology is applied to evaluate NOT connectives associated with type only filter items.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the logical methodology comprises a subtraction method.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein a NOT connective associated with a type and value filter item is pushed inside the filter item, resulting in changing an operator inside the filter item.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condition test further includes determining if each filter item can be pre-evaluated to true.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condition test further includes determining if each filter item can be pre-evaluated to false, such that the expanded term can be ignored.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter is expanded to a minimum set of terms.

9. A directory services arrangement comprising:

a plurality of tables, each table having a plurality of rows and columns storing arbitrary data in a search service, wherein at least one of the tables is has information used to resolve filters having at least one filter item;

means for expanding each filter into an expanded term; and

condition test means for determining whether each filter item includes a NOT connective and whether each filter item is one of two types of filter items.

10. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the two types of filter items comprise a type only filter item and a type and value filter item.

11. The directory services arrangement method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a logical methodology is applied to evaluate NOT connectives associated with type only filter items.

12. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein the logical methodology comprises a subtraction method.

13. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein a NOT connective associated with a type and value filter item is pushed inside the filter item resulting in changing an operator inside the filter item.

14. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the condition test means further determines if each filter item can be pre-evaluated to be true.

15. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the condition test means further determines if each filter item can be pre-evaluated to be false, such that the expanded term can be ignored.

16. The directory services arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the condition test means further determines if each filter item can be pre-evaluated to be true, but is inverted by a NOT connective, such that the expanded term can be ignored.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the condition test determines if the filter item is a type only filter item.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising evaluating the filter item in accordance with a logical methodology if the filter item is type only form.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the logical methodology comprises a subtraction method.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the subtraction method includes the use of an ANSI SQL “

except”

clause.

22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the subtraction method transforms each filter item to a form that contains fewer or no NOT connectives.

23. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the condition test determines if the filter item is a type and value filter item.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein if the filter item is a type and value form, adding SQL representing the filter item to an expression to be evaluated, which may involve at least one table join.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein if the filter item is an inverse of the type and value filter item, pushing the NOT connective inside the filter item.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising applying the pushed NOT connective to an operator.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the step of applying the pushed NOT is effected by inverting the operator.

17. A method of processing a database service query, comprising:

receiving a service query;

applying a filter to the service query resulting in zero or more filter items; and

applying a condition test to each filter item to determine a form of the filter item.

28. A directory services arrangement comprising:

a plurality of tables, each table having a plurality of rows and columns, and storing arbitrary data, wherein at least one of the tables has information used to resolve filters in a search service; and

a condition tester that determines whether a filter item is a type only filter item or a type and value filter item.

29. A computer program product including:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied on said medium, wherein the computer readable program code is for applying a condition test to each filter item of a filter to determine if the filter item is type only filter item or type and value filter item, and wherein the filter is adapted for interaction with a search service of a directory services arrangement.