Open format for file storage system indexing, searching and data retrieval

• US 20020073104A1
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes Enovia Corporation (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Original Assignee: Centor Software
• Inventors: Nunez, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 6,826,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2228 Indexing structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

Data storage and retrieval methods are described in which data is stored in records within a file storage system, and desired records are identified and/or selected by searching index files which map search criteria into appropriate records. Each index file includes a header with header entries and a body with body entries. Each header entry comprises a header-to-body pointer which points to a location in the body of the same index file which is the starting point of the body entries related to the header-to-body pointer pointing thereto. The body entries in turn comprise body-to-record-pointers, which point to the records within the file storage system satisfying the search criteria. Alternatively, the body entries may comprise body-to-body pointers which point to body entries in a second index file, which in turn point to the records within the file storage system satisfying the search criteria. The records are stored in HTML format.

Claims

1. A file storage system comprising:

a plurality of records stored in a machine-readable medium, each of said plurality of records comprising a corresponding master document;

an index file comprising;

a header having a plurality of header entries and

a body having a plurality of body entries,

wherein at least one of the plurality of header entries has a header-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of the plurality of body entries,

at least one of the pointed to body entries is an initial body entry in a corresponding set of the body entries related to the header-to-body pointer pointing thereto,

at least one of the plurality of body entries has a body-to-record-pointer associated therewith that points to one of the plurality of records,

at least one of the plurality of header entries further has a corresponding header-identifier associated therewith and with a corresponding set of search criteria, and

the index file is represented in an open format.

2. The file storage system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the body-to-record pointers comprises a volume identifier and an associated record identifier.

3. The file storage system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith.

4. The file storage system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith.

5. The file storage system of claim 1, wherein the index file is a meta-data index file.

6. The file storage system of claim 1, wherein the open format comprises a markup language.

7. The file storage system of claim 6, wherein the markup language comprises XML.

8. The file storage system of claim 6, wherein the markup language comprises HTML.

9. A file storage system comprising:

a plurality of records stored in a machine-readable medium, each of said plurality of records comprising a corresponding master document;

a first index file comprising a first header having a plurality of first header entries, and a first body having a plurality of first body entries;

a second index file comprising a second body having a plurality of second body entries;

wherein at least one of said first header entries has a header-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of the plurality of first body entries, and a corresponding header-identifier associated therewith and with a corresponding set of search criteria,

at least one of said first body entries has a body-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of the plurality of second body entries,

at least one of said second body entries has a corresponding body-to-record-pointer associated therewith, and a corresponding value associated with the corresponding body-to-record pointer, said body-to-record pointer pointing to a corresponding one of the records having the corresponding value associated therewith, and

at least one of the first index file or the second index file is represented in an open format.

10. The file storage system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the body-to-record pointers comprises a volume identifier and an associated record identifier.

11. The file storage system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the plurality of records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith.

12. The file storage system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith.

13. The file storage system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first index file or the index file is a meta-data index file.

14. The file storage system of claim 9, wherein the open format comprises a markup language.

15. The file storage system of claim 14, wherein the markup language comprises XML.

16. The file storage system of claim 14, wherein the markup language comprises HTML.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the body-to-record pointers associated with the identified body entries comprises a volume identifier and an associated record identifier.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the accessed records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith, and further comprising the step of displaying the accessed records on a display device in a format specified by the corresponding complete display formatting data.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the accessed records comprise a first accessed record comprising a master document and a view document.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of header entries comprises a corresponding header-identifier associated therewith and with a corresponding set of search criteria, and wherein the step of identifying one of the plurality of header entries corresponding to the search criteria, is accomplished by determining the header identifier associated with the search criteria and then identifying the header entry associated with the determined header identifier.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the open format comprises a markup language.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the markup language comprises XML.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the markup language comprises HTML.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the body-to-record pointer pointing to the record satisfying the search criteria comprises a volume identifier and an associated record identifier.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein each of the accessed records has corresponding complete display formatting data associated therewith, and further comprising the step of displaying the accessed records on a display device in a format specified by the corresponding complete display formatting data.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the accessed records comprise a first accessed record comprising a master document and a view document.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of first header entries comprises a corresponding header-identifier associated therewith and with a corresponding set of search criteria, and wherein the step of identifying one of the plurality of first header entries corresponding to the search criteria, is accomplished by determining the header identifier associated with the search criteria and then identifying the first header entry associated with the determined header identifier.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the open format comprises a markup language.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the markup language comprises XML.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the markup language comprises HTML.

17. A method of searching a file storage system having records stored on a machine-readable medium comprising the steps:

receiving a search query comprising search criteria of the file storage system;

identifying an index file to search in response to the search query, said index file comprising a header having a plurality of header entries and a body having a plurality of body entries, at least one of the plurality of header entries having a header-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of the plurality of body entries, at least one of the plurality of body entries having a body-to-record-pointer associated therewith that points to one of the records, the index file being represented in an open format;

identifying one of the plurality of header entries corresponding to the search criteria;

identifying the header-to-body pointer associated with the identified header entry;

accessing the body entry pointed to by the identified header-to-body pointer, said accessed body entry being the first in a set of body entries related to the identified header-to-body pointer;

identifying the body entries within the set which have associated therewith body-to-record pointers pointing to records satisfying the search criteria; and

accessing the records satisfying the search criteria.

25. A method of searching a file storage system having records stored on a machine-readable medium comprising the steps:

receiving a search query comprising search criteria of the file storage system;

identifying a pair of index files to search in response to the search query, said pair including a first index file comprising a first header and a first body, and a second index file comprising a second body, said first header having a plurality of first header entries each having a header-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of a plurality of first body entries associated with the first body, the first body entries each having a body-to-body pointer associated therewith that points to a corresponding one of a plurality of second body entries associated with the second body, the second body entries each having a corresponding body-to-record-pointer associated therewith, and a corresponding value associated with the corresponding body-to-record pointer, said body-to-record pointer pointing to a corresponding one of the records having the corresponding value associated therewith, at least one of the first index file or the second index file being represented in an open format;

identifying one of the plurality of first header entries corresponding to the search criteria;

identifying the header-to-body pointer associated with the identified first header entry;

accessing the first body entry pointed to by the identified header-to-body pointer, said accessed first body entry being an initial first body entry in a set of first body entries related to the identified header-to-body pointer;

identifying the first body entry within the set of first body entries which has associated therewith a body-to-body pointer pointing to the second body entry having a body-to-record pointer pointing to a record satisfying the search criteria; and

accessing the record satisfying the search criteria.