Dynamic database management system and method

• US 20020184228A1
• Filed: 05/31/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synopsys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synopsys Incorporated
• Inventors: Chilingaryan, Suren, Lepejian, Yervant D., Ghukasyan, Hovhannes
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A dynamic database management system includes a data dictionary, a data importer and a query front-end. The data importer automatically imports data from an input file into a database, while adding new tables for new attributes as necessary, and updating parameters and folders tables in the data dictionary accordingly, so that end-users may access the imported data by database queries through the query front-end.

Claims

1. A dynamic database management system, comprising:

a data dictionary including identifications of related groups of tables in a database, information of tables in said related groups, and identifications of parameters of said related groups; and

a data importer receiving an input including data to be imported into said database, an indication of one of said related groups that is associated with said data, and indications of parameters associated with said data,

wherein said data importer appends one or more portions of said data associated with existing parameters to corresponding one or more existing tables associated with said existing parameters and having tables of said one of said related groups as references, appends data associated with new parameters to a new table created for said new parameters, and updates said data dictionary to include said identifications and information of said new table and new parameters.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a query front-end providing a parameter tree to be displayed to users for facilitating database queries,

wherein said data dictionary further includes information for said parameter tree, and said data importer further updates said information for said parameter tree to include information of said new table and new parameters.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data dictionary has a reference groups table for storing indications of related groups of tables, and including columns for reference groups identifications and reference groups names.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data dictionary has a references table for storing information of reference tables for individual of said related group of tables.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data dictionary has a parameters table for storing information of parameters associated with individual of said related group of tables.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein said data dictionary has a folders table for storing information of a parameter tree to be provided to said query front-end.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said data dictionary has a parameters table for storing information of parameters associated with individual of said related group of tables.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said data dictionary has a parameters-to-folders mapping table for mapping said information of parameters to corresponding information in said folders table.

9. A method for managing a dynamic database, comprising:

receiving an input including data to be imported into a database, an indication of a related group of tables that is associated with said data, and indications of parameters associated with said data;

forming a set of existing parameters and a set of new parameters from said parameters associated with said data, based upon parameter information stored in a data dictionary for said related group of tables;

appending one or more portions of said data associated with said set of existing parameters to corresponding one or more existing tables having said related group of tables as references in said database;

importing a remaining portion of said data associated with said set of new parameters to a new table created for said new parameters; and

updating information in said data dictionary to include identifications and information of said new table and said new parameters.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising identifying said one or more existing tables having said related group of tables as references in said database from information in said data dictionary linking said one or more existing tables to said existing parameters.