Computer systems and methods for performing a database access

• US 20050198003A1
• Filed: 02/23/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Leinemann, Rainer, Liebich, Gunther, Duevel, Olaf, Nowotny, Dietmar
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/36 Creation of semantic tools, e.g. ontology or thesauri

Abstract

Computer systems and methods are provided for performing a database access. In one embodiment, a computer system is provided that comprises means for receiving and storing structural information, the structural information being descriptive of a number of objects, each of the objects having sub-objects, the structural information comprising a first table for each sub-object, each first table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object, each first table comprising technical field names of fields of its assigned sub-object, and a second table for each sub-object, each second table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising a sub-object name and a technical field name of one of the sub-objects from which its assigned sub-object depends for each of the technical field names of its assigned sub-object. In addition, the computer system may comprise means for assigning a unique identifier to each sub-object name identified by the structural information, means for storing a mapping table of sub-object names and unique identifiers, and means for requesting generation of a database table for each sub-object identified by the structural information, the database table of one of the sub-objects being identified by the unique identifier of the one sub-object and the database table of the one sub-object having the technical field names of the one sub-object.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

means for receiving and storing structural information, the structural information being descriptive of a number of objects, each of the objects having sub-objects, the structural information comprising a first table for each sub-object, each first table being identified by a sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising technical field names of fields of its assigned sub-object, and a second table for each sub-object, each second table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising the sub-object name and the technical field name of one of the sub-objects from which its assigned sub-object depends for each of the technical field names of its assigned sub-object;

means for assigning a unique identifier to each sub-object name identified by the structural information;

means for storing a mapping table of sub-object names and unique identifiers; and

means for requesting generation of a database table for each sub-object identified by the structural information, the database table of one of the sub-objects being identified by the unique identifier of the one sub-object and the database table of the one sub-object having the technical field names of the one sub-object.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising an application program being adapted for processing of objects described by the structural information.

3. The computer system of claim 1, each object having a root-object and a tree structure of dependent sub-objects, the tree structure being described by the second tables.

4. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving technical information, the technical information being descriptive of technical properties of fields identified by the technical field names.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the technical information is descriptive of a field length and a data type of one of the fields.

6. The computer system of claim 4, the structural information comprising key field information.

7. The computer system of claim 4, the structural information comprising compulsory field information.

8. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising means for receiving an access request, the access request comprising a root sub-object name and meta data, the meta data being descriptive of a data structure, the meta data assigning the technical field names to fields of the data structure, and the means for receiving the access request being adapted to:

retrieve all sub-object names of sub-objects dependent from the root sub-object associated with the root sub-object name identified in the access request from the second tables;

retrieve the unique identifiers assigned to the root sub-object name and the retrieved sub-object names; and

perform the access request on columns of the database tables identified by the retrieved unique identifiers and the technical field names identified by the meta data.

9. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising an archivist component.

10. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising a transport tool component.

11. A computer program product comprising instructions for receiving and storing structural information, the structural information being descriptive of a number of objects, each of the objects having sub-objects, the structural information comprising a first table for each sub-object, each first table being identified by a sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising technical field names of fields of its assigned sub-object, and a second table for each sub-object, each second table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising the sub-object name and the technical field name of one of the sub-objects from which its assigned sub-object depends for each of the technical field names of its assigned sub-object,

the instructions further comprising instructions for:

assigning a unique identifier to each sub-object name identified by their structural information;

storing a mapping table of sub-object names and assigned unique identifiers; and

requesting generation of a database table for each sub-object identified by the structural information, the database table of one of the sub-objects being identified by the unique identifier of its sub-object and having the technical field names of its assigned sub-object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, each object having a root-object and a tree structure of dependent sub-objects, the tree structure being described by the second tables.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising instructions for receiving an access request, the access request comprising a root sub-object name and meta data being descriptive of a data structure, the meta data assigning the technical field names to fields of the data structure, and further comprising instructions for:

retrieving all sub-object names of sub-objects dependent from the root sub-object associated with the root sub-object name identified in the access request from the second tables;

retrieving of the unique identifiers assigned to the root sub-object name and the retrieved sub-object names; and

performing the access request on fields of the database tables being identified by the retrieved unique identifiers and the technical field names identified by the meta data.

14. A method of performing a database access, comprising:

receiving an access request, the access request comprising a root sub-object name of a root sub-object of an object of a plurality of objects, the objects being described by structural information, the structural information comprising the first table for each sub-object, each first table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising technical field names of fields of its assigned sub-object, and a second table for each sub-object, each second table being identified by the sub-object name of its assigned sub-object and comprising a sub-object name and a technical field name of one of the sub objects from which its assigned sub-object depends for each of the technical field names of its assigned sub-object, the access request comprising meta data being descriptive of a data structure, the meta data assigning the technical field names to fields of the data structure;

retrieving all sub-object names of sub-objects dependent from the root sub-object identified in the access request from the second tables;

retrieving of the unique identifiers assigned to the root sub-object name and the retrieved sub-object names; and

performing the access request on fields of database tables being identified by the retrieved unique identifiers and the technical field names identified by the meta data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the access request is a request to write data to the database tables, and wherein the method further comprises performing a consistency check of the write operation by means of the structural information.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the access request is a request to read data from the database tables.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising archiving of the data stored in the database tables.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising transporting the database tables.