Database management system with persistent, user-accessible bitmap values
First Claim
1. A database management system having the improvement comprising:
- bitmap values, a bitmap value having a representation of a bitstring wherein set bits specify a set of objects whose definitions are built into the database management system, and user-accessible operations on the bitmap values.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A database management system that has bitmap values in which set bits in a representation of a bitstring specify a set of objects whose definitions are built into the database management system. The database management system further includes user-accessible operations on the bitmap values. The bitmap values are represented by means of a mapping specifier that specifies a range of the set of objects and a representation of a string of bits that has been mapped onto the set of object specified by the range specifier. The representation of the string of bits may be compressed. Bitmap operations on the values may alter the range specifier, the size of the string of bits, or individual bits in the string of bits. The objects represented by the bitmap values may be objects in the database management system or objects external thereto. An example of bitmap values of the first kind are bitmap values representing sets of rowids. rowid bitmap values may be used to make a user-defined index of attribute values for any set of objects contained in fields in the database management system. An example of bitmap values of the second kind are bitmap values representing sets of electronic product codes. ePC bitmap values may be used in any application where a compact representation of a set of ePC codes is desired.
40 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A database management system having the improvement comprising:
bitmap values, a bitmap value having a representation of a bitstring wherein set bits specify a set of objects whose definitions are built into the database management system, and user-accessible operations on the bitmap values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A bitmap value employed in a database management system, the bitmap value representing a first set of first objects, the first objects being external to the database management system and members of the first set being mapped onto a members of a second set of second objects that is defined in the database management system, and
the bitmap value comprising: -
a mapping specifier that maps a string of bits to a subset of the second set; and
a representation of the string of bits wherein a bit is set in the represented string of bits when the member of the second set that is mapped to the bit has a member of the first set mapped thereto. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method employed in a database system of making a bitmap value that represents a first set of objects external to the database system,
the method comprising the steps performed in the database system of: -
mapping the objects onto a second ordered set of identifiers defined in the database management system;
mapping a bitstring that is represented in the bitmap value onto a subset of the second set that includes the identifiers onto which the objects have been mapped; and
setting the bits in the bitstring that correspond to the identifiers onto which the objects have been mapped. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A bitmap value employed in a database management system to represent a first subset of the row identifiers defined in the database management system,
the bitmap value comprising: -
a mapping specifier that maps a string of bits to a second subset of the set of row identifiers; and
a representation of the string of bits wherein a bit is set in the represented string of bits when the member of the second subset that is mapped to the bit corresponds to a member of the first subset; and
the first subset is returned by a user-defined query executed by the database management system - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47)
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48. A method of reducing the size of a list of electronic product codes,
the method comprising the steps of: -
making a bitmap value that includes a range specifier and a bitstring representation, the range specifier specifying a range of the electronic product codes that includes one or more electronic product codes on the list and the bitstring representation representing a bitstring that is mapped onto the specified range and setting a bit in the bitstring representation when the bit corresponds to an included electronic product code. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51)
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52. A representation of a set of electronic product codes for use in a digital system that transfers or processes electronic product codes,
the representation comprising: -
a range specifier that specifies a range of electronic product codes that includes the members of the set; and
a bitstring representation that represents a bitstring whose bits have been mapped onto the range specified by the range specifier, a bit being set in the represented bit string when the bit corresponds to a member of the set. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55)
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56. A method of indexing a set of objects contained in fields of an object column of a first table in a database management system, the indexing being done according to attributes that apply to the objects and
the method comprising the steps of: -
constructing a second table in the database management system, the second table having columns including an attribute specifier column whose fields specify attributes according to which the indexing is being done and a bitmap column whose fields contain bitmap values including bit string representations representing bit strings that are mapped onto row identifiers identifying rows of the first table; and
for each row of the second table, using the attribute specified in the row to query the first table to determine row identifiers of rows of the first table whose object column fields satisfy the attribute specified in the row and in the row'"'"'s bitmap value, setting the bits corresponding to the determined row identifiers in the bitstring represented by the bitmap value'"'"'s bitstring representation. - View Dependent Claims (57)
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Specification