System for querying markup language data stored in a relational database according to markup language schema

• US 20060179049A1
• Filed: 01/23/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrey Balmin, Ioannis Papakonstantinou, Kostantinos Stathatos, Vasilis Vassalos
• Original Assignee: Andrey Balmin, Ioannis Papakonstantinou, Kostantinos Stathatos, Vasilis Vassalos
• Inventors: Papakonstantinou, Ioannis, Balmin, Andrey, Vassalos, Vasilis, Stathatos, Kostantinos
• Application Number:
  US11/338,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179049A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A data processing system receives data in a first format utilizing a markup language such as extensible Markup Language (XML), and stores the data in a different, relational database format involving multiple tables and columns, etc. The system translates subsequent query input expressed in the first format to prepare representative query instructions in SQL or another query language compatible with relational data, and thereafter executes the prepared instructions upon data in the relational database. The system outputs results of the query in format dictated by the query input.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A query processing method, comprising the operations of:

receiving input including a statement of a markup language data schema and data described by the markup language data schema;

preparing a translation of the markup language data schema into a relational database schema comprising multiple table definitions each table definition comprising multiple column definitions;

utilizing the translation to translate the received data into translated data comprising an instance of the relational database schema;

receiving query input including at least one of the following;

     1) query conditions referring to data formatted according to the markup language data schema, and

     2) result-assembly instructions for constructing query results according to the markup language;

wherein the received query input resides in a query language that is structured to operate upon markup language data and contemplates query actions comprising any two or more of Selection, Projection, Join, Grouping, Ordering, and Navigation with at least one of Join and Grouping at minimum;

preparing query instructions implementing at least a portion of said query input, the query instructions including structured query language (SQL) query conditions referring to said relational database schema;

issuing one or more commands to execute the query instructions upon the translated data to produce query results;

receiving the query results and providing an output of the query results according to the query input.

18. The method of claim 17, where the markup language data schema utilizes one or more of the following:

SGML, HTML, WML.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the operations of:

generating the relational database schema.

20. The method of claim 17, the operations further comprising:

responsive to the issuing of commands to execute the query instructions, a data server executing the query instructions upon the translated data and providing an output according to said query instructions.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the operation of preparing query instructions implements only a portion of said query input and leaves a remainder of the query input free from implementation;

the operation of receiving query results further comprises execution of the remainder of the query input.

22. A computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform operations for processing queries, said operations comprising:

receiving input including a statement of a markup language data schema and data described by the markup language data schema;

preparing a translation of the markup language data schema into a relational database schema comprising multiple table definitions each table definition comprising multiple column definitions;

utilizing the translation to translate the received data into translated data comprising an instance of the relational database schema;

receiving query input including at least one of the following;

     1) query conditions referring to data formatted according to the markup language data schema, and

     2) result-assembly instructions for constructing query results according to the markup language;

wherein the received query input resides in a query language that is structured to operate upon markup language data and contemplates query actions comprising any two or more of Selection, Projection, Join, Grouping, Ordering, and Navigation with at least one of Join and Grouping at minimum;

preparing query instructions implementing at least a portion of said query input, the query instructions including structured query language (SQL) query conditions referring to said relational database schema;

issuing one or more commands to execute the query instructions upon the translated data to produce query results;

receiving the query results and providing an output of the query results according to the query input.

23. Logic circuitry of multiple interconnected electrically conductive elements configured to perform operations to process queries, the operations comprising:

receiving input including a statement of a markup language data schema and data described by the markup language data schema;

preparing a translation of the markup language data schema into a relational database schema comprising multiple table definitions each table definition comprising multiple column definitions;

utilizing the translation to translate the received data into translated data comprising an instance of the relational database schema;

receiving query input including at least one of the following;

     1) query conditions referring to data formatted according to the markup language data schema, and

     2) result-assembly instructions for constructing query results according to the markup language;

wherein the received query input resides in a query language that is structured to operate upon markup language data and contemplates query actions comprising any two or more of Selection, Projection, Join, Grouping, Ordering, and Navigation with at least one of Join and Grouping at minimum;

preparing query instructions implementing at least a portion of said query input, the query instructions including structured query language (SQL) query conditions referring to said relational database schema;

issuing one or more commands to execute the query instructions upon the translated data to produce query results;

receiving the query results and providing an output of the query results according to the query input.

24. A query processing method, comprising the operations of:

receiving multiple different schema/data inputs, each schema/data input including a statement of a markup language data schema and data described by the markup language data schema;

for each schema/data input, performing operations comprising;

preparing a translation of the markup language data schema into a corresponding relational database schema comprising multiple table definitions each table definition comprising multiple column definitions;

utilizing the translation to translate the received data into translated data comprising an instance of the relational database schema;

receiving query input including at least one of the following;

     1) query conditions referring to data formatted according to the markup language data schema, and

     2) result-assembly instructions for constructing query results according to the markup language;

wherein the received query input resides in a query language that is structured to operate upon markup language data and contemplates query actions comprising any two or more of Selection, Projection, Join, Grouping, Ordering, and Navigation with at least one of Join and Grouping at minimum;

preparing query instructions implementing at least a portion of said query input, the query instructions including structured query language (SQL) query conditions referring to said relational database schema;

responsive to issuance of one or more commands to execute the query instructions upon the translated data and produce query results, receiving the query results and providing an output of the query results according to the query input.