Apparatus and method for using ontological relationships in a computer database

• US 20060271584A1
• Filed: 05/26/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Barsness, Eric Lawrence, Santosuosso, John Matthew, Ruhlow, Randy William
• Granted Patent: US 7,552,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2452 Query translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An apparatus and method use ontological relationships in a query language and a computer database to improve database performance and utility. A set of ontological relationships are stored in the database and new query clauses are used to query the data in advantageous ways. Ontological relationships are preferably stored in a tree structure. This tree structure then can be used to reflect the ontological relationships of data stored in the columns of a database.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a database residing in the memory having data; and

a data structure that defines at least one ontological relationship for the data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the data structure is organized in the shape of a tree.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a query residing in the memory that includes an ontological clause that uses the at least one ontological relationship to operate on the data.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the ontological clause is selected from the group consisting of:

Substitute Forward clause, Substitute Backward clause and Group By At Level clause.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a Change Query Attribute command residing in the memory that includes at least one ontological clause that uses the ontological relationship for the data to further operate on the data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the Change Query Attribute command includes a clause selected from the group consisting of:

Substitute Forward clause, Substitute Backward clause and Group By At Level clause.

7. A computer-implemented method for optimizing a database query that, the method comprising the steps of:

analyzing a database query to determine there is an ontological clause in the database query; and

analyzing the database to determine there is a defined ontological data structure for the ontological clause.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the ontological data structure is organized in the shape of a tree.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of parsing the ontological data structure for an ontological relationship defined in the ontological clause.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of performing the query based on the ontological relationship.

9. The method of claim further 7 comprising a query residing in the memory that includes an ontological clause that uses the at least one ontological relationship to operate on the data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the ontological clause is selected from the group consisting of:

Substitute Forward clause, Substitute Backward clause and Group By At Level clause.

13. A program product comprising:

(A) a database manager that builds a data structure that defines at least one ontological relationship for the data; and

(B) computer-readable signal bearing media bearing the database manager.

14. The program product of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable signal bearing media comprises recordable media.

15. The program product of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable signal bearing media comprises transmission media.

16. The program product of claim 13 wherein the data structure is organized in the shape of a tree.

17. The program product of claim 13 further comprising a query that includes an ontological clause that uses the at least one ontological relationship to operate on the data.

18. The program product of claim 16 wherein the ontological clause is selected from the group consisting of:

Substitute Forward clause, Substitute Backward clause and Group By At Level clause.

19. The program product of claim 13 further comprising a Change Query Attribute command residing in the memory that includes at least one ontological clause that uses the ontological relationship for the data to further operate on the data.

20. The program product of claim 20 wherein the Change Query Attribute command includes a clause selected from the group consisting of a Substitute Forward clause, Substitute Backward clause and Group By At Level clause.