Managing relationships between resources stored within a repository

• US 20070094286A1
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Sedlar, Eric, Murthy, Ravi
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing relationships between resources stored in a repository is provided. A client sends, to a server, a request to store a first resource within a repository. In response to receiving the request, the server parses the first resource to retrieve relationship data that identifies a relationship between two or more resources to be stored, or currently stored, within the repository. The server stores, within a database accessible to the server, one or more relationship records that identify the relationship between the two or more resources. The one or more relationship records are stored separate from the two or more resources. Subsequently, the client may issue queries, to the server, about the one or more relationships records stored in the database. In this way, a user may access the one or more relationship records to analyze the relationship between resources stored in repository.

Claims

1. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the performance of;

in response to receiving a request to store a first resource in a repository, parsing the first resource to retrieve relationship data,

wherein said relationship data identifies a relationship between the first resource and a second resource in the repository;

determining a type of link to represent the relationship;

storing, within a database, one or more relationship records that identify said relationship using the type of link between said first resource and said second resource, and

wherein said one or more, relationship records are stored separate from said first resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more relationship records indicate a type of link from said first resource to said second resource, wherein said type of link is one of:

a hard link, a weak link, and a symbolic link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said type of link is a hard link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by an object identifier assigned to said second resource by said repository.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said type of link is a weak link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by an object identifier assigned to said second resource by said repository.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said type of link is a symbolic link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by specifying a path, within said repository, at which said second resource resides.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said instructions, when executed by said one or more processors, further cause:

in response to receiving a request to delete said second resource from said repository, determining whether at least one resource, stored in said repository, has a first type of link to said second resource;

upon determining that said at least one resource, in said repository, has a first type of link to said second resource, denying said request to delete said second resource from said repository; and

upon determining that said at least one resource, in said repository, does not have a first type of link to said second resource, granting said request to delete said second resource from said repository.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more records identify how said relationship is to be displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said relationship is of a first type, and wherein said instructions, when executed by said one or more processors, further cause:

in response to storing, within said database, said one or more relationship records, incrementing a counter associated with said second resource, wherein said counter indicates how many resources, in said repository, have a relationship of a first type within said second resource.

9. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of:

A) sending said instructions over transmission media;

B) receiving said instructions over transmission media;

C) storing said instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; and

D) executing the instructions;

wherein said instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the performance of;

storing, within a repository, a first resource and a second resource, wherein said first resource does not contain any link to said second resource;

in response to receiving a request to store a third resource in said repository, parsing the third resource to retrieve relationship data,

wherein said relationship data identifies a relationship between the first resource and said second resource;

determining a type of link to represent the relationship;

storing, within a database, one or more relationship records that indicate the existence said type of link from said first resource to said second resource, and

wherein said one or more relationship records are stored separate from either of said first resource and said second resource.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said link is one of:

a hard link, a weak link, and a symbolic link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said type of link is a hard link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by an object identifier assigned to said second resource by said database.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said type of link is a weak link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by an object identifier assigned to said second resource by said database.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said type of link is a symbolic link, and wherein said one or more relationship records identify said second resource by specifying a path, within said repository, at which said second resource resides.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said instructions, when executed by said one or more processors, further cause:

in response to receiving a request to delete said second resource from said repository, determining whether at least one resource, stored in said repository, has a first type of link to said second resource;

upon determining that said at least one resource, in said repository, has a first type of link to said second resource, denying said request to delete said second resource from said repository; and

upon determining that said at least one resource, in said repository, does not have a first type of link to said second resource, granting said request to delete said second resource from said repository.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more records identify how said relationship is to be displayed.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein said relationship is of a first type, and wherein said instructions, when executed by said one or more processors, further cause:

incrementing a counter associated with said second resource, wherein said counter indicates how many resources, in said repository, have a relationship of a first type with said second resource.