Rich Database Metadata Model that Captures Application Relationships, Mappings, Constraints, and Complex Data Structures

• US 20130179474A1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: HOLTZ, Christopher M., CHARLET, Kyle J., CHURCH, Nathan D., HITE, Kevin D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00

Abstract

The capturing of rich database metadata includes: capturing partitioned column metadata of a database as mappings defined by a plurality of constraint statements; defining non-standard user-defined types of the database according to a schema; defining physical representations of columns of the database according to the schema; and storing the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of columns to a catalog of the database. Application enumerated data values in the database may also be defined according to the XML schema and stored to the catalog of the database. In this manner, the database management system may manage application constraints, user-defined types, and physical representations of data for applications referencing the same database using the metadata information stored in the catalog of the database.

Claims

1. A method for capturing rich database metadata, comprising:

capturing partitioned column metadata of a database, for columns partitioned by one or more applications referencing the database, as mappings defined by a plurality of constraint statements;

defining non-standard user-defined types of the database stored by the one or more applications referencing the database according to a schema;

defining physical representations of the columns of the database according to the schema, wherein the physical representations of the columns are controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database;

storing the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of columns to a catalog of the database; and

managing application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns by a database management system for the database on behalf of the one or more applications referencing the database using the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of the columns stored to the catalog,

wherein logic for managing the application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns are not stored in the one or more applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing of the partitioned column metadata of the database as mappings defined by the plurality of constraint statements comprises:

breaking down a partitioned column of the database into a series of case statements, wherein each case statement defines a new mapping depending on a specific value of a data element embedded in the partitioned column or embedded in another column of the database.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining application enumerated data values in the database controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database according to the XML schema; and

storing the defined application enumerated data values to the catalog of the database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the schema comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, wherein the method further comprises:

retrieving from the catalog an XML instance document that is valid to the catalog'"'"'s XML schema.

5. (canceled)

6. A computer program product for capturing rich database metadata, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code configured to;

capture partitioned column metadata of a database, for columns partitioned by one or more applications referencing the database, as mappings defined by a plurality of constraint statements;

define non-standard user-defined types of the database stored by the one or more applications referencing the database according to a schema;

define physical representations of the columns of the database according to the schema, wherein the physical representations of the columns are controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database;

store the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of columns to a catalog of the database; and

manage application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns by a database management system for the database on behalf of the one or more applications referencing the database using the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of the columns stored to the catalog,

wherein the computer readable program code configured to manage the application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns are not stored in the one or more applications.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer readable program code configured to capture the partitioned column metadata of the database as mappings defined by the plurality of constraint statements is further configured to:

break down a partitioned column of the database into a series of case statements, wherein each case statement defines a new mapping depending on a specific value of a data element embedded in the partitioned column or embedded in another column of the database.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the computer readable program code is further configured to:

define application enumerated data values in the database controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database according to the XML schema; and

store the defined application enumerated data values to the catalog of the database.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the schema comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, wherein the computer readable program code is further configured to:

retrieve from the catalog an XML instance document that is valid to the catalog'"'"'s XML schema.

10. (canceled)

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein when executed by the processor, the computer readable program code causes the system to;

capture partitioned column metadata of a database, for columns partitioned by one or more applications referencing the database, as mappings defined by a plurality of constraint statements;

define non-standard user-defined types of the database stored by the one or more applications referencing the database according to a schema;

define physical representations of columns of the database according to the schema, wherein the physical representations of the columns are controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database;

store the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of columns to a catalog of the database; and

manage application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns by a database management system for the database on behalf of the one or more applications referencing the database using the defined mappings, the defined user-defined types, and the defined physical representations of the columns stored to the catalog,

wherein the computer readable program code configured to manage the application constraints, the non-standard user-defined types, and the physical representation of the columns are not stored in the one or more applications.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein in the capturing of the partitioned column metadata of the database as mappings defined by the plurality of constraint statements, the system further:

breaks down a partitioned column of the database into a series of case statements, wherein each case statement defines a new mapping depending on a specific value of a data element embedded in the partitioned column or embedded in another column of the database.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the system further:

defines application enumerated data values in the database controlled by the one or more applications referencing the database according to the XML schema; and

stores the defined application enumerated data values to the catalog of the database.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the schema comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema, wherein the system further:

retrieves from the catalog an XML instance document that is valid to the catalog'"'"'s XML schema.

15. (canceled)