Automated logical file design system with reduced data base redundancy
First Claim
1. A method for generating an integrated data base design structure for multiple applications on an interactive terminal computing system, comprising the steps of:
- storing local views of data elements of each application of said multiple applications with each of said local views including first indication of forward association and second indication of backward associations between each of said data elements having associations therebetween, said first and second indications specifying whether each of said associations involve a single occurrence of the association, multiple occurrences of the association or a conditional occurrence of the association, and whether each of said data elements is unique;
sorting said indications into a first table of entries to form a list of associations;
removing all associations from said list of associations which have a similar key;
separating unique data elements from non-unique data elements in said list of associations;
calculating implied associations by scanning said list of associations to find any two association entries each of which has a single occurrence of the association and for which there is a common data element therebetween;
storing said implied association into a second table of entries to form an implied association list;
determining essential associations by scanning said list of associations for all single occurrence type associations and comparing each entry having a single occurrence type of association with each of the entries scanned in said implied associations list to determine if any entry in the implied association list corresponds to an entry in the list of associations and marking any entry in the list of associations for which there is a corresponding entry in the implied association list as nonessential and any entry in the list of associations for which there is no corresponding entry in the applied association list as essential; and
storing a graphic representation of said design structure by combining said first table of entries and said second table of entries to minimize data redundancy in the data base design structure.
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Abstract
An associative file design method and apparatus are used for automatically generating an integrated data base design structure, with minimal data redundancy, for use in multi-application general purpose digital computing systems. The integrated data base design structure is automatically produced by a programmed digital computer in the form of a report or graph structure which permits the data base designer to design a data base system with minimal data redundancy. The data needed by each application program, i.e., the local data view, is specified with certain constructs. The local data views are checked to ensure that specified rules are followed. The collection of local views is processed on a general purpose digital computer to separate "keys" from "attributes," then to determine "implied" and "essential" associations, and finally to generate the integrated data base graph structure.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for generating an integrated data base design structure for multiple applications on an interactive terminal computing system, comprising the steps of:
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storing local views of data elements of each application of said multiple applications with each of said local views including first indication of forward association and second indication of backward associations between each of said data elements having associations therebetween, said first and second indications specifying whether each of said associations involve a single occurrence of the association, multiple occurrences of the association or a conditional occurrence of the association, and whether each of said data elements is unique; sorting said indications into a first table of entries to form a list of associations; removing all associations from said list of associations which have a similar key; separating unique data elements from non-unique data elements in said list of associations; calculating implied associations by scanning said list of associations to find any two association entries each of which has a single occurrence of the association and for which there is a common data element therebetween; storing said implied association into a second table of entries to form an implied association list; determining essential associations by scanning said list of associations for all single occurrence type associations and comparing each entry having a single occurrence type of association with each of the entries scanned in said implied associations list to determine if any entry in the implied association list corresponds to an entry in the list of associations and marking any entry in the list of associations for which there is a corresponding entry in the implied association list as nonessential and any entry in the list of associations for which there is no corresponding entry in the applied association list as essential; and storing a graphic representation of said design structure by combining said first table of entries and said second table of entries to minimize data redundancy in the data base design structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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3. In a system for producing an associative file design through the use of a programmed digital computer, wherein said digital computer is programmed to generate an integrated data base design structure for a multi-application computing system from user-specified local views of data required for the various individual user applications of said computing system, wherein said local views are characterized as defined rules for classifying data per a given user, the combination comprising:
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means for storing the local views of said individual user applications into said digital computer, with said local views further being characterized as having predefined associations between different data elements, an association being defined as an occurrence of one data element relative to another data element; means for analyzing the associations in each of said local views to determine which of said associations are the same, including removing associations that are the same such that each association appears only once; means for processing the remaining associations after all the same associations have been removed, to determine which of the data elements of the remaining associations are unique, wherein a data element is characterized as being unique if no other data element has a similar key; means for deriving from first and second associations, each of said first and second associations having a common data element, an implied association having the uncommon data elements of said first and second associations; means for determining which of said associations are essential or non-essential, wherein an implied association is characterized as non-essential, and a non-implied association is characterized as essential; and means for storing said database design structure as a function of said associations, wherein said database design structure is determined by said essential associations. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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9. A method of producing an associative file design through the use of a programmed digital computer, wherein said digital computer is programmed to generate an integrated data base design structure for a multi-application computing system from user-specified local views of data, comprised of data elements, required for the various individual user applications of said computing system, wherein said local views are characterized as defined rules or classifying said data elements per a given user, said method comprising the steps of:
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storing said local views of said individual user applications into said computer, with said local views further being characterized as having predefined associations between different data elements, said associations being defined as occurrences of one data element relative to another data element; analyzing said associations in each of said local views to determine which of said associations are the same, including removing associations that are the same such that each association appears only once; comparing the remaining associations after all said same associations have been removed, to determine which of the data elements of said remaining associations are unique, wherein a data element is characterized as being unique if no other data element has a similar key; deriving from at least first and second associations, each of said first and second associations have a common data element, an implied association having the uncommon data element of said first and said second associations; identifying said separating essential and nonessential associations wherein an implied association is characterized as nonessential, and a nonimplied association is characterized as essential; and storing said database design structure as a function of said associations, wherein said database design structure is determined by said essential associations. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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17. A method of producing an associative file design through the use of a programmed digital computer, wherein said digital computer is programmed to generate an integrated data base design structure for multiple applications on an interactive terminal computing system from user-specified local views of data, comprised of data elements, required for the various individual user application programs of said computing system, wherein said local views are characterized as defined rules for classifying said data elements per a given user, said method comprising the steps of:
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storing the local views of each of said user application programs into said digital computer, with said local views further being characterized as having predefined associations between different data elements, said associations being defined as occurrences of one data element relative to another data element, with there being three types of associations, namely, (a) a `1` or single association characterized as;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(A,B)=`1`wherein; each occurrence of data element A has a single associated occurrence of data element B; (b) a `M` or multiple association characterized as;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(A,B)=`M`wherein; each occurrence of data element A may have multiple occurrences of data element B; (c) a `C` or conditional association characterized as;
space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(A,B)=`C`wherein; not every occurrence of data element A has a single occurrence of data element B, but for those occurrences of data element A that do, each of these occurrences of data element A has only one occurrence of data sorting said local views into a first table of entries to form a list of said associations; analyzing said associations in said list of associations to determine which of said associations are the same, including removing associations that are the same such that each association appears only once; comparing the remaining associations after all the same associations have been removed, to determine which of the data elements of the remaining associations are unique, wherein a data element is characterized as being unique if no other data element has a similar key; calculating any implied association which may be implied from any other associations by scanning said list of associations to find any two association entries each of which has a `1` type association, with said two associations having a common data element, with said implied association having the uncommon data elements of said two associations; storing said implied associations into a second table of entries to form an implied association list; identifying essential and non-essential associations by scanning said first table of entries and said second table of entries, with an implied association being characterized as non-essential, and a non-implied association being characterized as essential; and storing said database design structure as a function of said associations, wherein said database design structure is determined.
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Specification