Relational database information management system for facilitating normalization of a relational database
First Claim
1. An information management system, comprising:
- at least one computer;
a relational database stored in a memory that is accessible to said computer, said relational database comprising a relational database kernel, a plurality of information entities, each said information entity being comprised by a respective one of a plurality of entity tables, and a linker table for holding a plurality of many-to-many relationships among said information entities;
computer-implemented entity relation management program means, for manipulating data in said linker table to dynamically define many-to-many relationships among said information entities, such that many-to-many relationships in the relational database can be created and modified by a user to manage the relational database without structurally changing the relational database by one of creating and deleting tables thereof; and
computer-implemented report generating program means, cooperating with said relational database kernel, for producing a coherent report that is informative of said relational database.
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Abstract
A computer system that incorporates an SQL type relational database is adapted to enterprises in which human performance is to be managed. There is a single table that contains linking information for multiple entity relationships among a plurality of information entities. Programs that cooperate with the database kernel include an entity relation manager for modifying the linker table to dynamically define entity relationships among the information entities; a hierarchal structure manager for dynamically defining hierarchal relationships among objects in the information entities; a load/unload utility, for changing information between a human-readable format and another format having a syntax acceptable to the database kernel; and an editor which provides an environment that enables a human operator to conveniently interact with the relational database.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. An information management system, comprising:
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at least one computer; a relational database stored in a memory that is accessible to said computer, said relational database comprising a relational database kernel, a plurality of information entities, each said information entity being comprised by a respective one of a plurality of entity tables, and a linker table for holding a plurality of many-to-many relationships among said information entities; computer-implemented entity relation management program means, for manipulating data in said linker table to dynamically define many-to-many relationships among said information entities, such that many-to-many relationships in the relational database can be created and modified by a user to manage the relational database without structurally changing the relational database by one of creating and deleting tables thereof; and computer-implemented report generating program means, cooperating with said relational database kernel, for producing a coherent report that is informative of said relational database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An information management system to ensure that humans perform to required standards while undertaking critical tasks in a complex environment, comprising:
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at least one computer; a relational database stored in a memory that is accessible to said computer, said relational database comprising a relational database kernel, a table having information that is generically descriptive of an enterprise that can be managed by said system, a plurality of information entities, each said information entity being comprised by a respective one of a plurality of entity tables, and a linker table for holding a plurality of many-to-many relationships among said information entities; computer-implemented entity relation management program means, for manipulating data in said linker table to dynamically define many-to-many relationships among said information entities; computer-implemented associated with said entity relation management program means, for associating parametric data with said information entities; computer-implemented hierarchal structure management program means, for dynamically defining hierarchal relationships among said information entities;
said hierarchal relationships being compatible with operation of said relational database kernel;computer-implemented editor program means, for introducing and modifying data in said relational database and for instructing said relational database kernel; computer-implemented load/unload program means, for changing information between a first state that is intelligible to a human operator of said editor program means, and a second state having a format compatible with said operation of said relational database kernel, an output of said load/unload program means being stored in said memory; and computer-implemented report generating program means, cooperating with said relational database kernel, for producing a coherent report that is informative of said enterprise; such that many-to-many relationships in the relational database can be created and modified by a user to manage the enterprise without structurally changing the relational database by one of creating and deleting tables of the relational database.
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Specification