Method for collapsing a version tree which depicts a history of system data and processes for an enterprise

• US 5,671,398 A
• Filed: 06/09/1995
• Issued: 09/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unisys Corporation
• Inventors: Neubauer, Ronald Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEHLITSCH, NICHOLE L
• Application Number:
  US08/470,582
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 395/601, 395/712, 395/619, 395/600
• US Class Current: 703/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

The method of the present invention is useful in a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a database and a repository operative in the computer system for accessing the database. The method is implemented by the computer system for collapsing a version tree that depicts a history of objects stored in the database. The method, which is stored in the memory at run-time, comprises the steps of validating collapse request by insuring that the target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, the end object is on the same version tree as the target object, and the end object is a later version than the target object. An empty array representing path objects is initialized from the target object to the end object; and if an end object is supplied, a function is called to build up an array of objects representing paths from the target object to the end object. The array of objects built up in the preceding steps is processed. For each nextVersion of the target object, a function is called to collapse the versions starting from nextVersion; and, a function is also called to destruct the target object.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a database and repository operative in said computer system for accessing said database, a method implemented by said computer system for collapsing a version tree that depicts a history of objects stored in said database, said method being stored in said memory at run time and comprising the steps of:

a. validating collapse request by insuring that target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, end object is on the same version tree as said target object, and end object is a later version than said target object;

b. initializing an empty array representing path objects from said target object to said end object;

c. if an end object is supplied, calling a function to build up an array of objects representing paths from said target object to said end object, processing said array of objects built up in step c hereof;

d. for each nextVersion of said target object, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion;

e. calling a function to destruct said target object;

f. for each nextVersion of target object, initializing a continueWalk flag to TRUE;

g. if this nextVersion is in path, setting pathFound to TRUE;

h. if this nextVersion is not in the path, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE;

i. if this nextVersion is the end object, setting pathFound to TRUE;

j. if this nextVersion is not the end object, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE;

k. if continueWalk is TRUE, calling a function to continue building a path starting from this nextVersion;

l. if said function returned TRUE, and if this nextVersion is not the endObject, adding this nextVersion to said path;

m. setting pathFound to TRUE;

n. if there are more workObjects, repeating the process steps above until all workObjects have been processed; and

,

o. exiting this process and returning a value for pathFound.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein said step of processing said array further includes the steps of:

a. for each object in the path and for each nextVersion of this path object and if this object is not part of the path, is not later version object and not a result of a merge, calling a function to collapse versions starting from this object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process;

c. if there are more nextVersions, returning to step a hereof;

d. removing current path object form the path;

e. calling a function to destruct current path object;

f. if errors detected, exiting this process;

and

g. if there are more path objects, repeating all steps hereof until all path objects are processed.

3. The method as in claim 2 further including the steps of:

a. if target object state is readOnly and if remove subbranches was not indicated, prechecking that it is worth continuing recursive walk by;

b. for each nextVersion of target object, if variant name of this object is not the same as variant name of target object, issuing an error and exiting process, returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

4. The method as in claim 3 further including the steps of:

a. for each nextVersion of target object, if this can be collapsed, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion of this step;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

5. The method as in claim 4 further including the steps of:

a. calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE;

c. if no errors detected, exiting this process returning TRUE.

6. The method as in claim 2 further including the steps of:

a. if target object state is source and if remove subbranches was not indicated, prechecking that it is worth continuing recursive walk by;

b. for each nextVersion of target object, if variant name of this object is not the same as variant name of target object, issuing an error and exiting process, returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

7. The method as in claim 6 further including the steps of:

a. for each nextVersion of target object, if this can be collapsed, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion of this step;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

8. The method as in claim 7 further including the steps of:

a. calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE;

c. if no errors detected, exiting this process returning TRUE.

9. The method as in claim 2 wherein said step of calling a function to collapse versions further includes the steps of:

a. if target object state is available, calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if there were errors, exiting and returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there were no errors, returning TRUE.

10. In a computer system having a user interface, a memory, a database and repository operative in said computer system for accessing said database, a method implemented by said computer system for collapsing a version tree that depicts a history of objects stored in said database, said method being stored in said memory at run time and comprising the steps of:

a. validating a collapse request by insuring that variant name supplied is a viable variant name and earlier version number is non-negative;

b. if collapse request is not valid, exiting this process;

c. initializing to null the earlier and later versioned objects;

d. if later version number is not zero, locating object with specified variant and later version number;

e. if later object not found, issuing an error;

f. if earlier version number is zero, locating root object of specified variant branch;

g. if earlier version number is not zero, locating object at earlier branch and version;

h. sending message to earlier object;

i. specifying later object as end object;

j. validating collapse request by insuring that target object is not a ghost object, the end object is not a ghost, end object is on the same version tree as said target object, and end object is a later version than said target object;

k. initializing an empty array representing path objects from said target object to said end object;

l. if an end object is supplied, calling a function to build up an array of objects representing paths from said target object to said end object, and processing said array of objects built up in this step;

m. for each nextVersion of said target object, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion;

n. calling a function to destruct said target object; and

,

o. exiting the process.

11. The process as in claim 10 wherein said step of calling a function to build further includes the steps of:

a. for each nextVersion of target object, initializing a continueWalk flag to TRUE;

b. if this nextVersion is in path, setting pathFound to TRUE; and

,

c. if this nextVersion is not in the path, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE.

12. The process as in claim 11 further including the steps of:

a. if this nextVersion is the end object, setting pathFound to TRUE; and

,

b. if this nextVersion is not the end object, and if variant name of this nextVersion is not the same as the variant name of target object, and if variant name of nextVersion is not the same as variant name of endObject, and if workObject is not the start of a branch, setting continueWalk to FALSE.

13. The method as in claim 12, further including the steps of:

a. if continueWalk is TRUE, calling a function to continue building a path starting from this nextVersion;

b. if said function returned TRUE, and if this nextVersion is not the endObject, adding this nextVersion to said path;

c. setting pathFound to TRUE;

d. if there are more workObjects, repeating the process steps above until all workObjects have been processed; and

,

e. exiting this process and returning a value for pathFound.

14. The method as in claim 13 wherein said step of processing said array further includes the steps of:

a. for each object in the path and for each nextVersion of this path object and if this object is not part of the path, is not later version object and not a result of a merge, calling a function to collapse versions starting from this object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process;

c. if there are more nextVersions, returning to step a hereof;

d. removing current path object form the path;

e. calling a function to destruct current path object;

f. if errors detected, exiting this process; and

g. if there are more path objects, repeating all steps hereof until all path objects are processed.

15. The method as in claim 14 wherein said step of calling a function to collapse versions further includes the steps of:

a. if target object state is available, calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if there were errors, exiting and returning

FALSE; and

,

c. if there were no errors, returning TRUE.

16. The method as in claim 15 further including the steps of:

a. for each nextVersion of target object, if this can be collapsed, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion of this step;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

17. The method as in claim 16 further including the steps of:

a. calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process

returning FALSE;

c. if no errors detected, exiting this process returning TRUE.

18. The method as in claim 15 further including the steps of:

a. if target object state is readOnly and if remove subbranches was not indicated, prechecking that it is worth continuing recursive walk by;

b. for each nextVersion of target object, if variant name of this object is not the same as variant name of target object, issuing an error and exiting process, returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

19. The method as in claim 14 further including the steps of:

a. if target object state is source and if remove subbranches was not indicated, prechecking that it is worth continuing recursive walk by;

b. for each nextVersion of target object, if variant name of this object is not the same as variant name of target object, issuing an error and exiting process, returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

20. The method as in claim 19 further including the steps of:

a. for each nextVersion of target object, if this can be collapsed, calling a function to collapse versions starting from nextVersion of this step;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE; and

,

c. if there are more nextVersions, repeating step a hereof until all nextVersions have been processed.

21. The method as in claim 20 further including the steps of:

a. calling a function to destruct current path object;

b. if errors detected, exiting this process returning FALSE;

c. if no errors detected, exiting this process returning TRUE.

22. A process as in claim 10 further including the steps of:

a. if earlier object was not found, issuing an error.

23. A process as in claim 10 further including the steps of:

a. if freeMode is null, setting freeMode to objectOnly; and

,

b. if any errors issued, exiting the process.