Object-oriented query mechanism
First Claim
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1. A method of query processing in a database wherein data is sought to be retrieved and combined using at least two objects, which comprises;
- (A) sending at least one message from a first object to at least one second object within the database, said message specifying criteria for a join,(B) said message being acted upon by the method of the second object to form at least one output from each second object which has some of the data sought or other potentially relevant data, each such output containing some of the data sought or data which is related or potentially related to the data sought or a pointer to such data,(C) each said output proceeding independently either to another object so said output can be acted upon by the method of such other object to form a further output or to a results object which stores final or intermediate results, and(D) each object which has sent an output not awaiting replies from other objects to which its output has been sent before finishing its processing.
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Abstract
The invention is a method for making joins and retrieving joined data during query processing in a database. An object sends a message with join criteria to one or more other objects or classes of objects. Objects receiving the message forward the data which they have or data which may potentially be useful to a receiving object, then stop processing, without waiting for a reply. Messages for a particular object are processed in a queue without reference to messages for other objects.
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10 Claims
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1. A method of query processing in a database wherein data is sought to be retrieved and combined using at least two objects, which comprises;
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(A) sending at least one message from a first object to at least one second object within the database, said message specifying criteria for a join, (B) said message being acted upon by the method of the second object to form at least one output from each second object which has some of the data sought or other potentially relevant data, each such output containing some of the data sought or data which is related or potentially related to the data sought or a pointer to such data, (C) each said output proceeding independently either to another object so said output can be acted upon by the method of such other object to form a further output or to a results object which stores final or intermediate results, and (D) each object which has sent an output not awaiting replies from other objects to which its output has been sent before finishing its processing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a distributed database having network nodes, the improvement in query processing which comprises
A) sending at least one message from an object on a first node to at least one object on a second node within the database, B) said message being acted upon by the method of the second object to form at least one message from each second object which has some of the data sought or other potentially relevant data, each such output containing some of the data sought or data which is related or potentially related to the data sought or a pointer to such data, (C) each said output proceeding independently either to another object so said output can be acted upon by the method of such other object to form a further output or to a results object which stores final or intermediate results, and (D) each object which has sent an output not awaiting replies from other objects to which its output has been sent before finishing its processing, (E) maintaining a message count of unprocessed outstanding messages generated in steps (A) through (C) at each node which receives such messages, and (F) causing such node to notify all other nodes which have sent it messages when its local processing is complete.
Specification