Method of developing and modifying self-describing database management system to generate a new database management system from an existing database management system

• US 5,857,195 A
• Filed: 05/21/1996
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hayashi, Tomohiro, Hayashi, Katsumi, Ishii, Takuji, Sekine, Yutaka, Mitani, Masaaki, Obata, Takashi, Saitou, Kazuhiko, Ohsato, Hiroshi, Ura, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TOPLU, LUCIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/655,311
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 395/613, 395/700, 395/619, 707/102, 707/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/213 with details for schema evolution support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/00 Arrangements for software engineering testing or debugging G06F11/36; administrative, planning or organisation aspects of software project management G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method of developing a self-describing database management system comprises the steps of holding definition data of a database management system to be developed as data on a database and creating a database management system to be developed by the use of an existing database management system. The database management system to be developed comprises a data definition processing execution program and a bind processing execution program. These two programs include a process to permit access to definition data which form database, and are executed based on the definition data on the database.

Claims

1. A method for developing a new database management system by using an existing database management system both of the existing database management system and the new database management system responding to requests in an identical query language, the existing database management system including a dictionary to store definition information of tables managed by the new database management system, an executable data definition program to update contents of the dictionary and an executable binding program to translate a source program described in the identical query language into an executable program by referring to the dictionary, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) defining dictionary information for the new database management system;

(b) storing a binding source program for a new executable binding program, including in the binding source program a reference to dictionary information described as an access to a dictionary table having a specified table name;

(c) storing the dictionary information in a definition data table of the existing database management system using the specified table name;

(d) translating the binding source program into a transitional executable binding program by execution of the executable binding program of the existing database management system;

(e) translating the binding source program into the new executable binding program of the new database management system by the transitional executable binding program;

(f) storing a definition source program for a new executable definition program;

(g) translating the definition source program into the executable definition program by the transitional executable binding program; and

(h) setting up the new database management system with the dictionary information, the new executable binding program and the new executable definition program.

2. A method of developing a self-describing database management system, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a data definition processing execution program of an existing database management system and definition data of a self-describing database management system to be developed in a database of the existing database management system;

(b) generating a first data definition processing execution program, which converts a data dictionary definition source into definition data to be utilized by the self-describing database management system to be developed and stores the definition data in a dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed using the existing database management system, by converting a data definition process source program using a first bind processing execution program;

(c) generating definition data having the structure of a dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed from definition data of the database management system to be developed using the first data definition processing execution program and storing the definition data generated in a dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed using the existing database management system;

(d) generating a second bind processing execution program for generating a program running on the self-describing database management system to be developed using the first bind processing execution program of the existing database management system in the dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed using the existing database management system, by referring to the definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed;

(e) generating a third bind processing executing program for generating a program running on the self-describing database management system to be developed referring to the definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed, by using the second bind processing execution program, referring to the definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed on the dictionary using the existing database management system, and converting a bind processing source program;

(f) generating a second data definition processing execution program for generating definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed on a dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed, by referring to the definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed on the dictionary using the existing database management system, and using third bind processing execution program; and

(g) generating the definition data on the dictionary of the self-describing database management system to be developed by converting the definition data having the dictionary structure of the self-describing database management system to be developed on the dictionary using the existing database management system.