Alternate key index query apparatus and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for formulating and executing a query on a database comprising records, the apparatus comprising a digital computer having a processor operably connected to a memory device storing modules executable on the processor and data structures containing data associated with the modules, the modules and data structures comprising:
- the records stored in the memory device;
a query structure stored in the memory device and representing a selection criterion;
an alternate-key index stored in the memory device; and
a query engine module stored in the memory device to be executable by the processor for building the query structure and using the alternate-key index to retrieve indicia of records satisfying the query.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus disclosed may be implemented in a digital computer to query a set of arbitrarily structured records. Arbitrarily structured records are structured differently from each other. A query engine, query structure, operators of conventional and non-conventional types may be used in formulating a query. The apparatus may evaluate records having missing fields, repeating fields, or an UNKNOWN value arising from a missing field, division by zero, modulo by zero, or the like. New aggregator (e.g. universal quantifier and existential quantifier) and selector operators (e.g., first, last, nth) may distill multiple values to return a single value. To evaluate a query, the search engine may implement filtered indices, alternate-key indices, compound alternate-key indices, hybrid queries having both full-text and non-full text operands, and joinder of records. Certain of these features may be implemented for evaluating records from both prior art databases and heterogeneous databases of arbitrarily structured records.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus for formulating and executing a query on a database comprising records, the apparatus comprising a digital computer having a processor operably connected to a memory device storing modules executable on the processor and data structures containing data associated with the modules, the modules and data structures comprising:
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the records stored in the memory device; a query structure stored in the memory device and representing a selection criterion; an alternate-key index stored in the memory device; and a query engine module stored in the memory device to be executable by the processor for building the query structure and using the alternate-key index to retrieve indicia of records satisfying the query. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of formulating and executing a query against records in a database, the method being implemented in a query engine, the query engine being executable by a processor operably connected to a memory device, and the method comprising the following steps executed in an order and repetition determined by the query engine:
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building, in a memory device, a query structure having selection criterion and information defining a query; retrieving indicia of records from the database in accordance with the query structure, using an alternate-key index to find the indicia; evaluating each of the indicia according to the selection criterion to determine whether the indicia satisfy the selection criterion; and returning selected indicia that satisfy the selection criterion. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A memory device storing data structures comprising:
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records having indicia associated therewith; a query structure representing a selection criterion corresponding to a query; an alternate-key index reflecting the indicia of the records; and a query engine module stored in the memory device to be executable by a processor operably connected to the memory device for building the query structure and using the alternate-key index to retrieve indicia of records satisfying the query. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification