Externalizing very large objects in a relational database client/server environment

• US 6,256,626 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pickel, James W., Dong, Margaret Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US09/160,011
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-5, 707/500, 707/526, 707/103.R, 707/103, 707/501, 709/201-203, 345/433
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24561 Intermediate data storage techniques for performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for transmitting data having non-standard data types between computers. A query is executed to retrieve data from a database. The database comprises data having standard data types and data having non-standard data types and is stored on a data storage device connected to a server computer. At the server computer, data having standard and non-standard data types is retrieved. An answer set is generated that comprises data having standard data types and one or more placeholders, wherein each placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type. The generated answer set is transmitted to a client computer. After transmitting the generated answer set, data represented by each placeholder in the answer set is transmitted to the client computer.

Claims

1. A method for executing a query to retrieve data from a database, the database comprising data having at least one standard data type and data having at least one non-standard data type and being stored on a data storage device connected to a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:

at the server computer,

retrieving data having a standard data type and a non-standard data type from the database;

generating an answer set comprising data having the standard data type and a placeholder, wherein the placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type;

transmitting the generated answer set comprising at least the placeholder to a client computer; and

after transmitting the generated answer set transmitting data having non-standard data type represented by the placeholder in the answer set to the client computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data having a non-standard data type has a large object data type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting data represented by each placeholder comprises transmitting the data represented by each placeholder one row at a time.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the answer set is partitioned into at least one block of rows and wherein the step of transmitting the answer set to the client computer comprises separately transmitting each block of rows.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at the server computer,

receiving data from an application residing on the client computer; and

inputting the received data into the database.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the answer set comprises one or more placeholders, wherein each placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type.

6. An apparatus for executing a query to retrieve data from a database, comprising:

a server computer having a data storage device connected thereto, wherein the data storage device stores a database and wherein the database comprises data having at least one standard data type and data having at least one non-standard data type;

one or more computer programs, performed by the server computer, for, at the server computer, retrieving data having a standard data type and non-standard data type from the database, generating an answer set comprising data having the standard data type and a placeholder, wherein the placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type, transmitting the generated answer set comprising at least the placeholder to a client computer, and, after transmitting the generated answer set, transmitting data having non-standard data type represented by the placeholder in the answer set to the client computer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the data having a non-standard data type has a large object data type.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for transmitting data represented by each placeholder comprises transmitting the data represented by each placeholder one row at a time.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the answer set is partitioned into at least one block of rows and wherein the means for transmitting the answer set to the client computer comprises separately transmitting each block of rows.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, the apparatus further comprising one or more computer programs, performed by the server computer for receiving data from an application residing on the client computer, and inputting the received data into the database.

17. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the answer set comprises one or more placeholders, wherein each placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type.

11. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for executing a query to retrieve data from a database, the database comprising data having at least one standard data type and data having at least one non-standard data type and being stored on a data storage device connected to a server computer, the method comprising the steps of:

at the server computer,

retrieving data having a standard data type and a non-standard data type from the database;

generating an answer set comprising data having the standard data type and a placeholder, wherein the placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type;

transmitting the generated answer set comprising at least the placeholder to a client computer; and

after transmitting the generated answer set, transmitting data having non-standard data type represented by the placeholder in the answer set to the client computer.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the data having a non-standard data type has a large object data type.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the step of transmitting data represented by each placeholder comprises transmitting the data represented by each placeholder one row at a time.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the answer set is partitioned into at least one block of rows and wherein the step of transmitting the answer set to the client computer comprises separately transmitting each block of rows.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

at the server computer,

receiving data from an application residing on the client computer; and

inputting the received data into the database.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the answer set comprises one or more placeholders, wherein each placeholder represents data having a non-standard data type.