Integrated database system

• US 6,269,365 B1
• Filed: 07/31/1997
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kitagawa, Takashi, Kiyoki, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US08/904,274
• Time in Patent Office: 1,461 Days
• Field of Search: 707/6, 707/8, 707/2, 707/9, 707/10, 706/45-48, 706/55
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/954 Relational
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

An integrated database system for performing data processing utilizing plural types of databases. A Meta level system 15 includes a script interpreter 8 which interprets an inquiry represented by a script form which has been addressed to a database to issue a primitive corresponding to the inquiry and combines replies represented by a primitive form received from plural types of databases 11. A local database system 14 includes a primitive processor 9 which transforms the primitive into a control command corresponding to the type of the database 11, outputs the transformed command to the plural types of databases 11, and replies to the Meta level system 15 with the process result represented by the primitive form.

Claims

1. A data processing system capable of referring to plural types of databases, said data processing system including an upper-level system and a lower-level system,

the upper-level system comprising:

inquiry receiving means for receiving an inquiry from a user side represented by a script form, wherein the inquiry includes search requests for first and second kinds of data stored respectively in a first and second databases and a combination condition for a first attribute of the first kind of data and a second attribute of the second kind of data to combine the first and second kinds of data;

request issue means for interpreting the received inquiry and issuing the search requests represented as a set of primitives in a primitive form, to the lower-level system and issuing the combination condition to combine means, wherein the script form is a form of description in a declarative manner and the primitive form is a form of description in a procedural manner;

result receiving means for receiving from the lower-level system, the first and second kinds of data from the first and second databases as results of the search requests, the results being represented by the primitive form;

combine means for extracting a couple of respective items satisfying the combination condition for the first and second attributes from among the first and second kinds of data received by said result receiving means, and combining the extracted couple of items into a reply to the inquiry; and

output means for transforming the combined reply of the primitive form into the script form, and outputting the transformed reply in the script form to the user side, and

the lower-level system comprising;

command output means for interpreting the search requests, which is represented as a set of primitives in the primitive form one by one, into one or more control commands each in a form corresponding to the first and second database related to the control command and outputting the interpreted control commands to the first and second databases, respectively; and

result transforming means for transforming process results of the control commands obtained from the first and second databases in the form corresponding to the respective types into the primitive form and providing the upper-level system with the transformed process results of the control commands, as the results of the search requests represented by the primitive form.

2. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the upper-level system includes management data storage means for storing management data for the database which can be an addressee of the control data issued by said control data issue means.

3. The data processing system according to claim 2, wherein said management data storage means includes:

a management-data database which stores management data;

management-command output means for transforming the control data represented by the second representation form issued by said control data issue means into a control command corresponding to said management-data database and outputting the transformed command thereto; and

management-data output means for outputting, in the second representation form, the process result of the control command obtained from said management-data database.

4. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the upper-level system further includes compensation means for compensating the reply received from the lower-level system with compensation-data.

5. The data processing system according to claim 4, wherein said control data issue means further issues control data to said compensation means, and wherein said compensation means includes:

a compensation-data database which stores compensation data;

compensation-command output means for transforming the control data represented by the second representation form issued to said compensation means into a control command corresponding to said compensation-data database and outputting the transformed command; and

compensation-data output means for outputting, in the second representation form, the process result of the control command obtained from said compensation-data database.

6. The data processing system according to claim 4, wherein said compensation means includes means for storing combine-compensation data used to combine process results obtained from different types of plural databases, and said output means includes combine means for combining, in the second representation form, process results obtained from different types of plural databases, by referring to the combine-compensation data.

7. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plural types of databases is a relational-type database.

8. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the plural types of databases are included in the lower-level system.

9. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said data processing system further includes a user side system comprising:

inquiry issue means for issuing an inquiry represented by the first representation form to said control data issue means, in response to an inquiry represented by a user form from a user; and

reply conversion means for converting the reply in the first representation form output from said output means into the user form.

14. The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first and second attributes are temporal information and the combination condition is an allowable range of a difference between the first and second attributes.

10. A data processing method of a data processing system capable of referring to plural types of databases, said data processing system including an upper-level system and a lower-level system, comprising:

an inquiry receiving step of, in the upper-level, receiving an inquiry from a user side represented by a script form, wherein the inquiry includes search requests for first and second kinds of data stored respectively in a first and second databases and a combination condition for a first attribute of the first kind of data and a second attribute of the second kind of data to combine the first and second kinds of data;

a request issuing step of, in the upper-level, interpreting the received inquiry and issuing the search requests represented as a set of primitives in a primitive form, to the lower-level system, wherein the script form is a form of description in a declarative manner and the primitive form is a form of description in a procedural manner;

a command outputting step of, in the lower-level system, interpreting the search requests represented as a set of primitives in the primitive form one by one, into one or more control commands each in a form corresponding to the first and second database related to the control command, and outputting the interpreted control commands to the first and second databases, respectively;

a result transforming step of, in the lower-level system, transforming process results of the control commands obtained from the first and second databases in the form corresponding to the respective types into the primitive form and providing the upper-level system with the transformed process results of the control commands, as the results of the search requests to the inquiry, the results being represented by the primitive form;

a result receiving step of, in the upper-level system, receiving from the lower-level system, the first and second kinds of data from the first and second databases as results of the search requests, the results being represented by the primitive form;

a combining step of, in the upper-level system, extracting a couple of respective items satisfying the combination condition for the first and second attributes from among the first and second kinds of data received by said result receiving means, and combining the extracted couple of items into a reply to the inquiry; and

an outputting step of, in the upper-level system, transforming the reply of the primitive form into the script form, and outputting the transformed reply in the script form to the user side.

11. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said outputting step includes a combining step of combining, in the second representation form, process results obtained from different types of plural databases.

12. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said command outputting step includes:

a management-command outputting step of transforming the control data represented by the second representation form into a control command corresponding to a management-data database, which stores management data for the database which is an addressee of the control data, and outputting the transformed command to the management-data database; and

a management-data receiving step of receiving, in the second representation form, the process result of the control command obtained from the management-data database.

13. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein in said control data issuing step further issues control data to a compensation-data database and said command outputting step includes:

a compensation-command outputting step of transforming the control data represented by the second representation form into a control command corresponding to the compensation-data database, which stores compensation data for the reply received from the lower-level system, and outputting the transformed command to the compensation-data database; and

a compensation-data receiving step of receiving, in the second representation form, the process result of the control command obtained from the compensation-data database.

15. The data processing method according to claim 11, wherein the first and second attributes are temporal information and the combination condition is an allowable range of a difference between the first and second attributes.