System and method for defining, building, and maintaining database files

• US 6,446,074 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel USA Sourcing L.P. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Miller, Donald W. Jr., Hellemn, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/528,545
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/3, 707/10, 707/100, 707/201, 707/203, 370/254, 703/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A system for defining, building, and maintaining database files includes a database builder, a user interface, and a memory. The database builder provides screen displays to the user interface to allow access to databases within the memory. The database builder provides a capability to manage binary files of databases in the memory.

Claims

1. A system for defining, building, and maintaining database files, comprising:

a memory operable to store a plurality of databases, the plurality of databases having a relationship among one another;

a database builder, the database builder operable to access the plurality of databases stored in the memory, to learn the relationships among the plurality of databases, to identify database structures of the plurality of databases, and further operable to allow the user to insert and delete fields from the database structures;

binary data files of the plurality of databases being automatically reformatted to new database structures created as a result of the insertion and deletion of fields from the data base structures; and

a user interface coupled to the database builder, the database builder operable to provided access for a user to the plurality of databases.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of databases has a field that points to a field in another database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the database builder allows the user to traverse through the plurality of databases.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the database structures are used by the database builder as templates to read binary data files of the plurality of databases.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the database builder is operable to allow the user to insert and delete records within the plurality of databases.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the database builder is operable to maintain binary data files of the plurality of databases.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the database builder is operable to create database table definitions used to create binary tables of the plurality of databases.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the database builder is operable to display the binary tables in the memory for the user through the user interface.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the database builder is operable to change values in the binary tables in response to inputs from the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the database builder is operable to change database table definitions in response to inputs from the user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the database builder is operable to execute a reformatter program, the reformatter program operable to convert the binary tables in response to changes made to the database table definitions.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the database builder is operable to display the reformatter program to the user through the user interface.

13. A method for defining, building, and maintaining database files, comprising:

storing a plurality of databases in a memory, the plurality of databases having a relationship among one another;

identifying the relationships among the plurality of databases;

providing access to the plurality of databases in response to the identified relationships;

identifying database structures of the plurality of databases;

altering fields of the database structures; and

reformatting the plurality of databases in response to altered database structure.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

creating database table definitions of the database structures;

creating binary tables of the plurality of database table definitions.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

changing a database table definition;

reformatting binary tables in response to changes in a database table definition.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying the reformatting of the binary tables.