Management of user-definable databases

• US 6,513,047 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1997
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Talley, Stephen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US08/923,717
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/100, 707/104.1, 395/604, 395/527
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and computer program product for managing and manipulating user-defined and system databases in a computing system. A database interface, which can be a graphical user interface, accesses a database configuration file containing descriptions of the contents of each of the databases. The database interface interprets the contents of each database in accordance with the configuration file, and provides for user access and manipulation of the contents of the databases.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of computer databases, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

providing a database configuration file containing information regarding each of said plurality of computer databases;

providing an interface to said plurality of computer databases for permitting manipulation of the plurality of computer databases by a user, said interface accessing said database configuration file, wherein said interface is adapted to interact both with predefined hard-coded system databases and user-defined system databases; and

manipulating one of said plurality of computer databases in accordance with a command from the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing a database configuration file further comprises:

providing a file name of each of said plurality of computer databases in said configuration file;

providing a field delimiter for each of said plurality of computer databases in said configuration file, each field delimiter specifying a character which separates fields in a computer database specified by said file name; and

providing a data field descriptor for each data field of each of said plurality of computer databases.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of providing a database configuration file further comprises:

providing a comment delimiter for each of said plurality of computer databases, each comment delimiter specifying a comment character used within a computer database specified by said file name.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of providing an interface provides a graphical user interface for permitting manipulation of the plurality of computer databases by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of manipulating one of said plurality of computer databases further comprises:

reading and modifying an entry in one of said plurality of computer databases in accordance with the command from the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises user-definable databases having different formats.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises user-definable databases and system databases, each database having different formats.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises ASCII text readable files.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer usable code storage medium;

computer readable code embodied in said storage medium for managing a plurality of computer databases, the computer readable code comprising;

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect a database configuration file containing information regarding each of said plurality of computer databases;

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect an interface to said plurality of computer databases for permitting manipulation of the plurality of computer databases by a user, said interface accessing said database configuration file, wherein said interface is adapted to interact both with predefined hard-coded system databases and user-defined system databases; and

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect manipulating one of said plurality of computer databases in accordance with a command from the user.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect a database configuration file further comprises:

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect providing a file name of each of said plurality of computer databases in said configuration file;

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect providing a field delimiter for each of said plurality of computer databases in said configuration file, each field delimiter specifying a character which separates fields in a computer database specified by said file name; and

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect providing a data field descriptor for each data field of each of said plurality of computer databases.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect a database configuration file further comprises:

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect providing a comment delimiter for each of said plurality of computer databases, each comment delimiter specifying a comment character used within a computer database specified by said file name.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect an interface further comprises:

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect providing a graphical user interface for permitting manipulation of the plurality of computer databases by the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect a manipulating one of said plurality of computer databases further comprises:

computer readable code devices to cause a computer to effect reading and modifying an entry in one of said plurality of computer databases in accordance with the command from the user.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises user-definable databases having different computer readable formats.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises user-definable databases and system databases, each database having different formats.

16. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein said plurality of computer databases comprises ASCII text readable files.