Database access system to deliver and store information

• US 6,526,406 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Systems R & D Corporation (JFE Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Systems R & D Corporation (JFE Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kenji, Namimoto, Hideyo, Kawamoto, Masataka
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Application Number:
  US09/585,418
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/200, 707/500, 707/511, 707/514, 707/515, 709/203, 709/227, 709/328
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2145 Inheriting rights or properties, e.g., propagation of permissions or restrictions within a hierarchy

Abstract

An elementary data type definition table storage 11 stores the data types of various data stored in a database. A complex data type definition table storage 12 stores definitions of various data masses to be offered to users by using the above data type definitions. A complex/elementary data type relation table 13 stores the complex data type definitions expressed in terms of elementary data type definitions, for each of the definitions of various data masses. Through this arrangement, it becomes possible to build a database which may have various data structures, by only implementing a number of definition tables and not preparing any new programs for those structures, thereby to reduce the time, labor and cost required for the preparation of such programs, and to relieve the database builder of technical knowledge usually required for such database construction.

Claims

1. A database access method to deliver and store information from and in a database in response to instructions through access from a plurality of users, wherein:

making elementary data type definitions to define types of various data to be collected in the database at least by data category and name in accordance with data structure wherein single data constituting the database or their clusters are made elements, data masses each comprising at least one element being prepared;

making complex data type definitions as a mass of said elementary data type definitions,

making definition of each of various data masses available to users by specifying an appropriate complex data type previously defined and adding its ID code to the data mass;

feeding individual data into the database by preserving an area in a storage space of the database for each elementary data type, and storing data in a corresponding area together with the ID code of the data mass; and

accessing to individual data in the database by specifying the ID code of data mass and the definition of the complex data type.

2. A database access method as described in claim 1 wherein:

the database information comprises electronically stored documents; and

the complex data type definitions are a stored assembly of format documents to serve as a model during document preparation, accompanied with typical attributes to be attached to a prepared document, and document-related information files;

in preparing a document, selecting any one from the format documents, and preparing a desired document according to selected document, and

storing the prepared document together with values of attributes contained in the assembly which must be given before storage, and supplementary attributes and their values added as needed.

3. A database access method as described in claim 1 wherein:

storing information organized in a hierarchical structure like a tree in which a plurality of groups are arranged such that any group has one or less group on the layer just above it;

assigning a user who specifies an elementary data type to give a complex data type definition, or a complex data type to give a data mass definition, without fail to a group; and

selecting users accessible to a particular elementary or complex data type by using at least the information of the group hierarchy structure.

4. A database access method as described in claim 3 wherein:

storing an owner group which is responsible for management of each elementary or complex data type;

storing information of groups permitted to access to each elementary or complex data type, or of operations permitted to be applied to each elementary or complex data type; and

selecting users who are permitted to view or change a definition of particular elementary or complex data type, or use a particular elementary data type to make definition of a complex data type, or use a particular complex data type to make definition of a data mass, by using at least the information of owner group and of access permitted groups and operations, in addition to the information of the group hierarchy structure.

5. A database access system to deliver and store information from and in a database in response to instructions through access from a plurality of users comprising:

an elementary data type definition table storage for storing elementary data type definitions to define the type of various data collected in a database at least by the data type and characteristic name in accordance with data structure, wherein single data constituting the database or their clusters being made elements, data masses each comprising at least one element being prepared;

a complex data type definition table storage for storing at least ID codes of the complex data types defining the types of various data masses;

a complex/elementary data type relation table storage for storing for each complex data type, its relation with at least one elementary data type, to thereby define a complex data type in terms of elementary data type; and

a data mass storage for storing, as long as any one of the complex data types previously defined has been notified and an ID is attached to the data mass, the definitions of various data masses available to users at least on the basis of the notified ID codes of complex data types and ID codes attached to the data masses, wherein;

feeding individual data into the database is achieved by preserving an area in the storage space of the database for each elementary data type, and storing data in the area together with the ID code defining the data mass, and access to individual data in the database is achieved by referring to the complex/elementary data type relation table storage using the ID code of complex data type which is stored in the data mass storage for each data mass, thereby finding the location of the data storage area containing the elementary data type to be accessed, and identifying the data to be accessed using the ID code of data mass for access.

6. A database access system as described in claim 5 further comprising:

a group hierarchy structure defining portion for storing information defined like a tree structure in which a plurality of groups are arranged such that any group has one or less group on the layer just above it;

a user belonging defining portion for setting user'"'"'s belonging, without fail to a group, every user that specifies an elementary data type to give the definition of a complex data type, or a complex data type to give the definition of a data mass; and

a user selecting portion for selecting users who are permitted to access to a particular elementary or complex data type according at least to the information in the group hierarchy structure.

7. A database access system as described in claim 6 further comprising:

an owner group information storage for storing information of the owner group for each elementary or complex data type;

an authorization information storage for storing information of groups permitted to access to an elementary or complex data type, or of operations permitted to be applied to an elementary or complex data type; and

a user selecting portion for selecting users who are permitted to view or change a definition of a particular elementary or complex data type, or to use a particular elementary data type to define the complex data type, or to use a particular complex data type to define the data mass, by using at least the information of owner group and of the authorization information, in addition to the information of the group hierarchy structure.

8. A database access system as described in claim 5 wherein:

the elementary data type definition table storage, complex data type definition table storage, and complex/elementary data type relation table storage are integrated in a database server unit; and

display function programs are installed in a web server unit to automatically create a screen defining program on the basis of information stored in the elementary data type definition table storage, complex data type definition table storage, and complex/elementary data type relation table storage,

the display function program is created as above being installed in the web server unit, and

access to individual data in a database is achieved by using the screen defining program.

9. A database access system as described in claim 8 which has a plurality of web server units.

10. A recording medium which records a computer program to control the elementary data type definition table storage, complex data type definition table storage, and elementary/complex data type relation table storage as described in claim 5, and is capable of being read by a computer.

11. A recording medium capable of being read by a computer as described in claim 10 further recording a program capable of activating:

a group hierarchy structure defining portion to store information of a hierarchical structure in which a plurality of groups are organized like a tree such that any group has one or less group on the layer just above it;

a user belonging defining portion to assign, without fail to a group, every user that notifies an elementary data type to give the definition of a complex data type, or a complex data type to give the definition of a data mass; and

a user selecting portion to select users permitted to access to a particular elementary or complex data type by using at least the information of the group hierarchy structure.

12. A recording medium capable of being read by a computer as described in claim 11 further recording a program capable of activating:

an original group information storage to store information of the owner group for each elementary or complex data type;

an authorization information storage to store information of groups permitted to access to an elementary or complex data type, or of operations permitted to be applied to an elementary or complex data type; and

a user selecting portion to select users who are permitted to view or change definition of a particular elementary or complex data type, or to use a particular elementary data type to define the complex data type, or to use a particular complex data type to define the data mass, by using at least the information of owner group and the authorization information, in addition to the information of the group hierarchy structure.

13. A database access method to deliver and store information from and in a database in response to instructions through access from a plurality of users wherein:

making elementary data type definitions to define type of various data collected in the database at least by data type and name in accordance with data structure wherein single data constituting the database or their clusters being made elements, data masses each comprising at least one element being prepared;

making complex data type definitions as a mass of the elementary data type definitions,

making definition of each of various data masses available to users by specifying an appropriate complex data type already defined and adding its ID code to the data mass;

feeding individual data into the database by preserving an area in a storage space of the database for each elementary data type, and storing data in a corresponding area together with the ID code defining the data mass; and

searching individual data through the database by describing a search condition through a logic computation based at least on a combination of an elementary data type and its value, and finding a data mass meeting the search condition, regardless of the involved complex data type.

14. A database access system to deliver and store information from and in a database in response to instructions through access from a plurality of users comprising:

a first means to produce elementary data type definitions which define various data collected in the database at least by data type and name in accordance with data structure wherein single data constituting the database or their clusters being made elements, data masses each comprising at least one element being prepared;

a second means to produce complex data type definitions as a mass of the elementary data type definitions, and to define each of various data masses available to users by specifying an appropriate complex data type and adding its ID code to the data mass; and

a third means, for feeding individual data into the database, to preserve an area in a storage space of the database for each elementary data type, and to store data in a corresponding area together with the ID code defining the data mass, wherein;

access to individual data in the database is achieved by describing a search condition through a logic computation based at least on a combination of an elementary data type and its value, and finding a data mass meeting the search condition, regardless of the involved complex data type.

15. A recording medium capable of being read by a computer which records a computer program to control the first to third means as described in claim 14.

16. A database access system to deliver and store information from and in a database in response to instructions through access from a plurality of users comprising:

an elementary data type definition table storage for storing elementary data type definitions to define the type of various data collected in a database at least by the data type and characteristic name in accordance with the data structure wherein single data constituting the database or their clusters being made elements, data masses each comprising at least one element being prepared;

a complex data type definition table storage for storing at least the ID codes of complex data types defining the types of various data masses; and

a complex/elementary data type relation table storage for storing, for each complex data type, its relation with at least one elementary data type, to thereby define a complex data type in terms of elementary data type; and

a data mass storage for storing, as long as any one of the complex data types previously defined has been notified and an ID is attached to the data mass, the definitions of various data masses available to users at least on the basis of the notified ID code of complex data types and an ID code attached to the data masses, wherein;

searching for a data mass through the database is achieved by setting a search condition through a logic computation based at least on a combination of an elementary data type and its value, and referring to the storages for data mass, complex data type definition table, complex/elementary data type relation table, and elementary data type definition table, thereby finding a data mass meeting the search condition, regardless of the involved complex data type.

17. A recording medium capable of being read by a computer which records a computer program to control the storages for data mass, complex data type definition table, complex/elementary data type relation table, and elementary data type definition table as described in claim 16.