Platform-independent method and system for graphically presenting the evaluation of a query in a database management system
First Claim
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1. A method for graphically representing a plan for an input query for a relational database management system comprising the steps of:
- a) receiving an input query;
b) processing the input query to form a plurality of structured plans;
c) selecting at least one structured plan of the plurality of structured plans;
d) transforming the selected structured plan into a self-describing formatted file, wherein the self-describing formatted file is platform independent; and
e) generating a graph representing the selected structured plan from the self-describing formatted file.
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Abstract
A method and system for graphically representing a plan for a query in a relational database management system is disclosed. The method includes receiving and processing an input query to form a plurality of plans, selecting at least one plan of the plurality of plans, and transforming the selected plan into a self-describing formatted file which is platform independent. The method further includes generating a graph representing the selected plan from the self-describing formatted file.
142 Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method for graphically representing a plan for an input query for a relational database management system comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving an input query;
b) processing the input query to form a plurality of structured plans;
c) selecting at least one structured plan of the plurality of structured plans;
d) transforming the selected structured plan into a self-describing formatted file, wherein the self-describing formatted file is platform independent; and
e) generating a graph representing the selected structured plan from the self-describing formatted file. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
d1) providing a document schema to define the XML file; and
d2) utilizing the document schema to translate the selected plan into the XML file.
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4. The method of claim 3, wherein the utilizing step (d2) further includes:
d2i) mapping the selected plan to the XML using the definitions provided in the document schema.
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5. The method of claim 4, wherein the document schema is a description type document (DTD).
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6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graph generating step (e) further includes:
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e1) reading the self-describing formatted file by a self-describing formatted file processor;
e2) creating a plurality of nodes according to the self-describing formatted file; and
e3) creating a plurality of arcs to connect the plurality of nodes according to the self-describing formatted file to form the graphical representation of the selected plan.
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7. The method of claim 6, wherein the graph generating step (e) further includes:
e4) collecting detailed information related to each node and associating the related information with each corresponding node, such that the related information is available if requested.
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8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relational database management system is a UNIX based system.
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9. The method of claim 1, wherein the relational database management system is a WINDOWS based system.
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10. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a)-(d) are performed by the relational database management system.
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11. The method of claim 10, wherein step (e) is performed by a client system.
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12. The method of claim 11, wherein the client system includes a monitor, the method further including:
(f) displaying the graph on the monitor.
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13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected plan is a best query execution plan.
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14. A computer readable medium containing programming instructions for graphically representing a plan for an input query for a relational database management system, the programming instructions for:
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a) receiving an input query;
b) processing the input query to form a plurality of structured plans;
c) selecting at least one structured plan of the plurality of structured plans;
d) transforming the selected structured plan into a self-describing formatted file, wherein the self-describing formatted file is platform independent; and
e) generating a graph representing the selected structured plan from the self-describing formatted file. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
d1) providing document schema to define the XML file; and
d2) utilizing the document schema to translate the selected plan into the XML file.
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17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the utilizing instruction (d2) further includes:
d2i) mapping the selected plan to the XML using the definitions provided in the document schema.
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18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the document schema is a description type document (DTD).
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19. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the graph generating instruction (e) further includes:
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e1) reading the self-describing formatted file by a self-describing formatted file processor;
e2) creating a plurality of nodes according to the self-describing formatted file; and
e3) creating a plurality of arcs to connect the plurality of nodes according to the self-describing formatted file to form the graphical representation of the selected plan.
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20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the graph generating instruction (e) further includes:
e4) collecting detailed information related to each node and associating the related information with each corresponding node, such that the related information is available if requested.
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21. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the relational database management system is a UNIX based system.
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22. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the relational database management system is a WINDOWS based system.
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23. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein instructions (a)-(d) are performed by the relational database management system.
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24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein instruction (e) is performed by a client system.
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25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the client system includes a monitor, the computer readable medium further including instructions for:
(f) displaying the graph on the monitor.
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26. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the selected plan is a best query execution plan.
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27. A system for graphically representing a plan for an input query to a relational database management system (RDBMS), the system comprising:
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a query compiler in the RDBMS for processing the input query and generating a plurality of structured plans for the input query;
means for selecting at least one structured plan of the plurality of structured plans;
a self-describing formatted file generator coupled to the query optimizer for transforming the selected structured plan into a self-describing formatted file, wherein the self-describing formatted file is platform independent; and
means for generating a graph representing the selected plan from the self-describing formatted file. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for graphically representing a query execution plan for an input query for a relational database management system comprising the steps of:
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a) receiving an input query;
b) compiling the input query to form a structured query execution plan;
c) transforming the structured query execution plan into a file written in Extensible Markup Language (XML), wherein the XML file is platform independent;
d) reading the XML file by an XML file processor;
e) creating a plurality of nodes according to the XML file;
f) collecting detailed information related to each node and associating the related information with each corresponding node, such that the related information is available if requested; and
g) connecting the plurality of nodes with a plurality of arcs to generate a graph representing the query execution plan from the XML file. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
(h) displaying the graph on the monitor.
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42. The method of claim 38, wherein the query execution plan is the best query execution plan.
Specification