Methods for dynamically configuring the cardinality of keyword attributes

• US 6,895,412 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Hutchinson, Wayne L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): EHICHIOYA, FRED I
• Application Number:
  US09/833,915
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/10, 705/36, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/5, 707/10, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/200, 707/201, 707/4, 707/100, 707/101, 707/103, 707/205, 707/8, 709/203, 709/204, 709/218, 709/220, 709/107
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/221 Column-oriented storage; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Methods are provided for dynamically configuring the cardinality of keyword attributes. A table definition is received including an identification field, a keyword field and a keyword value field. A first value is inserted into the keyword value field and associated with a first keyword residing in the keyword field. Furthermore, a second value is inserted into the keyword value field and associated with the first keyword. Moreover, a first identification, which is part of the identification field, is associated with the first keyword.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically configuring a cardinality of keyword attributes having executable instructions, comprising the steps of:

generating a table having a table schema comprising an identification field, a keyword field, and a keyword value field;

inserting a first value into the table wherein the first value is part of the keyword value field and associated with a first keyword which is part of the keyword field;

inserting a second value into the table wherein the second value is part of the keyword value field and associated with the first keyword; and

associating a first identification which is part of the identification field with the first keyword, the first value, and the second value within the table schema, and wherein the first keyword includes at least two field names, wherein each field name is associated with a separate external table and each field name is also associated with one of the first or second values of the keyword value field.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

ensuring the table schema remains unchanged after the insertions into the table.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

establishing a first row of the table to house the first identification, the first keyword, and the first value; and

establishing a second row of the table to house the first identification, the first keyword, and the second value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating a composite table key from the identification field, the keyword field, and the keyword value field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fields of the table are operable to be searched.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first value is not equal to the second value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a cardinality between the keyword field and the keyword value field is a one-to-many relationship.