System and method for storing data

• US 6,978,260 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 12/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hack, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US10/127,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 2, 707 9- 10, 707/100, 707/205, 715/509, 715/526
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method for storing a composite table of data. The invention involves storing a set of initial fields in an initial table, with each field having a plurality of entries; storing a definition for at least one additional field having a plurality of entries, wherein the at least one additional field is not stored; storing a common value that is common to at least two entries of the plurality of entries in the at least one additional field; and storing at least one other value that is different from the common value for the remainder of entries of the plurality of entries in the at least one additional field.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for storing a composite table of data, the method comprising:

storing a set of initial fields in an initial table, with each field having a plurality of entries;

storing a definition for at least one additional field having a plurality of entries, wherein the at least one additional field is not stored;

storing a common value that is common to at least two entries of the plurality of entries in the at least one additional field; and

storing at least one other value that is different from the common value for the remainder of entries of the plurality of entries in the at least one additional field.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said common value is a default value for the at least one additional field.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

when the composite table is to be accessed, the composite table is dynamically generated from the initial table, the definition for the at least one additional field, the common value, and the at least one other value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the generated composite table is stored, at least temporarily, to permit accessing of the generated composite table.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the other value is associated with an identifier of the initial table and an identifier of the definition.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the definition comprises an identifier, an indication of field type, and indication of field name.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein:

the definition further comprises the common value.

8. A computer implemented method for forming a composite table of data from compactly stored data, the method comprising:

retrieving a stored initial table that comprises a plurality of initial fields and a plurality of records, with each combination of a record and an initial field has an entry of the initial table;

retrieving a stored definition for at least one additional field that is associated with the plurality of records, wherein the definition includes a stored common value that is associated with at least two records for the at least one additional field;

retrieving at least one other stored value that is different from the common value for the remainder of records of the at least one additional field; and

generating the composite table from the initial table, the definition for the at least one additional field, and the at least one other value.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the at least one additional field is not stored.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a request to access the composite table.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the common value is a default value for the at least one additional field.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

storing, at least temporarily, the generated composite table to permit accessing of the composite table.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein:

the other value is associated with an record identifier of the initial table and an identifier of the definition.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the definition further comprises an identifier, an indication of field type, and indication of field name.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein generating the composite table comprises:

replicating the initial table in the composite table;

establishing the at least one additional field from the definition in the composite table;

populating the at least one additional field with the at least one other value; and

populating the at least one additional field with the common value.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein populating the at least one additional field with the common value comprises:

after operation of populating the at least one additional field with the at least one other value, locating empty records in at least one additional field; and

populating each empty record with the common value.

17. A system for storing data comprising:

a memory;

an initial table that is stored in the memory and comprises a plurality of initial fields, wherein each initial field has a plurality of entries;

a dynamic field definition table that is stored in the memory and comprises a definition for at least one additional field and a default value that is associated with the at least one additional field, wherein the at least one additional field is not stored on the memory; and

a dynamic field values table that is stored in the memory and comprises values that are different from the default value and are associated with the at least one additional field.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

a data table mapping routine that generates a composite table from said initial table, said dynamic field values table, and said dynamic field definition table.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the dynamic field values table further comprises:

an identifier of the initial table; and

an identifier of the dynamic field definition table.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the dynamic field definition table further comprises:

an identifier;

a field type; and

a field name.