Method and apparatus for storing semi-structured data in a structured manner

• US 7,124,144 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2001
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Open Text Holdings, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Actuate Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Draper, Denise L., Kommissarchik, Konstantin L., Christianson, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Leslie
• Application Number:
  US09/921,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• 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

Abstract

In response to the provision of a collection of semi-structured data (or its schema), a mapper generates a structured organization to store the collection of semi-structured data. The mapper further collaterally generates a description of how the semi-structured data are stored under the structured organization. In one embodiment, normalized relational tables are used for the structured organization. In alternate embodiments, non-normalized relational tables or other structured organization may also be used. The reverse, that is, the creation of a semistructured data organization for a collection of structured data may also be performed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a structured organization to store a collection of semi-structured data; and

collaterally generating a description of how the semi-structured data is stored under the structured organization, wherein the description of how the semi-structured data is stored in the structured organization tracks hierarchical information of the semi-structured data and includes storage location information of the structured organization;

wherein the storage location information of the structured organization identifies a first and a second storage location in the structured organization of a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said collateral generation of a description comprises generating descriptive entries for a description table, with each descriptive entry identifying the first and second storage location of a storage table for the parent and the child node of the parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said collateral generation of a description further comprises generating for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generation of a structured organization comprises creating relational storage tables with rows and columns in a normalized manner.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to generate a structured organization to store a collection of semi-structured data, when executed, and to collaterally generate a description of how the semi-structured data are stored under the structured organization, wherein the description of how the semi-structured data is stored in the structured organization tracks hierarchical information of the semi-structured data and includes storage location information of the structured organization, wherein the storage location information of the structured organization identifies a first and a second storage location in the structured organization of a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the programming instructions are designed to generate the description by generating a description table having a plurality of descriptive entries, with each descriptive entry identifying the first and the second storage location of a storage table of the structured organization for the parent and the child node of the parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to generate for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said programming instructions are designed to generate a structured organization by creating relational storage tables with rows and columns in a normalized manner.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said programming instructions are a subset of a larger collection of programming instructions implementing a selected one of a database manager and a development toolkit that facilitates development of applications that access databases.

10. An article of manufacture comprising:

a recordable medium having recorded thereon a plurality of programming instructions for use to program a system having a processor for executing programming instructions, to enable the system to generate a structured organization to store a collection of semi-structured data, and to collaterally generate a description of how the semi-structured data are stored under the structured organization, wherein the description of how the semi-structured data is stored in the structured organization tracks hierarchical information of the semi-structured data and includes storage location information of the structured organization, wherein the storage location information of the structured organization identifies a first and a second storage location in the structured organization of a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein said programming instructions enable the system to collaterally generating a description by generating a description table having a plurality of descriptive entries, with each descriptive entry identifying the first and the second storage location of a storage table for the parent and the child node of the parent and child node pair of the semi-structured data.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein said programming instructions further enable the system to generate for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein said programming instructions enable the system to generate a structured organization by creating relational storage tables with rows and columns in a normalized manner.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein said programming instructions are a subset of a larger collection of programming instructions implementing a selected one of a database manager and a development toolkit that facilitates development of applications that access databases.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a semi-structured data organization for a collection of structured data; and

collaterally generating a description of correspondence between the generated semi-structured data organization and the collection of structured data;

wherein said collateral generation of a description comprises generating descriptive entries for a description table, with each descriptive entry identifying a first and a second storage column of a storage table of the structured data for a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the generated semi-structured data organization.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said collateral generation of a description further comprises generating for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said generation of a semi-structured data organization comprises creating an extensible mark-up language (XML) data structure for a collection of relational tables.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions designed to generate a semi-structured data organization for a collection of structured data, when executed, and to collaterally generate a description of correspondence between the semi-structured data organization and the structured data; and

a processor coupled to the storage medium to execute the programming instructions, wherein the programming instructions are designed to generate the description by generating a description table having a plurality of descriptive entries, with each descriptive entry identifying a first and a second storage column of a storage table of the structured data for a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the generated semi-structured data orgarnzation.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said programming instructions are further designed to generate for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said programming instructions are designed to create an extensible mark-up language (XML) data structure for a collection of relational tables.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said programming instructions are a subset of a larger collection of programming instructions implementing a selected one of a database manager and a development toolkit that facilitates development of applications that access databases.

22. An article of manufacture comprising:

a recordable medium having recorded thereon a plurality of programming instructions for use to program a system having a processor for executing programming instructions, to enable the system to generate a semi-structured data organization for a collection of structured data, and to collaterally generate a description of correspondence between the semi-structured data organization and the structured data, wherein said programming instructions enable the system to collaterally generate a description by generating a description table having a plurality of descriptive entries, with each descriptive entry identifying a first and a second storage column of a storage table of the structured data for a parent and a child node of a parent and child node pair of the generated semi-structured data organization.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein said programming instructions further enable the system to generate for each of a selected one or ones of said descriptive entries a context qualifier for at least a selected one of the parent and the child node.

24. The article of claim 22, wherein said programming instructions enable the system to create an extensible mark-up language (XML) data structure for a collection of relational tables.

25. The article of claim 22, wherein said programming instructions are a subset of a larger collection of programming instructions implementing a selected one of a database manager and a development toolkit that facilitates development of applications that access databases.