Database management systems and methods of operating the same

• US 7,296,150 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Business-To-Investor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Business-To-Investor Incorporated
• Inventors: Rucinski, Dean, Balcombe, Jeffrey D., Ussery, Troy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand; Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Thomas
• Application Number:
  US09/751,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20020049903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/3, 707/103.X, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 705/51, 713/165
• US Class Current: 713/164
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/278 Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

Introduced are systems for managing a database of selectable records, and methods of operating the same. One advantageous embodiment provides a database administrator for association with a computer system having distributed memory units. The database administrator comprises a security controller and an access controller. The security controller operates repeatedly to (i) divide the database into portions and (ii) store ones of the portions to ones of the distributed memory units. The security controller thereby systematically redistributes the database over the distributed memory units. The access controller operates to repeatedly establish views of ones of the selectable records in response to the security controller redistributing the database over the distributed memory units.

Claims

1. For use in managing a database of selectable records, a database administrator for association with a computer system having distributed memory units, said database administrator comprising:

a security controller that operates repeatedly on a periodic basis to (i) divide said database into portions and (ii) store ones of said portions to ones of said distributed memory units, said security controller thereby systematically periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units; and

an access controller that operates to repeatedly establish views of ones of said selectable records responsive to said security controller periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units.

2. The database administrator set forth in claim 1 wherein said access controller is further operable to access ones of said selectable records.

3. The database administrator set forth in claim 1 initially operable to instantiate said database of selectable records.

4. The database administrator set forth in claim 3 wherein said initially instantiated database of selectable records is stored in a select memory unit.

5. The database administrator set forth in claim 1 wherein said security controller is further operable, prior to subsequently dividing said database into portions, to combine said ones of said portions previously stored in ones of said distributed memory units in a select memory unit.

6. For use in managing a database of selectable records, a method of operating a database administrator, said database administrator for association with a computer system having distributed memory units, said method of operation comprising the steps of:

repeatedly operating a security controller on a periodic basis to (i) divide said database into portions and (ii) store ones of said portions to ones of said distributed memory units, said security controller thereby systematically periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units; and

operating an access controller to repeatedly establish views of ones of said selectable records responsive to said security controller periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units.

7. The method of operating the database administrator set forth in claim 6 further comprising the step of accessing ones of said selectable records.

8. The method of operating the database administrator set forth in claim 6 further comprising the step of initially instantiating said database of selectable records.

9. The method of operating the database administrator set forth in claim 8 further comprising the step of storing said initially instantiated database of selectable records in a select memory unit.

10. The method of operating the database administrator set forth in claim 6 further comprising the step of further operating said security controller, prior to subsequently dividing said database into portions, to combine said ones of said portions previously stored in ones of said distributed memory units in a select memory unit.

11. A computer system comprising:

a database of selectable records;

a plurality of networked computers associated with distributed memory units, ones of said plurality of networked computers associated with said database of selectable records; and

a database administrator for use in managing said database of selectable records, said database administrator operable to repeatedly on a periodic basis (i) divide said database into portions, (ii) store ones of said portions to ones of said distributed memory units to thereby systematically periodically redistribute said database over said distributed memory units and (iii) establish views of ones of said selectable records in response to periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units.

12. The computer system set forth in claim 11 wherein said database administrator is further operable to access ones of said selectable records.

13. The computer system set forth in claim 11 wherein said initially instantiated database of selectable records is stored in a select memory unit.

14. The computer system set forth in claim 11 wherein said database administrator is further operable, prior to subsequently dividing said database into portions, to combine said ones of said portions previously stored in ones of said distributed memory units in a select memory unit.

15. A method of operating a computer system to manage a database of selectable records, said computer system comprising a plurality of networked computers associated with distributed memory units, ones of said plurality of networked computers operable to share access with said database of selectable records, said method comprising the steps of

initially instantiating said database of selectable records;

repeatedly on a periodic basis dividing said database into portions and storing ones of said portions to ones of said distributed memory units, thereby systematically periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units; and

repeatedly establishing views of ones of said selectable records in response to periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units.

16. The method of operating the computer system to manage a database of selectable records set forth in claim 15 further comprising the step of accessing ones of said selectable records.

17. The method of operating computer system to manage a database of selectable records set forth in claim 15 further comprising the step of storing said initially instantiated database of selectable records in a select memory unit.

18. The method of operating computer system to manage a database of selectable records set forth in claim 15 further comprising the step of further combining, prior to subsequently dividing said database into portions, said ones of said portions previously stored in ones of said distributed memory units in a select memory unit.

19. For use over a global communications network having company nodes and constituency nodes associated therewith, an electronic commerce system comprising:

a database of selectable data files associated with said company nodes, wherein said company nodes populate respective associated data files with commercial information;

a communications controller that is operable to (i) propagate communication interfaces accessible by said constituency nodes with selected portions of said commercial information under direction of said company nodes, and (ii) gather feedback information representative of constituency response to said constituency nodes accessing said communication interfaces; and

a database administrator for association with distributed memory units, said database administrator comprising;

a security controller that operates repeatedly on a periodic basis to (i) divide said database into portions and (ii) store ones of said portions to ones of said distributed memory units, said security controller thereby systematically periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units; and

an access controller that operates to repeatedly establish views of ones of said selectable records responsive to said security controller periodically redistributing said database over said distributed memory units.

20. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller is further operable to process said gathered feedback information and, in response thereto, modify ones of said data files.

21. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller is further operable to analyze said gathered feedback information and ones of said data files and, in response thereto, to report results thereof to said company node.

22. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller, while gathering said feedback information, employs mathematical representations to represent at least one of constituency understanding and constituency reaction.

23. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 further comprising a security controller that is operable, with respect to those data files associated with said company node, to limit access to said data files to designated personnel of said company nodes.

24. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 23 wherein said security controller includes an interactive voice recognition controller that is operable to verify the identity of said designated personnel.

25. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller is further operable to translate said selected portions of said commercial information from a first language into a second language.

26. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller is further operable to store, index and relate associated portions of said commercial information in the data repository.

27. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said access controller is further operable to access ones of said selectable data files.

28. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said database administrator is initially operable to instantiate said database of selectable data files.

29. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 28 wherein said initially instantiated database of selectable data files is stored in a select memory unit.

30. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said security controller is further operable, prior to subsequently dividing said database into portions, to combine said ones of said portions previously stored in ones of said distributed memory units in a select memory unit.

31. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 19 wherein said communications controller is further operable to organize said selected portions of said commercial information that propagate said communication interfaces into channels accessible by said constituency nodes.

32. The electronic commerce system for use over a global communications network recited in claim 31 wherein said channels include at least two of an overview channel, an outlook channel, a community consensus channel, a community forecast channel, a research channel, an online q&

a channel, an online conference channel, a financial history channel and a newsroom channel.