Incorporating technical computing into a DBMS

• US 7,921,406 B1
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: McGoldrick, Eugene
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente; Emerson C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labud; Jonathan R
• Application Number:
  US11/299,524
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/6, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104.1, 717/106, 717/107, 717/120, 717/121, 717/162, 717/163, 717/164
• US Class Current: 717/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/30 Creation or generation of source code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons

Abstract

The present invention enables customized technical computing within a database. The present invention provides a method and system to insert a software function implemented in a technical computing environment into a database to manipulate data and use the software function as a database procedure. Once the software function is generated, in response to a single action being performed, two components are generated and stored in the database. The two components working together allow the software function to be invoked as a database procedure. The present invention offloads a user'"'"'s burden to learn the often complicated database query language and decreases the amount of network traffic between a client computer and a database.

Claims

1. A method of inserting a software function into a database, said method comprising:

providing a software function that is implemented in a technical computing environment;

storing the software function in a memory of a computing device having a processor coupled to the memory;

selecting a target database where the software function is desired to be stored, wherein the target database is managed by a database management system that implements a database query language that differs from the technical computing environment;

automatically identifying, by the processor, an interface type associated with the database management system of the selected target database;

in response to a single action being performed, automatically generating in the technical computing environment by the processor;

a first component containing the software function, and

a second component acting as an interface between the target database and the first component, the second component using the interface type identified automatically by the processor as being associated with the database management system; and

storing the first component and the second component in the target database, wherein

the second component is used by the database management system to invoke the first component as at least one of;

a stored procedure, and

a database trigger of the target database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component is either a COM object, a JAVA jar file, or a library built in the technical computing environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second component is either a VBA module, a PLlSQL module, or a JAVA module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the database management system is either an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) compliant system or a Java Database Connectivity (JDBe) compliant system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the technical computing environment is a text-based, dynamically typed programming environment that supports matrix manipulation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the single action is clicking of a button.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the single action is choosing an item in a dropdown menu.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the single action is a specific sequence and combination of keystrokes.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

custom building the software function in the technical computing environment.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying at least one of a table or an associate field where data is retrieved or entered.

11. In a computing device, a storage medium storing a method for inserting a software function into a database, the method comprises:

providing a software function that is implemented in a technical computing environment;

selecting a target database where the software function is to be stored, wherein the target database is managed by a database management system that has an Application Programming Interface (API) and implements a database query language that is different from the technical computing environment;

automatically identifying, by a processor, the API of the database management system of the selected target database;

in response to a single action being performed, automatically generating in the technical computing environment;

a first component containing the software function, and

a second component acting as an interface between the target database and the first component, the second component using the API that was identified automatically by the processor as being associated with the database management system; and

storing the first component and the second component in the target database, wherein

the second component is used by the database management system to invoke the first component as at least one of a stored procedure and a database trigger of the target database.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the first component is either a COM object, a JAVA jar file, or a library built in the technical computing environment.

13. The medium of claim 11, wherein the second component is either a VBA module, a PLlSQL module, or a JAVA module.

14. The medium of claim 11, wherein the database management system is either an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) compliant system or a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) compliant system.

15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the technical computing environment is a text-based, dynamically typed programming environment that supports matrix manipulation.

16. The medium of claim 11, wherein the single action is clicking of a button.

17. The medium of claim 11, wherein the single action is choosing an item in a dropdown menu.

18. The medium of claim 11, wherein the single action is a specific sequence and combination of keystrokes.

19. The medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

custom building the software function in the technical computing environment.

20. The medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying at least one of a table or an associate field where data is either retrieved or entered.

21. A system for inserting a software function into a database, the system comprises:

a technical computing program including a technical computing environment;

a software function that is stored on a memory and implemented in the technical computing environment;

a target database;

a database management system for managing the target database, the database management system using an Application Programming Interface (API) and implementing a database query language that is different from the technical computing environment; and

a software module executable by a processor coupled to the memory that in response to a single action being performed, causes the processor to;

automatically identify the API used by the database management system of the target database,

automatically generate in the technical computing environment;

a first component containing the software function, and

a second component acting as an interface between the target database and the first component, the second component utilizing the API that was identified automatically by the processor as being used by the database management system, and

store the first and second component in the target database, wherein

the second component is used by the database management system to invoke the first component as at least one of a stored procedure and a database trigger of the target database.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first component is either a COM object, a JAVA jar file, or a library built in the technical computing environment.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the second component is either a VBA module, a PLlSQL module, or a JAVA module.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the database management system is either an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) compliant system or a Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) compliant system.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the technical computing program is a text-based, dynamically typed programming environment that supports matrix manipulation.