Method and system for generating string-based addresses

• US 8,015,210 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Daga, Rakshit
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casanova; Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US11/646,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.Y, 707/103.R, 707/103.X, 707/103.Z, 707/104.1, 707/999.1, 707/999.101, 707/999.102, 707/999.103, 707/796, 707/960
• US Class Current: 707/796
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/96 Object-relational

Abstract

A method and system are described that may generate and process address strings, for example, for database entities such as objects. An example method may include generating a first address string representing a first relational path associated with a first database query retrieval of a first object, and storing the first address string in association with the first object. Another example method may include receiving a query requesting information associated with an entity related to one or more objects included in a database. The method may further include retrieving a first address string based on a search of address strings to determine address strings that indicate the entity, the first address string representing a first relational path associated with a database query retrieval of a first object, and retrieving the first object based on the retrieved first address string.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a first address string based on a set of attributes of a first object included in a database and a set of attributes of a second object included in the database, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing a third object from the database, the first address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, a first relationship that deletion of the first object from the database will lead to deletion of the second object and a second relationship that deletion of the second object will not lead to deletion of the third object;

storing the first object in a first location in an object storage area associated with the database;

storing the second object in a second location in the object storage area, the second location being based on the first relationship indicated by the first address string;

storing the third object in a third location in the object storage area, the third location being based on the second relationship indicated by the first address string; and

storing the first address string in an address string storage area in association with the first object, the first address string including a first indicator of the first location, a second indicator of the second location, and a third indicator of the third location.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving a request to update the database;

generating the first object including information associated with the request;

storing the first object in the object storage area; and

determining a first relational path based on a navigation path associated with navigating an object tree for retrieving the first object based on a first database query.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first object is included in a relational database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first address string comprises generating the first address string representing a first relational path associated with a first database query retrieval of the first object, wherein the first relational path represents a navigation path associated with navigating an object tree for retrieving the first object based on the first database query.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising:

receiving a query requesting information associated with the third object specified in the first address string;

retrieving the first address string based on a search of address strings to determine address strings that indicate the third object; and

retrieving the first object based on the retrieved first address string.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query for all objects having a specified relationship with the third object;

retrieving the first address string based on the query, the first address string indicating;

the first relationship between the first object and the second object;

the second relationship between the second object and the third object; and

the second location of the second object; and

retrieving the second object from the second location.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a second address string, the second address string based on the set of attributes of the first object and the set of attributes of the second object, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object containing a fourth object, the second address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object containing the fourth object, a third relationship that deletion of the first object from the database will lead to deletion of the second object and a fourth relationship that deletion of the second object will lead to deletion of the fourth object;

storing the fourth object in a fourth location in the object storage area, the fourth location being based on the fourth relationship indicated by the second address string; and

storing the second address string in the address string storage area, the second address string including the first indicator of the first location, the second indicator of the second location, and a fourth indicator of the fourth location.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the first object represents a school;

the second object represents a student enrolled in the school;

the third object represents a course taken by the student; and

the fourth object represents a schedule of courses in which the student is enrolled, including the course represented by the third object.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising:

generating a third address string, the third address string based on the set of attributes of the first object, the set of attributes of the second object, and a set of attributes of the third object, the third string address indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object, the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, and the set of attributes of the third object referencing a fifth object, the first relationship that deletion of the first object from the database will lead to deletion of the second object, the second relationship that deletion of the second object from the database will not lead to deletion of the third object, and a fifth relationship that deletion of the third object will not lead to deletion of the fifth object;

storing the fifth object in a fifth location in the object storage area, the fifth location being based on the fifth relationship indicated by the third address string; and

storing the third address string in the address string storage area, the third address string including the first indicator of the first location, the second indicator of the second location, the third indicator of the third location, and a fifth indicator of the fifth location.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the first object represents a school;

the second object represents a student enrolled in the school;

the third object represents a course taken by the student;

the fourth object represents a schedule of courses in which the student is enrolled, including the course represented by the third object; and

the fifth object represents a teacher teaching the course taken by the student.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first object represents a school;

the second object represents a student; and

the third object represents a course taken by the student.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a query requesting one or more non-identified objects, the one or more non-identified objects being associated with an identified object;

retrieving, from a string address storage area, a first address string based on a search for address strings that indicate the identified object, the first address string indicating;

an identity of each of the identified object, a second object, and a third object;

a location in the object storage area of each of the identified object, the second object, and the third object;

a first relational path associated with a database query retrieval of the identified object, the second object, and the third object;

an indication that deleting the second object from the object storage area will lead to deletion of the third object from the object storage area;

an indication that deleting the third object from the storage area will not lead to deletion of the identified object from the storage area; and

retrieving the second object or the third object based on the location in the object storage area indicated by the retrieved first address string.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first address string represents a navigation path associated with navigating an object tree for retrieving the identified object, the second object, and the third object based on the database query.

14. A method for querying relational information associated with a first data object, a second data object, and a third data object stored in an object storage area, the method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a first relational string based on a set of attributes of the first data object and a set of attributes of the second data object, the set of attributes of the first data object identifying a relationship between the first data object and the second data object and the set of attributes of the second data object identifying a relationship between the second data object and the third data object, the relational string indicating;

that deletion of the first data object will lead to deletion of the second data object;

that deletion of the second data object will not lead to deletion of the third data object;

a first location of the first data object in the object storage area;

a second location in the object storage area for the second data object, the second location being based on the first location and the relationship between the first data object and the second data object; and

a third location in the object storage area for the third data object, the third location being based on the relationship between the second data object and the third data object;

storing a plurality of relational strings in an address string storage area, the plurality of relational strings including the first relational string;

storing the first data object in the first location;

storing the second object in the second location;

storing the third data object in the third location; and

in response to a query related to relational information associated with the third data object, searching the stored plurality of the relational strings to retrieve the first relational string, the first relational string indicating;

the first and second data objects related to the third data object;

the relationships between the first and second data objects and between the second and third data objects; and

the locations of each of the first, second, and third data objects.

15. A system comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory, the processor being configured to;

generate a first address string based on a set of attributes of a first object included in a database of the memory and a set of attributes of a second object included in the database, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing a third object, the first address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object, a first relationship that deletion of the first object from the database requires also deleting the second object, the first address string also indicating, based on the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, a second relationship that deletion of the second object from the database does not require deleting the third object;

store the first object in a first location in an object storage area associated with the database;

store the second object in a second location in the object storage area, the second location being based on the first relationship indicated by the first address string;

store the third object in a third location in the object storage area, the third location being based on the second relationship indicated by the first address string; and

store the first address string in an address string storage area associated with the database in association with the first object, the first address string including a first indicator of the first location, a second indicator of the second location, and a third indicator of the third location.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to generate the first address string representing a first relational path associated with a first database query retrieval of the first object, wherein the first relational path represents a navigation path associated with navigating an object tree for retrieving the first object based on the first database query retrieval.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to parse the first address string to determine a first relational path between the first object, the second object, and the third object.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to determine the first location of the first object based on the first relational path.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a query for all objects having a specified relationship with the third object;

retrieve the first address string based on the query, the first address string indicating;

the first relationship between the first object and the second object;

the second relationship between the second object and the third object; and

the second location of the second object; and

retrieve the second object from the second location.

20. A computer program product being stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and being configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

generate a first address string based on a set of attributes of a first object included in a database and a set of attributes of a second object included in the database, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object from the database and the set of attributes of the second object referencing a third object from the database, the first address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object, a first relationship that deleting the first object from the database requires also deleting the second object from the database, and based on the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, a second relationship that deleting the second object from the database does not require deleting the third object from the database;

store the first object in a first location in an object storage area associated with the database;

store the second object in a second location in the object storage area, the second location being based on the first relationship indicated by the first address string;

store the third object in a third location in the object storage area, the third location being based on the second relationship indicated by the first address string; and

store the first address string in an address string storage area associated with the database in association with the first object, the first address string including a first indicator of the first location, a second indicator of the second location, and a third indicator of the third location.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the first address string indicates a navigation path associated with navigating an object tree for retrieving the first object based on a first database query.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, further configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive a query for all objects having a specified relationship with the third object;

retrieve the first address string based on the query, the first address string indicating;

the first relationship between the first object and the second object;

the second relationship between the second object and the third object; and

the second location of the second object; and

retrieve the second object from the second location.

23. A method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a first address string based on a set of attributes of a first object included in a database and a set of attributes of a second object included in the database, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing a third object from the database, the first address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, a first relationship that deletion of the first object from the database will require deletion of the second object and a second relationship that deletion of the second object will not require deletion of the third object;

storing the first object in a first location in an object storage area associated with the database;

storing the second object in a second location in the object storage area, the second location being based on the relationship indicated by the first address string;

storing the third object in a third location in the object storage area, the third location being based on the second relationship indicated by the first address string;

storing the first address string in an address string storage area in association with the first object, the first address string including a first indicator of the first location, a second indicator of the second location, and a third indicator of the third location;

receiving a query requesting information associated with the third object specified in the first address string;

retrieving the first address string based on a search of address strings to determine address strings that indicate the third object; and

retrieving the first object based on the retrieved first address string.

24. A method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a first address string based on a set of attributes of a first object included in a database and a set of attributes of a second object included in the database, the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing a third object from the database, the first address string indicating, based on the set of attributes of the first object containing the second object and the set of attributes of the second object referencing the third object, a first relationship that deletion of the first object from the database will require deletion of the second object and a second relationship that deletion of the second object will not require deletion of the third object;

storing the first object in a first location in an object storage area associated with the database;

storing the second object in a second location in the object storage area, the second location being based on the relationship indicated by the first address string;

storing the third object in a third location in the object storage area, the third location being based on the second relationship indicated by the first address string;

storing the first address string in an address string storage area in association with the first object, the first address string including a first indicator of the first location, a second indicator of the second location, and a third indicator of the third location;

receiving a query requesting information associated with the third object specified in the first address string;

retrieving the first address string based on a search of address strings to determine address strings that indicate the third object; and

retrieving the second object based on the retrieved first address string.