Grouping data in a database

• US 9,495,441 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2016
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bester, Karla, Chandler, Allan T., Shewell, Mark A., Yates, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUNG D
• Application Number:
  US15/053,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/221 Column-oriented storage; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present invention, two or more attributes that are included in a plurality of attributes are aggregated into a group defined by a first data definition language syntax. The first data definition language syntax defines the group as having a groupID and one or more of an attribute definition defined in a comma-separated list and a group definition. The attribute definition is defined by a second data definition syntax. The first data definition language syntax includes the second data definition language syntax. The first data definition language syntax is structured in a manner to allow a database operation associated with the group to be applied to all attributes and/or groups included therein.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a table in a relational database, with the table comprising a plurality of columns with each column including a column name that describes an attribute corresponding to attribute values of the column;

defining a group of columns;

receiving user input;

responsive to the user input, adding, by machine logic, a first column of the plurality of columns to the group;

adding, by machine logic, a second column of the plurality of columns to the group based on predetermined selection criteria; and

receiving an SQL (Structured Query Language) statement using group names corresponding to the group of columns to perform actions on the columns of the group;

wherein the predetermined selection criteria is based upon at least one of the following characteristics of the second column;

text contained in a second column name and/or the type of data stored in the second column.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the definition of the group includes:

receiving a first relation generation request; and

responsive to the first relation generation request, generating a first group including a plurality of first-group columns of the plurality of columns.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the addition of the second column uses a data definition language (DDL).