Database dependency resolution method and system for identifying related data files

• US 5,734,886 A
• Filed: 11/16/1994
• Issued: 03/31/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Presotto, David Leo, Grosse, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/340,692
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/601, 395/602, 395/604, 395/613, 395/610, 395/616, 395/300.48, 364/200, 230/575
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and system for displaying names of data files in a collection of data files represented by a corresponding symbol. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a user may display a listing of subroutine library files required to execute a particular subroutine. In such an embodiment, the user may enter the subroutine name as the symbol of interest and the system would display the library file containing that subroutine as well as those data files that contain subroutines called by that subroutine of interest. The present invention uses a transitive closure technique to traverse a data structure generated from a database and retrieve the data file list. The transitive closure technique enables the use of a compact database that contains only the data file names, corresponding symbol names, and symbol names of only data files for each data file that are directly related to that data file.

Claims

1. A database dependency resolution method for identifying related data files based on a corresponding symbol, the relationships of the data files being set out in a relationship database containing data file names, at least one symbol corresponding to the data file name, and symbol names corresponding to related data files, the method comprising:

generating a data structure representing relationship hierarchies of data files and symbols as contained in the database;

retrieving the symbol of interest;

traversing the relationship hierarchies of the generated data structure using a transitive closure technique to retrieve information concerning the name of the data file corresponding to the symbol of interest and the names of any directly and indirectly related data files; and

displaying the retrieved information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the appropriate database before the step of generating the data structure.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the appropriate database is identified by which data file directory a user requesting the identity of the related files has accessed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the retrieved information into a predetermined format before the step of displaying the information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the arranged information to a remote user processing system over a network connecting the remote user processing system and a processing system maintaining the database, wherein the symbol of interest is selected by a remote user on the remote user processing system and wherein the step of displaying the arranged information is performed by the remote user processing system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining additional attribute information concerning the data files corresponding to the retrieved data file names; and

including the obtained attribute information with the retrieved information, wherein the steps of arranging and displaying the retrieved information further arrange and display the obtained attribute information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of obtaining the attribute information includes making calls to the data file management routines of the processing system to return the attribute information based on the data file names.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the data structure includes:

reading the database to identify the data file names, symbol names and symbol names for the related data files, wherein the symbol names of the related files corresponding to a particular data file are only those symbol names for data files that are directly related to that particular data file.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the steps of the method by a file transfer protocol implementation in a processing system maintaining the database.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing the steps of the method by a data file management portion of the operating system in a processing system maintaining the database.

11. A processing system for identifying and displaying names of related data files based on a corresponding symbol comprising:

at least one memory storage device, the storage device storing a plurality of processing system instructions, collections of data files and at least one database, wherein the relationships of the data files are set out in a corresponding database which contains the data fie names, at least one symbol corresponding to the data file name, and symbol names corresponding to related data files; and

at least one processing unit for controlling the displaying of the data file names and executing at least one of said processing system instructions from said memory device, the processing unit being operable to;

generate a data structure representing relationship hierarchies of data files and symbols as contained in the appropriate corresponding database;

retrieve the symbol of interest from a user;

traverse the relationship hierarchies of the generated data structure using a transitive closure technique to retrieve information concerning the name of the data file corresponding to the symbol of interest and the names of any directly and indirectly related data files; and

arrange the retrieved information into a predetermined format for displaying.

12. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is capable of identifying the corresponding relationship database in the memory device based on a particular data file directory the user has accessed.

13. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is capable of receiving the symbol of interest from a remote user over a network connected to the processing system, and wherein the processing system arranges the information for transmission over the network to a processing system of the remote user for displaying.

14. The processing system of claim 13, wherein the instructions for identifying and displaying the data file names in a collection of data files represented by a corresponding symbol operate in conjunction with the instructions corresponding to file transfer over the network.

15. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the instructions for identifying and displaying the data file names in a collection of data files represented by a corresponding symbol operate in conjunction with the instructions corresponding to data file management in an operating system of the processing system.

16. The processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing system is capable of obtaining attribute information of each retrieved file name by making the appropriate calls to data file management routines of the processing system.

17. The processing system of claim 11, wherein each database includes the data file names, symbol names and symbol names for the related data files, wherein the symbol names of the related files corresponding to a particular data file are only those symbol names for data files that are directly related to that particular data file.

18. A database dependency resolution method for identifying related data files based on a corresponding symbol of interest, the relationships of the data files being set out in a relationship database containing data file names, at least one symbol corresponding to the data file name, and symbol names corresponding to related data files, the method comprising:

generating a data structure representing relationship hierarchies of data files and symbols as contained in the database;

retrieving the symbol of interest;

traversing the relationship hierarchies of the generated data structure using a transitive closure technique to retrieve information concerning the name of the data file corresponding to the symbol of interest and the names of any directly and indirectly related data files; and

transmitting the retrieved information to a remote user processing system over a network connecting the remote user processing system and a processing system maintaining the database, wherein the symbol of interest is selected by a remote user on the remote user processing system.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the data structure is based on symbols of only directly related data files.