Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A database management system (DBMS) provided with a multi-dimensional improved indexed accessing capability using keyed index searching. Individual search keys are constructed from general expression statements created in the DBMS compiler from search queries supplied to the DBMS. Each key column represents another dimension, and both ranges and IN lists can be specified in the search query and used as the predicate values in multiple columns. Missing predicate values in the search query are interpreted as a specification of the minimum and maximum values for the associated search key column. During compile time, the DBMS compiler produces general expressions to be used by the DBMS executor during run time to create the search keys. The DBMS compiler evaluates search queries by associating predicates with clusters and disjunct numbers assigned to each individual disjunct in the search query expression. The DBMS executor uses the general expression from the compiler and eliminates any conflicts among same column predicates, removes redundancies in predicate values and disjuncts and reduces the number of records to be accessed to the minimum required to complete the search query. The individual search keys are generated in the same order as the index to which the search pertains (i.e., increasing or decreasing order).

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim