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Abstract

The invention is directed to a computer implemented system and apparatus for construction of a Hierarchical Database Management System (HDBMS) using a commercially available Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) as the implementing apparatus. The invention uses one or more RDBMS tables to store rows of a hierarchical database implemented by the HDBMS. Composite keys, unique over all the tables, are used to maintain hierarchical families and maintain the hierarchical parent/child relationships within families. Root conditions and child conditions may be used to determine which tables may be used for adding root row starting a new family, and which tables may be used for adding a child row of a selected parent row. SQL select queries present hierarchical views of the hierarchical database. SQL action queries are used to perform the database functions of insert root, insert child, update row, and delete row and its descendents. Both relational databases and hierarchical databases can be implemented in the same application using the RDBMS and the imbedded HDBMS together, and standard RDBMS SQL can be used to process the hierarchical and relational data in an integrated manner.

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First Claim