Borland International, Inc.

Inprise Corporation

John G Bennett

Steven T Shaughnessy

Christopher Wellington Brumme

Peter Kukol

Charles E Gayraud

Perry A Gee

Anders Hejlsberg

A system of the present invention includes a relational database management system (RDBMS). Methods are described for maintaining integrity between 'design documents,' which may be creating under different operating systems, and one or more information tables of the system. The system provides each field of a table with a unique ID ('field ID') for tracking the field regardless of restructuring changes which may be made to the table by various clients. Corresponding field IDs are stored with the fields of design documents, thereby permitting the system to maintain a link between a design document and its table. Upon a restructure of a table, the dependent design documents may be appropriately updated by their respective clients. Methods are also described for improved storage of free-form or 'memo' data. In a preferred embodiment, memo data are stored in a separate file comprised of variable-length storage blocks. Methods are described for allocating storage space in the blocks and sub-allocating storage space within a block. For increased efficiency, the system maintains a sorted 'free list' of free storage blocks.

Database system with improved methods for storing free-form data objects

A system includes a relational database management system (RDBMS) having a data modeling component. A 'data model' is a graphical representation of the relationship between tables one may use in a design document. 'Design documents' allow a user to customize how his or her data are presented, including presenting information in formats which are not tabular and including formats which link together different tables (so that information stored in separate tables appears to the user to come from one place). Methods are described for automatically linking tables to be placed in a data model by comparing unique keys (e.g., primary key or other unique identifier) of one table with indexes (or indexable fields) of another table. Based upon the comparison, the system automatically suggests an appropriate link (if any) for the tables.

System and methods including automatic linking of tables for improved

A development system having a compiler, a linker, an interface, and a code packing optimization module is described. The compiler generates or 'compiles' source listings into object modules, which may be linked or combined with other object modules (e.g., stored in 'library' files) to create an executable program. The optimization module embodies activity-based methods for generating a profile bitmap for a program of interest, to identify related code objects (i.e., procedures, functions, routines, and the like) based on clustering of activity bit signatures, so that related ones may be packed together in the executable program. A run of a program to be optimized is divided into a plurality of activities, typically those which are core to the operation of the program. A profile bitmap of the program is generated by running the target program through the various activities: for each code object 'hit' during an activity a corresponding bit is set. In this manner, a bit signature is generated for each code object indicating which activities the code object has participated in. These patterns are then ordered, for identifying code objects of the program which should be clustered together. Given this order, related procedures may be located in contiguous or near-contiguous pages of the program by ordering them based on their bitmap signatures. In this manner, the efficiency of information retrieval operations (e.g., disk access, caching, and the like) is maximized.

System and methods for optimizing compiled code according to code object

System and methods for data field management in a computer database

A computer system for executing application programs with limited available main memory capacity includes a main memory management system. The architecture of the stub vectors of a swappable code object and the protocol for referencing the stubs in active call frames reduces the overhead time of code object swapping. The stub vectors for a swappable code object are clustered together in memory; and each cluster comprises at least one entry stub and a return stub. A return stub vector is referenced in an active call frame only when its associated code object is not resident in main memory or when the code object has been placed on probation in contemplation of moving the object out of main memory. A linked list of resident code objects is employed in the selection of objects to be removed from main memory. A number of the least recently used code objects are put on probation in anticipation of the need to swap code between main memory and bulk memory. A call for or a return to an object on probation serves to remove the object from probation.

Growing community of inventors

San Mateo, CA, United States of America

John G Bennett