International Business Machines Corporation

Ming-Ling Lo

Shyh-Kwei Chen

Hui-I Hsiao

Philip Shi-lung Yu

Kun-Lung Wu

A mapping language, insertable into a DTD, allows automatic mapping from data sources into XML. A mapping results from the establishment of a correspondence between entities in a data source on the one hand and lists and scalars on the other hand. The language maps the lists and scalars to XML elements and attributes. The mapping language includes two constructs: the binding specification and the value specification. The value specification associates with a value or choice declaration. The binding specification includes at least one variable/expression pair. The constructs are insertable into a DTD to create an annotated DTD.

Converting between data sources and XML

Method and apparatus for converting between data sets and XML documents

Methods and apparatus are provided according to the present invention which guarantee that an Extensible Markup Language (XML) query output conforms to a Document Type Definition (DTD) of the user's choice. The present invention allows for: (i) selection of a DTD; (2) integration of one or more XML queries with the DTD; and (iii) in accordance with the provided algorithm, automatic generation of a valid output XML document conforming to the DTD, using the data selected by the XML queries as content of the XML document.

Universal output constructor for XML queries universal output constructor for XML queries

A method for performing table summarization. In a data network requests arrive at random from viewing devices (i.e., PC, PDA, laptop, etc.) to view objects which oftentimes contain large tables. The table summarization method compresses the rows/columns of the large tables in addition to the column formats to more easily display the table on the viewing device, which oftentimes has a limited display capability. A set of default rules is specified for determining how the table compression is to be performed. In addition to the default rules, a user may specify a user viewing preference to further modify the table display. The table summarization method is performed dynamically. That is, it is performed in real-time in response to a user request which typically is issued over a data network such as the Internet.

Method and apparatus for dynamic and flexible table summarization

A method to construct a global equivalent database log file that transforms local log files from a parallel or distributed database system by extracting from each log file sequences of log entries from each database record, breaking the sequences into a series of segments, discarding the bulk of the segments and shortening other segments, then merging the remaining segments into an equivalent log file. The sequences are called 'UID-sequences' and the segments 'UID-segments' because they relate to one unique record ID or UID. The method also employs backward and forward superposition to further shorten the segments. This method works on database systems with or without instant constraint checks and also provides for treating log entries from multiple adjacent transactions on a log file as a single transaction. In systems with instant constraint checks, this method performs a 'unique-key check' and a 'foreign-key check' and resolves conflicts that are created because of superposition.

Merging database log files through log transformations

A method to construct a transaction serialization order based on parallel or distributed database log files that connects the log files into a network and merges the network into a sequence. Only vote symbols and commit symbols are considered in the construction and a protocol of a transaction's vote appearing before a transaction's commit is enforced. The log files are connected by making links between commit symbols of the same transactions in different log files. The method identifies ambiguities in the orders of the individual log files, called commit symbol cycles, and resolves them by breaking an unsupported segment of the cycle and sliding the segment's forwardmost commit symbol backward to a position immediately prior to the first commit symbol on that segment. By doing so, the serialization implication of an individual log file may be changed, but the overall serialization implication of the database remains intact. Using an iterative process, this method can order the log files in one pass-through.

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Yorktown Heights, NY, United States of America

Ming-Ling Lo