Abstract: In a computer database system, a method and system are provided for interactively and iteratively constructing a query using a table metaphor displayed on a user display. Alterations are made directly to the table metaphor by the database user. The alterations relate to adding, deleting, or combining columns of attributes and limiting ranges of attribute values. The alterations are registered and the table metaphor updated to reflect the registered alterations. The table metaphor can be repeatedly used to further register additional alterations. The query corresponding to the table metaphor in its final form is run against the full database to generate a report in the format indicated by the table metaphor.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for reducing the amount of computation required to determine the consequences of a side effect resulting from a transaction on a relation in a data base system. The apparatus and methods use equational reasoning based on a bag algebra representation of a class of transaction and the relation to produce a pre-expression which describes the side effect. The pre-expression is included in the data base system's data dictionary, and when a transaction of the class is received in the data base system, the pre-expression is used to determine the side effect. The pre-expression is formed with a strongly-minimal pair of delete and insert bags. The apparatus and methods may be used to maintain materialized views, to check for violation of constraints on the data base, and to activate triggers, monitors, and active queries.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for of retrieving information. A first file of information is received which includes a first markup language to identify contents of the information. Responsive to the receiving the first file of information, the first file of information is parsed to generate a list of profiles, and at least one corresponding topic for each of the list of profiles. A second file in a second markup language is created containing the list of the profiles and at least one corresponding third file is created in a third markup language for the at least one corresponding topic for each of the list of profiles. The second file contains anchors referencing each at least one corresponding third file, and first markup instances in the first file of information are converted to second markup instances in either the second file or the third file.

Abstract: An object-oriented system which deals with data and procedure integrally includes a memory having a real memory space which contains a set of object management information, a set of page management information, a fixed page region and an unfixed page region, a memory management section for managing these parts, a swap file for saving pages, and a method execution section which executes the procedure of an object. When loading the object into the real memory space, address-unfixed pages in the unfixed page region are allotted to the object and address-fixed pages in the fixed page region are allotted to the object at the time of execution. Consequently, the object can be accessed directly based on the physical address. The garbage collection and page swapping processes are implemented only for address-unfixed pages, and the overhead of object access operation can be reduced.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for generating structured query language instructions for communication to a database. In response to receipt of user-supplied input dimensions, an output table is automatically selected that represents the user's query of the relational database. The system automatically identifies and generates the links between data in predefined data tables within the database and the automatically selected output table. From the output table and data links, structured query language instructions are automatically generated. A technique is included to select the minimum number of tables reflective of the input dimensions. Each link between the input data tables and the output table is checked bi-directionally to ensure the integrity of the table selected.

Abstract: The invention provides an interunit communication system which comprises a main unit and a plurality of subunits and executes a communication between the units by a microcomputer of each unit. The system comprises: power producing means, provided for each subunit, for producing a driving power for the microcomputer of the subunit by a power which is supplied from the main unit through a power line; resetting means, provided for each subunit, for resetting the microcomputer of the subunit in the case where the power supply was restarted after the power supply from the main unit had been shut off; detecting means, provided for the main unit, for detecting a runaway of the microcomputer of the subunit on the basis of a reception state from a signal line for communication; power shut-off means, provided for the main unit, for shutting off the power supply to the subunit when the detecting means detects the runaway of the microcomputer; and power restarting means for restarting the power supply to the subunit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for virtual data integration in a database management system, specifically for providing multidatabase query and retrieval capability, where queries are generated at a user interface and passed to one of a plurality of databases. An organization engine (OE) is coupled to the user interface and, via an organization engine/database interface for each database, to the databases. The organization engine comprises a software module that passes a MakeCallBack routine along with the user query to the OE/database interface. The query is passed on to the database. If the queried data is not found at the queried database, but rather a reference to another database is found there, then that reference is passed back with a CallBack routine to the OE. The query is then redirected to the referenced database, and repeats the procedure until the sought data is actually located.

Abstract: A display control unit comprises plural display units having different display control methods, an input system for inputting an identifying signal relative to the display control method of the display unit and a display timing generator for changing a period of applying a display control signal in accordance with the identifying signal input by the input means. A control unit controls the display units having the display control method corresponding to the identifying signal by the display control signal applied by the display timing generator.

Abstract: A method and system for monitoring attributes of files, such as whether a file has been read, in a computer system includes a file index organized into groups, with at least one group including one or more files. The computer system also includes a number of bitmaps. A group bitmap is maintained for each group of the file index, with each group bitmap specifying the files included within the group. A user bitmap is maintained for each user of the computer system and specifies the files in the file index that have been read by the user. When the user of the computer system enters a request to determine which files within a selected group have been examined and which remain unexamined, the preferred embodiment performs a logical AND operation on the group bitmap for the selected group and the user bitmap for the user to produce a result bitmap. The computer system determines the answers to the user's request based on the contents of the result bitmap.

Abstract: This is a method and system of extending the capability of a relational database management system's precompiler to object-oriented languages comprising: embedding SQL statement in an object-oriented program; compiling the object-oriented program with a precompiler from the database management system into a temporary file; compiling the temporary file with an object-oriented precompiler into a file acceptable to an object-oriented compiler; and compiling the file with the object-oriented compiler into an executable file.

Abstract: When an original object is created by a user, the invocation of an object of a given class initiates storage of the load information for an object of that class in the compound document specification. In addition, the document creation process must include a process for checking whether objects of the desired class have hierarchical parents, i.e. superclasses, defined to exist, and if they do, these one or more superclass load information sets must also be loaded with the load information for the object created by the user. It is this information which is utilized at a displaying user's computer system when a failure to instantiate and display a part of a given class or type occurs, so that the display process can resort to the hierarchical superclass definitions and use the superclasses instantiation load information instead.

Abstract: A distributed computation system has a set of agents that perform each specified distributed computation. State transition events in each agent are conditioned or dependent on state transition events in other ones of the agents participating in the same distributed computation. The event dependencies between events in the agents are dynamically specified at run time from a set of predefined dependency types. The assigned conditions for resolving the truth value of these events are stored in local knowledge databases in each of the agents. Each agent stores in its local knowledge database a representation of the conditions for local events, which are state transition events in that agent, and a representation of the conditions for those external events that depend on notifications of local events in this agent and for those external events on which the local events are dependent. The local knowledge database also stores status information on the current truth value of the local and external events.

Abstract: A method in a computer system for loading an operating system into memory through use of a file system that is stored on secondary storage. The operating system is stored on secondary storage as files with file names. Before the operating system is loaded into memory, a bootstrap program loads the file system from secondary storage into memory. The file system is stored at locations in secondary storage that are known to the bootstrap program. The file system also has a mapping of file names of operating system files to locations in secondary storage that contain the operating system files. After loading the file system, the bootstrap program requests the loaded file system to load the operating system files by specifying the file names of the operating system files to be loaded. In response to the request, the file system uses the mapping to retrieve the locations in secondary storage of the operating system files specified by the file names.

Abstract: A DB interface is provided between each subscriber database, which stores information associated with each goods including an aesthetic/sensuous attribute unique to each subscriber, and a basic DB, which stores support information for supporting goods planning of each subscriber by electronic processing. The DB interface converts the aesthetic/sensuous attribute to data corresponding to a unified classification and a unified evaluation axis of the basic DB so as to cause the basic DB to fetch the information of each subscriber database as part of the support information.

Abstract: A system for associating application or system information with data files according to data file attributes. The system employs an Automatic Classification Selection (ACS) filter having an ordered sequence of rule-based declarations, each of which specifies a range of values for selected data file attributes. Each rule-based declaration includes specifications for data file attributes, any of which can be specified using wild-cards. Each data file is tested against the ordered declarations and the first declaration that matches the data file attributes is enabled to assign a classification to that data file. Because the ACS filter is declarative, it may be easily modified without programming expertise. Because any data file can be quickly sieved through the ACS filter, the data file class linkages need not be stored and thus are always dynamically updated in response to changes in data file attributes over time.

Abstract: A data conversion apparatus and method for translating information stored in a first relational database to that stored in a second relational database, and for translating information in a relational database used by a first selected version of a computer program into information stored in a second relational database for use by a second selected version of a computer program. The apparatus and method thus allow the sharing of data by computer systems running different versions of a given software package. The data conversion apparatus includes a first file storage element for storing a first relational database having a plurality of digital records representing information used by a first selected version of a computer program, and a second file storage element capable of storing a second relational database representing at least a portion of the information from the first database for use by a second selected version of the computer program.

Abstract: Our linking method is implemented in our linking system which includes an interconnection network, which employs a standard directory protocol, such as X.500, and linking components. The interconnection network includes interfaces for interconnection users and local directories. The linking components include linking directories and linking applications which are connected to the interconnection network via interfaces. Linking directories contain entries, and each entry comprises linking references pointing to entities, which include local directories and linking applications and have access to information about the object in different contexts. In the linking directory, there is an entry for each object, and this entry is accessible using a linking identifier unique the object. The linking application coordinates a response to the user's request and sends queries to the linking directory, local directories, and other linking application to fulfill user's requests.

Abstract: A local application connected to a remote application over a computer network can interrupt processing of the remote application. To do so, a new communications link is opened, and an identifier of the remote process to be interrupted is passed to the remote node. The new communications link is then closed. A manager process on the remote node raises the interrupt to the desired remote application, which returns acknowledgement of the interrupt over the original connection.

Abstract: A method for recording a plurality of kinds of data to a recording medium such as an optical card or disc having a recording surface on which a plurality of sectors are arranged in accordance with a predetermined order and for reproducing the recorded data is provided. A plurality of blocks each of which includes a plurality of sectors and which correspond to the kinds of data are prepared for the recording surface. One of the plurality of blocks is accessed on the basis of the kind of data. In the accessed block, data is recorded onto at least one sector in accordance with the predetermined order. In the accessed block, updating data is additionally recorded onto at least one sector subsequent to the data recorded sector. In the accessed block, the recorded data is reproduced from at least one of the finally recorded sectors. A plurality of tracks each comprising a plurality of sectors are arranged in parallel on the recording surface of the optical card.

Abstract: A data processing system maintains logs for system and media recovery. The logs contain state identifiers each uniquely identifying the state of a corresponding section of a storage medium, such as a disk. The state identifiers are assigned after changes have been made such that they can be determined from the information in the logs. One implementation involves assigning state identifiers in a known sequence, such as in a monotonically increasing sequence of integers beginning with zero.