Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing data in a computer system. Compression and decompression functions are associated with a column of the table, in order to perform compression of decimal, numeric or date data stored in the column when the data is inserted or updated in the table, and in order to perform decompression of the data stored in the column when the data is retrieved from the table. The compression function compresses and stores the data in a fixed-length compressed field in the column without a length value, and the fixed-length compressed field has a size that is determined by a range of values for the data stored in the fixed-length compressed field. The decompression function retrieves and decompresses the data from the fixed-length compressed field.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing data in a computer system. Compression and decompression functions are associated with a column of the table, in order to perform compression of decimal, numeric or date data stored in the column when the data is inserted or updated in the table, and in order to perform decompression of the data stored in the column when the data is retrieved from the table. The compression function compresses and stores the data in a fixed-length compressed field in the column without a length value, and the fixed-length compressed field has a size that is determined by a range of values for the data stored in the fixed-length compressed field. The decompression function retrieves and decompresses the data from the fixed-length compressed field.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enables remote access of data of a database system. Such access may be performed by a remote device, such as a client computer system. A custom defined data type is assigned to data stored in the database system, the custom data type associates an access restriction to the data. A request for the data may be received over a communication network, such as the Internet or a local area network (LAN). In response to the request, the database system prepares the data for transmission and provides the requested information back over the communication network. The data is accessed using a security restriction defined by the custom data type.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing a subject table in a computer system. The subject table is partitioned across a plurality of processing units of the computer system. A user query or other request to access the subject table is split into a plurality of step messages, wherein each of the step messages is assigned to one of the processing units managing one or more of the partitions of the subject table. A plurality of actions are identified for each of the step messages, and one or more necessary records for these actions are retrieved from the partition of the subject table and stored into a corresponding partition of a spool table. The necessary records are selected in such a manner that none of the actions involved in the request need to access the partition of the subject table. The actions from the step message are then performed against the partitions of the spool table rather than the partitions of the subject table.