Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for improving information retrieval from a database. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for implementing a database. The method includes the steps of providing at least one set of linked entities which contain a plurality of entities, and each said entity is arranged to store at least one data value, further providing an additional entity for at least one set of linked entities, and storing in the additional entity the aggregation of a plurality of data values contained in the at least one set of linked entities.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for improving information retrieval from a database. In one aspect, the invention provides a method for implementing a database. The method includes the steps of providing at least one set of linked entities which contain a plurality of entities, and each said entity is arranged to store at least one data value, further providing an additional entity for at least one set of linked entities, and storing in the additional entity the aggregation of a plurality of data values contained in the at least one set of linked entities.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. The response is transferred to the user over the world wide web. However, should the data base management system be unavailable to honor the service request of a user, an unavailability message is transferred from the data base management system indicating the unavailability.

Abstract: An apparatus for and the method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands stored as corresponding to the service request. A security profile, if necessary, is also stored with the one or more sequenced data base management commands based upon the specific data tables within the data base which must be accessed to honor the service request. The security profile is compared to the user-id of the requestor. If a match is found, the data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. A debug program located on the server side of the interface provides execution of sequenced data base management commands in a trace mode. The results and intermediate results are stored in a debug file for future access by a service developer at a user terminal.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. The response is transferred to the user over the world wide web as an HTML display page. The server automatically adds a footer text to the response if enabled by the system settings. The footer text may be created and modified from the internet terminal.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands stored as corresponding to the service request. A security profile, if necessary, is also stored with the one or more sequenced data base management commands based upon the specific data columns within the specific data tables within the data base which must be accessed to honor the service request. The security profile is compared to the user-id of the requester. If a match is found, the data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web wherein one or more variables from a first service request may be saved for use with one or more subsequent service requests. The service request is received by a web server from the world wide web, and if it so indicates, one or more variables from the service request are saved within the server. When the server receives a subsequent request which requires access to the saved variables, they are retrieved for execution of the subsequent service request.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. The response is transferred to the user over the world wide web. Certain specialized service requests are defined which establish and modify system settings parameters. These system settings parameters are stored and used for controlling general system operation of the data base management system.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an Internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user terminal operates in a web browser environment during accesses to the existing proprietary data base management system. The data base management system provides facilities allowing the user to access its own internal directories and files while in the web browser environment. This is accomplished by making the access request to the proprietary data base management system which in turn accesses the requested data in the user terminal via the world wide web. The response is transferred back across the world wide web to the browser within the user terminal.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web wherein one or more variables from a first service request may be saved for use with one or more subsequent service requests. The service request is received by a web server from the world wide web, and if it so indicates, one or more variables from the service request are saved within the server. When the server receives a subsequent request which requires access to the saved variables, they are retrieved for execution of the subsequent service request.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user is permitted to access an HTML template within the internet terminal. Entry of data into the HTML template provides for definition of a dialog-base request in the command language of the existing proprietary data base management system. The request is received by a web server from the world wide web. The data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. The response is transferred to the user over the world wide web.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to execute batch processed accesses to an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are scheduled for execution by a monitoring program and the sequenced data base management commands sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response. The response is transferred to the user, if appropriate, over the world wide web.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into an object consisting of one or more sequenced data base management commands. An expiration date corresponding to the object is checked. If the object is obsolete, a diagnostic message is sent to the requester. Otherwise the data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. An MIME type is accessed from a storage facility and appended to the complete response. The response containing the MIME type is transferred to the user over the world wide web.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system. The internet terminal is capable of accessing an object of the data base management system by manual actuation of an icon. After the access is complete, data is returned to the internet terminal. Actuation of the icon can also schedule an application within the internet terminal corresponding to the object, such that data from the object is provided to the application for further processing. The application may generate a request for one or more subsequent object accesses to make the process iterative.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into one or more sequenced data base management commands. These data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. The response is transferred to the user over the world wide web.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of utilizing an internet terminal coupled to the world wide web to access an existing proprietary data base management system having a dialog-based request format. The user request is received by a web server from the world wide web and converted into an object consisting of one or more sequenced data base management commands. An expiration date corresponding to the object is checked. If the object is obsolete, a diagnostic message is sent to the requestor. Otherwise the data base management commands are sequentially presented to the data base management system and the intermediate products stored. After all of the sequenced data base management commands have been executed, the web server combines the intermediate products to form a complete response to the initial user request. An MIME type is accessed from a storage facility and appended to the complete response. The response containing the MIME type is transferred to the user over the world wide web.