System and method for relational representation of hierarchical data
US7421445B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 24, 2004 |
| Grant date | Sep 2, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99956
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A technique for representing the structure of hierarchically-organized data in a non-hierarchical data structure, such as a relation. The hierarchically-organized data is represented as a tree, and each node in the tree is assigned a position identifier that represents both the depth level of the node within the hierarchy, and its ancestor/descendant relationship to other nodes. The data represented by each node, as well as its position identifier, is stored in a row of a relational database, thereby capturing the hierarchical structure of the data in such relational database. A technique is provided for the compressed storage of position identifiers in a format that allows an efficient bytewise comparison of position identifiers to determine relative order and ancestry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.