Universal Programming Interface to Knowledge Management (UPIKM) database system with integrated XML interface

Abstract

A UPIKM database system with an integrated XML interface is disclosed. The system is more efficient and returns search requests more rapidly in light of the database structure and interaction. This is in-part accomplished by each of the tables having only one key to distinguish a record that is to be used by one application from the record of another application. The system combines up to two database system operations into an integrated system such that up to two search methods can be performed with each search request and the retrieved information is based on these two search methods. The search requests are generated by the system user through the XML interface such that the requests are presented to the UPIKM database system in XML and the responses from the UPIKM database system to the XML interface are in XML. This structure permits a variety of applications to be supported by the present invention with a minimal need for the use of programmers.

In the claims:  
     
         1 . A control system that may be used with knowledge-based database systems, comprising: 
 an input/display device that is used by system users to interact with a knowledge-based database system; and    a service environment that is in communications with the input/display device, with the service environment including at least a communications layer for permitting communications between the input/display device and knowledge-based database system when a predetermined communications language is used for such communications and the predetermined language may be programmed by the system user to effect at least the creation, deletion, or editing of system databases, with the system user being capable of programming at least creation, deletion, editing of system databases using the predetermined communications language without a need to have knowledge of a hierarchy of first or second database types of the knowledge-based database system; and    the knowledge-based database system, which includes at least system databases that are of at least two database types and a database management system, with a first database type for storage of data information according to a predetermined hierarchy that includes predetermined search controls to reduce a number of requests required to at least access, edit, or save data information in the first database type, a second database type for controlling at least an ability to access, edit, or save the data information in the first database type.    
     
     
         2 . The control system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input/display device includes a personal computer.  
     
     
         3 . The control system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the input/display device includes a workstation computer.  
     
     
         4 . The control system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the communications layer of the service environment is an object-oriented layer.  
     
     
         5 . The control system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the communications layer is a Extensible Mark-up Language (“XML”) communications layer.  
     
     
         6 . The control system as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the predetermined communications language is XML.  
     
     
         7 . The control system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the XML is used to communicate from the input/display device to the database management system and from the database management system to the input/display device.  
     
     
         8 . The control system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the first database type includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         9 . The control system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the relational database type includes a structured query language (“SQL”) compliant database.  
     
     
         10 . The control system as recited in  claim 9 , wherein the SQL-compliant database includes a plurality of related tables.  
     
     
         11 . The control system as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the search controls are incorporated in a structure of the tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         12 . The control system as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the search controls include primary keys that relate the plurality of tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         13 . The control system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is more that two.  
     
     
         14 . The control system as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is four.  
     
     
         15 . The control system as recited in  claim 13  or  14 , wherein the second database system includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         16 . The control system as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the relational database type includes a text search engine database.  
     
     
         17 . The control system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the text-search engine database includes a plurality of tables.  
     
     
         18 . The control system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein the contents of the tables of the text search engine database include primary key values from the SQL-compliant database that are used for controlling access to data information in the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         19 . A method for accessing databases of a knowledge-based database system, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) a system user on an input/display device formulating a request to at least create, delete, or edit a database of a knowledge-based database system in a predetermined communications language without a knowledge of a hierarchy of first or second database types of a knowledge-based database system;    (b) communicating the request formulated by the system user at step (a) from the input/display device to the knowledge-based database system using the predetermined communications language through a communications layer compatible for transmitting the requests formulated in the predetermined communications language;    (c) processing at the knowledge-based database system the requests in the predetermined communications language that are received from the input/display device according to the substeps of: 
 (1) translating at a database management system of the knowledge-based database system the requests in the predetermined communications language to communications signals compatible for communications between the database management system and system data databases having the hierarchy of the first and second database types;  
 (2) interacting with system databases of the first database type according to the translated requests as controlled by the system databases of the second database type;  
 (3) retrieving responsive data information from the system databases according to the translated requests and returning the responsive data information to the database management system;  
 (4) translating at the database management system the communications signals representative of the responsive data information retrieved at step (c)(3) to responsive data information in the predetermined communications language;  
   (d) communicating the responsive data information in the predetermined communications language from the knowledge-based database system to the input/display device; and    (e) displaying the responsive data information on the input/display device.    
     
     
         21 . The method as recited in claim  20 , wherein the predetermined communications language is Extensible Mark-up Language (“XML”).  
     
     
         22 . The method as recited in claim  20 , wherein the first database type includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         23 . The method as recited in  claim 22 , wherein the relational database type includes a structured query language (“SQL”) compliant database.  
     
     
         24 . The method as recited in  claim 23 , wherein the SQL-compliant database includes a plurality of related tables.  
     
     
         25 . The method as recited in  claim 24 , wherein search controls for the first database type are incorporated in a structure of the tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         26 . The method as recited in  claim 25 , wherein the search controls include primary keys that relate the plurality of tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         27 . The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is more than two.  
     
     
         28 . The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is four.  
     
     
         29 . The method as recited in  claim 27  or  28 , wherein the second database system includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         30 . The method as recited in  claim 29 , wherein the relational database type includes a text search engine database.  
     
     
         31 . The method as recited in  claim 30 , wherein the text search engine database includes a plurality of tables.  
     
     
         32 . The method as recited in  claim 31 , wherein the contents of the tables of the text search engine database include primary key values from the SQL-compliant database that are used for controlling access to data information in the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         33 . An control system that may be used with knowledge-based database systems, comprising: 
 an input/display device that is used by system users to interact with a knowledge-based database system; and    a service environment that is in communications with the input/display device, with the service environment including at least a communications layer for permitting communications between the input/display device and knowledge-based database system when a predetermined communications language is used for such communications and the predetermined language may be programmed by the system user to effect at least the creation, deletion, or editing of system databases, with the system user being capable of at least creation, deletion, editing of system databases using the predetermined communications language without a need to have knowledge of a hierarchy of at least a first database type of the knowledge-based database system; and    the knowledge-based database system, which includes at least system databases that are of at least one database type and a database management system, with a database type for storage of data information according to a predetermined hierarchy that includes predetermined search controls to reduce a number of requests required to at least access, edit, or save data information in the database type.    
     
     
         34 . The control system as recited in  claim 33 , wherein the input/display device includes a personal computer.  
     
     
         35 . The control system as recited in  claim 33 , wherein the input/display device includes a workstation computer.  
     
     
         36 . The control system as recited in  claim 33 , wherein the communications layer of the service environment is an object-oriented layer.  
     
     
         37 . The control system as recited in  claim 36 , wherein the communications layer is a Extensible Mark-up Language (“XML”) communications layer.  
     
     
         38 . The control system as recited in  claim 37 , wherein the predetermined communications language is XML.  
     
     
         39 . The control system as recited in  claim 38 , wherein the XML is used to communicate from the input/display device to the database management system and from the database management system to the input/display device.  
     
     
         40 . The control system as recited in  claim 33 , wherein the database type includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         41 . The control system as recited in  claim 40 , wherein the relational database type includes a structured query language (“SQL”) compliant database.  
     
     
         42 . The control system as recited in  claim 41 , wherein the SQL-compliant database includes a plurality of related tables.  
     
     
         43 . The control system as recited in  claim 42 , wherein the search controls are incorporated in a structure of the tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         44 . The control system as recited in  claim 43 , wherein the search controls include primary keys that relate the plurality of tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         45 . The control system as recited in  claim 44 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is more that two.  
     
     
         46 . The control system as recited in  claim 44 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is four.  
     
     
         45 . A method for accessing databases of a knowledge-based database system, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) a system user on an input/display device formulating a request to at least create, delete, or edit a database of a knowledge-based database system in a predetermined communications language without a knowledge of a hierarchy of at least one database type of a knowledge-based database system;    (b) communicating the request formulated by the system user at step (a) from the input/display device to the knowledge-based database system using the predetermined communications language through a communications layer compatible for transmitting the requests formulated in the predetermined communications language;    (c) processing at the knowledge-based database system the requests in the predetermined communications language that are received from the input/display device according to the substeps of: 
 (1) translating at a database management system of the knowledge-based database system the requests in the predetermined communications language to communications signals compatible for communications between the database management system and system data databases having the hierarchy of the database type;  
 (2) interacting with system databases of the database type according to the translated requests;  
 (3) retrieving responsive data information from the system databases according to the translated requests and returning the responsive data information to the database management system; and  
 (4) translating at the database management system the communications signals representative of the responsive data information retrieved at step (c)(3) to responsive data information in the predetermined communications language;  
   (d) communicating the responsive data information in the predetermined communications language from the knowledge-based database system to the input/display device; and    (e) displaying the responsive data information on the input/display device.    
     
     
         46 . The method as recited in  claim 45 , wherein the predetermined communications language is Extensible Mark-up Language (“XML”).  
     
     
         47 . The method as recited in  claim 45 , wherein the database type includes a relational database type.  
     
     
         48 . The method as recited in  claim 47 , wherein the relational database type includes a structured query language (“SQL”) compliant database.  
     
     
         49 . The method as recited in  claim 48 , wherein the SQL-compliant database includes a plurality of related tables.  
     
     
         50 . The method as recited in  claim 49 , wherein search controls for the first database type are incorporated in a structure of the tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         51 . The method as recited in  claim 50 , wherein the search controls include primary keys that relate the plurality of tables of the SQL-compliant database.  
     
     
         52 . The method as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is more that two.  
     
     
         53 . The method as recited in  claim 51 , wherein the predetermined number of primary keys is four.