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US5600832A
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Variant domains and variant maps in a versioned database management system
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1994-12-07
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Granted: 1997-02-04
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Expires: 2014-12-07
Abstract
Abstract A method is provided in a versioned database management system for allowing parts to be versioned according to different variant hierarchies, and for maintaining correct configurations of versions of parts as those parts are drawn down, changed, and promoted. Each version of a part is associated with a variant domain. Each variant domain is represented by a single variant hierarchy whose levels can be used to reference versions of parts in that variant domain and controls how versions of parts in that variant domain are drawn down, changed, and promoted. Variant domain default groups are provided so that tools may add new parts without specifying the variant domains to which the parts are to belong. In order to control which versions of parts and from which version domains are visible, variant maps are defined by the user installation. When a change is made for one configuration, it is simultaneously made in any other configuration identified by a variant map which includes the same variant ID. A variant map thus constructed is used by the VDMS to determine the variant hierarchy level to which any instances created belong, and to determine which instances in a promote group are promoted and to which hierarchy level they are promoted.
Inventors
- 👤 Neal R. Eisenberg
- 👤 Robert L. Huddleston
- 👤 Mary C. Lehner
- 👤 Charles S. Tribolet
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 02:36
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/21; G06F16/219; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/953; Y10S707/956; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99954
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A machine-readable program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said method steps comprising the steps of: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
176 words
A machine-readable program storage device tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said method steps comprising the steps of: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
111 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein the method steps further include the steps of: ordering each set of variant maps, each set including variant IDs from the same set of variant domains, so that the variant IDs in each variant domain appear in the set of maps in the same order as they appear in the branches of their respective variant hierarchies; and upon promoting a variant of a part, associating with the promoted variant the variant ID for the variant domain of the part in the next higher variant map in the ordered set of variant maps which include variant identifiers from the same set of variant domains.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein responsive to a request to retrieve a part the variant IDs in the variant map identify the search path which determines the version selected.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein all current versions of a part are associated with the same variant domain.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein each variant domain is represented by a single variant hierarchy.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein each variant ID is defined in exactly one variant hierarchy.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
88 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of: providing variant domain default groups for specifying default variant domains for parts added to the versioned data management system without specification of a variant domain; associating variant domain default groups with part types; associating default variant domains with variant domain default groups; and upon addition of a part having no variant domain specified, associating the part with the default variant domain specified by the variant domain default group of its part type.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein every part type in the versioned data management system is associated with one variant domain default group.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
The program storage device of claim 1, wherein the method steps further comprise the step of, responsive to an alteration of a part in a view of the data, applying the alteration to the part in any other view of the data identified by a variant map which includes the same variant ID as the variant map of the view of the data to which original alteration was made.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The program storage device of claim 9, wherein alteration includes any of add, update, delete, and promote.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
203 words
A combination operable in conjunction with a digital processing apparatus to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said combination comprising: a data storage medium operable in conjunction with a data storage system of the digital processing apparatus; said data storage medium having resident thereon a program of machine-readable instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus to perform method steps comprising: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
203 words
A combination operable in conjunction with a digital processing apparatus to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said combination comprising: a data storage medium operable in conjunction with a data storage system of the digital processing apparatus; said data storage medium having resident thereon a program of machine-readable instructions executable by the digital processing apparatus to perform method steps comprising: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
109 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of: ordering each set of variant maps, each set including variant IDs from the same set of variant domains, so that the variant IDs in each variant domain appear in the set of maps in the same order as they appear in the branches of their respective variant hierarchies; and upon promoting a variant of a part, associating with the promoted variant the variant ID for the variant domain of the part in the next higher variant map in the ordered set of variant maps which include variant identifiers from the same set of variant domains.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein responsive to a request to retrieve a part the variant IDs in the variant map identify the search path which determines the version selected.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein all current versions of a part are associated with the same variant domain.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein each variant domain is represented by a single variant hierarchy.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein each variant ID is defined in exactly one variant hierarchy.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
86 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of: providing variant domain default groups for specifying default variant domains for parts added to the versioned data management system without specification of a variant domain; associating variant domain default groups with part types; associating default variant domains with variant domain default groups; and upon addition of a part having no variant domain specified, associating the part with the default variant domain specified by the variant domain default group of its part type.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein every part type in the versioned data management system is associated with one variant domain default group.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
67 words
The combination of claim 11, wherein the method steps further comprise the steps of: responsive to an alteration of a part in a view of the data, applying the alteration to the part in any other view of the data identified by a variant map which includes the same variant ID as the variant map of the view of the data to which original alteration was made.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
15 words
The combination of claim 19, wherein alteration includes any of add, update, delete and promote.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for providing simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said apparatus comprising: a digital data processor; a data storage device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the digital data processor to perform method steps to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system; said method steps comprising the steps of: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
202 words
An apparatus for providing simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system, said apparatus comprising: a digital data processor; a data storage device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the digital data processor to perform method steps to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in a versioned data management system; said method steps comprising the steps of: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain; representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
164 words
An apparatus to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in versioned data management system, said apparatus comprising: a digital data processor programmed to perform the following steps: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain: representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
164 words
An apparatus to provide simultaneous visibility to a plurality of variant hierarchies in versioned data management system, said apparatus comprising: a digital data processor programmed to perform the following steps: associating parts with variant domains, each part associated with a respective variant domain: representing variant domains by variant hierarchies; upon creation of a new variant of a part associating with the new variant a variant ID included in the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part: upon drawing down a new variant of a part from an existing variant of the part, associating with the new variant a variant ID signifying a lower level in the variant hierarchy than the variant ID of the existing variant on the same branch of the variant hierarchy that represents the variant domain associated with the part; and representing views of the parts by variant maps, each variant map including a set of variant IDs, each variant ID belonging to a different variant domain.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2000-02-04 | 2000-08-05 | 2001-02-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-02-04 | 2004-08-05 | 2005-02-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-02-04 | 2008-08-05 | 2009-02-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |