System and method of building and searching a new data base table

Claim 2

Method for transferring data items from a first database table to a second database table, each database table having a plurality of rows and columns, the first database table holding a plurality of records, each record including a plurality of data items held in columns of the first database table, each record being identified by a record identi­fier, and each column of the first database table being identified by a column identifier, characterizing the following steps: for each record in the first database table, transferring each data item in the record to a first column in the second database table, the data item in each successive column of the record of the first database table being transferred to a successive row of the first column of the second database table; for each row in the second database table, identifying in a second column of the row, the identifier of the column of the first database table from which the data item in the first column of the row was taken; and for each row in the second database table, identifying in a third column of the row, the identifier of the record from which the data item in said row was taken.

Claim 3

System for transferring data items from a first database table to a second database table, each database table having a plurality of rows and columns, the first database table holding a plurality of records, each record including a plurality of data items held in columns of the first database table, each record being identified by a record identifier, and each column of the first database table being identified by a column identifier, the system comprising: data transfer means connected to the first and second database tables to transfer each data item in the first database table to a first column of the second database table; column identification means connected to the first and second database tables to identify in a second column of each row of the second database table, the identifier of the column of the first database table from which the data item in the first column of the row was taken; and record identification means connected to the first and second database tables to identify in a third column of each row of the second database table, the number of the record from which the data item in the first column of said row was taken.

Claim 4

System for transferring data items from a first database table to a second database table, each database table having a plurality of rows and columns, the first database table holding a plurality of records, each record including a plurality of data items held in columns of the first database table, each record being identified by a record identifier, and each column of the first database table being identified by a column identifier, the system comprising: data transfer means connected to the first and second database tables to transfer each data item in the first database table to a first column of the second database table; column identification means connected to the first and second database tables to identify in a second column of each row of the second database table, the identifier of the column of the first database table from which the data item in the first column of the row was taken; and record identification means connected to the first and second database tables to identify in a third column of each row of the second database table, the number of the record from which the data item in the first column of said row was taken.

Claim 5

System according to claim 2, wherein the data transfer means includes means to transfer the data items of each record of the first database table to successive rows of the first column of the second database table, and to transfer data items from successive records of the first database table to successive series of rows in the first column of the second database table.

Claim 6

Method of searching a database table for a given record, the database table having a plurality of records, each record of the database table being identified by a unique record number, the given record and each record in the database table including a plurality of parameters taken from given family of parameters, and a value for each parameter in the record, the method comprising the steps of: (a) searching the database table for, and storing in a memory list, the numbers of the records having a first of the parameters of the given record and the same value for said first parameter as in the given record; (b) for each of the other parameters of the given record, deleting from the memory list (1) the numbers of the records not having the other parameter, and (2) the numbers of the records having the other parameter but having a value for said other parameter different than the value for the other parameter in the given record; and (c) searching the records listed in the memory list for a record having only the parameters in the given record, and when such a record is found, identifying such record as identical to the given record.

Claim 7

Method of searching a database table for a given record, the database table having a plurality of records, each record of the database table being identified by a unique record number, the given record and each record in the database table including a plurality of parameters taken from given family of parameters, and a value for each parameter in the record, the method comprising the steps of: (a) searching the database table for, and storing in a memory list, the numbers of the records having a first of the parameters of the given record and the same value for said first parameter as in the given record; (b) for each of the other parameters of the given record, deleting from the memory list (1) the numbers of the records not having the other parameter, and (2) the numbers of the records having the other parameter but having a value for said other parameter different than the value for the other parameter in the given record; and (c) searching the records listed in the memory list for a record having only the parameters in the given record, and when such a record is found, identifying such record as identical to the given record.

Claim 8

Method according to claim 1 or 4, wherein: step (a) includes the step of (d) compiling in a first memory section, a list of all the numbers of the records in the database table having the first parameter of the given record and the same value for said first parameter as in the given record; and for each of the other parameters of the given record, step (b) includes the steps of (e) compiling in a second memory section, a list of all the numbers of the records having the other parameter of the given record and the same value for said other parameter as in the given record, and (f) compiling in a third memory section, a list of all the numbers listed in both the first and second memory sections.

Claim 9

Method according to claim 5, wherein for each of the other parameters of the given record up to a second last parameter thereof, step (b) further includes the step of (g) after steps (e) and (f), erasing the list in the first memory section and then transferring to the first memory section the list in the third memory section.

Claim 10

Method according to Claim 4, wherein step (c) includes the steps of: (h) arranging the parameters of the given record in a first array and according to a given order; and for each of a series of records listed in the memory list, (i) arranging the parameters of the record in a second, temporary array and according to the given order, (j) comparing the second array to the first array, and (k) terminating steps (i) and (j) when a second array is found that is identical to the first array.

Claim 11

Method according to Claim 7, wherein: step (h) includes the step of arranging the parameters of the given record in a first array of consecutive rows; step (i) includes the step of arranging the parameters of the record in a second array of consecutive rows; step (j) includes the step of, for each of a series of rows in the second array, comparing the parameter in the row of the second array with the parameter in the same row of the first array; and step (k) includes the step of terminating step (j) when a parameter in a row in the second array is found that is different than the parameter in the same row of the first array.

Claim 12

Method according to Claim 8, wherein step (k) further includes the step of terminating steps (i) and (j) when, for each row in the second array, the parameter in the row of the second array has been found to be identical to the parameter in the same row of the first array.

Claim 13

System according to the method as set forth in claim 1 or 4 comprising: search means connected to the database table to search the database table for records having (i) all of the parameters in the given record and (ii) the respective values for said parameters as in the given record; a data storage means connected to the search means to hold the numbers of said records having all of the parameters in the given record and the respective values for said parameters as in the given record; and record comparator means connected to the data storage means to compare the records listed therein to the given record, and to search for a record listed in the data storage means and having only the parameters in the given record.

Claim 14

System according to Claim 10, wherein the data storage means includes: a first section to hold a first list of all of the numbers of records in the database table having a first parameter of the given record and the same value for said first parameter as in the given record; a second section to hold a second list of all of the numbers of records in the database table having a second parameter of the given record and the same value for said second parameter as in the given record; and list comparison means connected to the first and second sections of the memory to compare the first list with the second list, and to form a third list of the numbers on both the first and second lists; and a third section connected to the list com­parison means to hold the third list.

Claim 15

System according to claim 11, wherein the record comparator means includes: first ordering means to arrange the para­meters of the given record in alphabetical order in a first array of rows; second ordering means to arrange the para­meters of each of the records listed in the third section of the memory, one record at a time, in alphabetical order in a second array of rows; and the array comparison means is connected to the first and second ordering means to compare the parameter in each row of the second array, one row at a time, to the parameter in the same row of the first array.

Claim 16

System including a universal database table obtained by transferring data items from a conventional database table, each database table having a plurality of rows and columns, the conventional database table holding a plurality of records, each record including a plurality of data items held in columns of the conventional database table, each record being identified by a record identifier, and each column of the conventional database table being identified by a column identifier, the universal database table comprising: a first column holding all the data items in the conventional database table, the data items in successive columns of the con­ventional database table being located in successive rows of the universal database table; a second column holding indication means identifying the columns of the conventional database table in which the data items in the first column of the universal table are located in the conventional database table, wherein the second column of each row of the universal database table holds indication means identifying the column of the con­ventional database table in which the data item in the first column of said row is located in the conventional database table; and a third column holding indication means identifying the records of the data items in the first column of the universal database table, the third column of each row of the universal database table including indication means identifying the record of the data item in the first column of said row.

Claim 17

System including a universal database table obtained by transferring data items from a conventional database table, each database table having a plurality of rows and columns, the conventional database table holding a plurality of records, each record including a plurality of data items held in columns of the conventional database table, each record being identified by a record identifier, and each column of the conventional database table being identified by a column identifier, the universal database table comprising: a first column holding all the data items in the conventional database table, the data items in successive columns of the con­ventional database table being located in successive rows of the universal database table; a second column holding indication means identifying the columns of the conventional database table in which the data items in the first column of the universal table are located in the conventional database table, wherein the second column of each row of the universal database table holds indication means identifying the column of the con­ventional database table in which the data item in the first column of said row is located in the conventional database table; and a third column holding indication means identifying the records of the data items in the first column of the universal database table, the third column of each row of the universal database table including indication means identifying the record of the data item in the first column of said row.