Computer system and method for storing and displaying of a semantically structured entity relationship diagram

Claim 3

A method for storing of an entity relationship diagram according to claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of storing of third data representative of role entity sets P i , where a role entity set P i is a class of roles of entities e i comprised in a kernel entity set K i , whereby said third data comprise information to which one of said kernel entity sets K i a role entity set P i belongs; and displaying at least one of said role entity sets by a third class of symbols in said first section.

Claim 4

A method for storing of an entity relationship diagram according to claim 2, said method further comprising the steps of storing of fourth data representative of attributive entity sets A i , where each attributive entity set A i has an attribute associated thereto and an attribute is defined as a function f which maps from a kernel entity set K i or a role entity set P i into an attributive entity set A i or a cartesian product of attributive entity sets A i f: K.sub.i or P.sub.i →A.sub.i or A.sub.i1 ×A.sub.i2 ×A.sub.in, whereby said fourth data comprise information to which one of said kernel entity sets K i or said role entity sets P i an attributive entity set A i belongs; and displaying said attributive entry sets represented by a fourth class of symbols in said first section.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 3, wherein the order of kernel entity sets K i in said sequence is defined by an index x i which is assigned to each of said kernel entity sets K i , said index x i being comprised in said first data.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4, wherein said step of logically dividing said display into two sections is along a horizontal or vertical line and said method further comprising the steps of storing of further first data representative of a further kernel entity set K i , whereby the position of said further kernel entity set K i in said sequence is defined by assigning an index x i ; and displaying said kernel entry sets K i along said line.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 6, said kernel entity sets K i comprising role entity sets P i , where a role entity set P i is a class of roles of entities e i comprised in a kernel entity set K i , said method further comprising a step of displaying at least one of said role entity sets represented by a third class of symbols in said first section.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 7, said kernel entity sets K i comprising attributive entity sets A i , where each attributive entity set has an attribute associated thereto and an attribute is defined as a function f which maps from a kernel entity set K i or a role entity set P i into an attributive entity set A i or a cartesian product of attributive entity sets A i f: K.sub.i or P.sub.i →A.sub.i or A.sub.i1 ×A.sub.12 ×. . . ×A.sub.in, said method further comprising a step of displaying said attributive entity sets represented by a fourth class of symbols in said first section.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 8, said method further comprising the steps of defining an array of allowable positions on said display; and arranging said symbols in said positions.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 9, said partitioning step comprising a step of logically dividing said display into two sections along a horizontal or vertical line, whereby said kernel entity sets K i are displayed along that line.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 10, wherein said entity relationship diagram is stored as a vectorgraph.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 10, wherein said entity relationship diagram is stored in a computer system comprising storage means, said method further comprising the steps of a) storing of first data representative of a sequence of kernel entity sets K i , where a kernel entity set K i is a class of kernel entities e i ; b) storing of second data representative of relation entity sets R i , where a relation entity set R i is a class of relations among a number n of kernel entities e i , each taken from a kernel entity set K i according to the definition D ##EQU4## and where the kernel entity sets K i in the definition D may not be distinct, whereby said second data comprise information as to the assignment of each of said relation entity sets R i to at least one of said kernel entity sets.

Claim 15

A method according to claim 10, wherein the absolute and/or relative position of each kernel entity set K i which is displayed along that line is determined by the order of kernel entity sets K i in said sequence.

Claim 16

A method according to claim 6, wherein symbols belonging to different ones of said classes of symbols have a different shape and symbols belonging to the same class of symbols may only differ as to their size.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 14, wherein relations within said class of relations are mathematical relations.

Claim 18

A computer system for displaying of an entity relationship diagram, said system comprising a) means for storing of first data representative of a sequence of kernel entity sets K i , where a kernel entity set is a class of kernel entities e i and for storing of second data representative of relation entity sets R i , where a relation entity set R i is a class of relations among a number n of kernel entities e i , each taken from a kernel entity set K i according to the definition D ##EQU5## and where the kernel entity sets K i in the definition D may not be distinct, whereby said second data comprise information as to the assignment of each of said relation entity sets R i to at least one of said kernel entity sets, b) display means logically partitioned into at least a first and a second section, c) means for generating a first class of symbols to display a representation of said kernel entity sets in said first section and for generating a second class of symbols to display a representation of said relation entity sets R i in said second section, whereby said means for generating are interconnected to said means for storing and to said display means.

Claim 19

A computer system for displaying of an entity relationship diagram, said system comprising a) means for storing of first data representative of a sequence of kernel entity sets K i , where a kernel entity set is a class of kernel entities e i and for storing of second data representative of relation entity sets R i , where a relation entity set R i is a class of relations among a number n of kernel entities e i , each taken from a kernel entity set K i according to the definition D ##EQU5## and where the kernel entity sets K i in the definition D may not be distinct, whereby said second data comprise information as to the assignment of each of said relation entity sets R i to at least one of said kernel entity sets, b) display means logically partitioned into at least a first and a second section, c) means for generating a first class of symbols to display a representation of said kernel entity sets in said first section and for generating a second class of symbols to display a representation of said relation entity sets R i in said second section, whereby said means for generating are interconnected to said means for storing and to said display means.

Claim 20

A computer system according to claim 16, wherein said means for storing stores third data representative of role entity sets P i , where a role entity set P i is a class of roles of entities e i comprised in a kernel entity set K i , whereby said third data comprise information to which one of said kernel entity sets K i a role entity set P i belongs, and said means for generating is adapted to generate a third class of symbols to display a representation of said kernel entity sets in said first section.

Claim 21

A computer system according to claim 17, wherein said means for storing stores fourth data representative of attributive entity sets A i , where each attributive entity set has an attribute associated thereto and an attribute is defined as a function f which maps from a kernel entity set K i or a role entity set P i into an attributive entity set A i or a cartesian product of attributive entity sets A i f: K.sub.i or P.sub.i →A.sub.i or A.sub.i1 ×A.sub.i2 ×. . . ×A.sub.in, whereby said fourth data comprise information to which one of said kernel entity sets K i or said role entity sets P i an attributive entity set belongs, and said means for generating is adapted to generate a fourth class of symbols to display a representation of said attributive entity sets in said first section.

Claim 22

A computer system according to claim 16, said system comprising input means, such as a mouse, especially to define the partitioning of said display means.