JPH052520A - Data base system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain a data base system capable of flexibly defining the interface of an application program for accessing a data base management system and easily sharing interface information among plural users. CONSTITUTION:One or more interface information 131 to 13M for regulating a user interface between application programs 25, 35 relating to data 121 to 12N stored in a data base 11 managed by a data base managing system 10 and users for the application program 25, 35 are stored in the data base 11 in each data. The interface operation of the application program of the data stored in the data base 11 with its user is executed in accordance with any one of the interface information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a database system, and more particularly to improvement of user interface function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional database management system,
As is represented by relational database software, a uniform tabular interface is often provided to one or more users (see, for example, Reference 1, “Nikkei Byte, 1989.3.1, No. 56, No. 1
49-187, published by Nikkei BP ”). Also, if you try to provide an interface for each user,
A method has been used in which an application program (application program) is individually coded, or a description in a table format is changed by the application program even when the application program is not coded (see also Reference 1).

Also provided are database management systems that provide visual interfaces other than in tabular form. Such systems may use specific query languages, only display visual data in a database, or display data based on specific data models, such as entity-relationship models or semantic data models. However, only those provided in advance can be used when searching or operating the database through the visual interface (for example, Document 2 “Information Processing, Volume 28, No. 6, Nos. 694 to 704). Page, published by Information Processing Society of Japan)).

[0004]

However, the conventional database system has the following drawbacks regarding the interface function.

(1) The user interface is uniform and the flexibility is limited.

(2) When creating an interface program for each user, it was not possible to create a visual interface other than the table format. That is, there was a limitation in terms of display format.

(3) Even if a visual interface is provided, it is based only on a specific data model,
The operations that can be performed on the database through this interface were also limited to those given in advance.

(4) For the created interfaces to be common, it is necessary to make the application programs that use the interfaces or the interface programs common.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is possible to flexibly define an interface of an application program for accessing a database management system, and to provide interface information among a plurality of users to the application program or the like. It is intended to provide a database system that can be shared without being shared.

[0010]

In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, a database management system,
In a database system composed of one or more application programs accessing this, for each data stored in the database managed by this database management system, the application program relating to this data and the user of this application program One or more kinds of interface information that defines a user interface is provided in the database, and the interface for the user of the application program of the data stored in the database is determined by the application program or specified by the application program. I decided to follow the information.

The interface information may be a part of the data stored in the database, or the interface information may be stored in the database separately from the data stored in the database.

Further, the interface information may be an interface program used by an application program accessing the database, and the interface information may be information used by the application program accessing the database to control the interface. .

[0013]

The data stored in the database is used by a plurality of different application programs and is flexible, and the way of using the data can be freely set by the application programs to some extent. Focusing on this point, if the interface information is stored in the database, flexibility and sharability of the interface can be realized.

Therefore, in the present invention, for each data stored in the database managed by the database management system, one or more types that define an application program related to this data and a user interface between the user of this application program and the application program. Interface information is provided in the database, and the interface of the data stored in the database to the user of the application program is determined according to any of the interface information.

Here, the method of storing the interface information in the database is not limited to a certain method. For example, it may be a part of the data stored in the database, or it may be stored separately from the data stored in the database. It may be stored in the database.

Further, the interface information stored in the database is not limited to a certain type, and may be, for example, an interface program used by an application program that accesses the database, or an application that accesses the database. It may be information used by the program to control the interface.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a relational database system will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the database system of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the database system 1 is a database management system 10
And a plurality of computer systems in which application programs that access the database management system 10 operate (see FIG. 1).
2 shows in detail the two structures) 20 and 30.

The database management system 10 manages the database 11. In this example,
The database 11 stores not only data but also interface information, and the data and interface information are stored as a relation (relationship table). In FIG. 1, relations 121, 122, ..., 12N
Are relations about data, and relations 131, 132, ..., 13M are relations about interface information. The database management system 10 performs operations such as storage, search, and deletion of data and interface information from the database 11. The database management system 10 also has a function of eliminating contradictions of data and interface information, semantic inconsistency of data and the like, and maintaining safety of data and the like.

Each of the computer systems 20 and 30 is, for example, a workstation, and includes computers 21 and 31, image display devices 22 and 32, keyboards 23 and 33, and a mouse 2.
It consists of 4, 34, etc. On the computers 21 and 31 that access the database management system 10, the application program 2
5, 35 are in operation. A user who wants to perform operations such as storage, search, and deletion of data and interface information in the database 11 performs these operations using the application programs 25 and 35.

2 and 3 respectively show a database 1
2 shows details of an example of data and interface information stored in FIG.

FIG. 2 is intended to store data representing the logical configuration of an object-oriented language program for simulating a room having a door with a lock. In FIG. 2, three relations 200 and 21 among the plurality of relations are shown.
0 and 220 are shown. Each relation 200, 21
0 and 220 are relation names 201, 211, and 221
And the names of a plurality of attributes (attribute names) 202, 212, 222 included in the relation and the attribute values 203, 21
3 and 223.

A relation name 201 named class is given
The relation 200 that has been
Contains the names of the classes that make up the
It is A relation name 211 of a is given
Relation 210 stores the inheritance relationship between classes.
Has been. For example, in the first record, class room is class
It shows that it is a superior class of roomWithTwoDoors
It has The relation name 221 called method is added.
The relations 220 that are included are the class and its class.
Stores the relationship with the method that has. example
For example, in the first record, the class room has the method enter.
It shows that. Although illustration is omitted, other
Relay with method as the relation name in
Options are also available.

An application program related to the data shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as program 25 or 35) and a user interface with the user of the application program 25 or 35 (screen control, database search / operation, etc.). Interface information that defines an interface) is also stored in the database 11 as described above. In the case of this embodiment, for example, the interface information shown in FIG. 3A and the interface information shown in FIG. 3B are stored. Similar to the data, these interface information are also stored in the database 11 in the relations 300 and 310.
It is stored in. The application program 25 or 35
Is any relation (interface information) 30 depending on the designation by the user or the configuration of the application program.
0 and 310 are also available.

I / f With relation name 301 called 1
The relation (interface) shown in FIG.
(Information) 300 has a tree structure (graph) interface.
Control information for the interface used to provide
It is stored, and the attribute is the relay related to the data.
Relation (relation name) relation and related to data
Indicates whether relation information is represented by node or arc
It consists of information N / A. For example, the first record
The interface information of the connection class must be node.
And the second record is the data relation is
The interface information of a indicates that it is arc.
It

I / f A relation (interface information) 310 shown in FIG. 3B with a relation name 311 of 2 is stored as information used to provide a tabular interface, and an attribute relates to data. Relation (relation name) rela
information and information indicating in what kind of table format the relation information related to the data is processed (display, deletion, addition, etc.), that is, used by the application program 25 or 35 to interface with the user. Program F / NF
Consists of. Note that in FIG. 3B, for the interface program F / NF, for convenience of illustration, not the program itself is described, but the expression format thereof is described.
The first record for the sake of convenience represents an interface program in which the data relation class is expressed in a first normal form (1stNormal), that is, in a tabular form without a nest structure, and the second record for convenience is the data relation is. For a, the non-normal form (NF2: NonFirstNo
rmalForm), that is, an interface program expressed in a nested table format.

FIG. 4 shows which interface information 30
Computer system 20 or 30 that can use 0 or 310
2 shows an example of the processing method in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the application program 25 or 3
In response to the designation of the interface information used by the user, 5 requests the database management system 10 for predetermined interface information, and receives the interface information from the database management system 10 (step 400).
Thereafter, the application program 25 or 35 receives a database search request from the user (input of a question), issues a search request to the database management system 10 based on the request, and the database management system 10 answers the question (search). Receive result (steps 401-40)
3).

After that, the interface information taken in is judged (step 404). If the interface information is the interface control information shown in FIG. 3A, a process based on this interface control information is performed to cause the image display device 22 or 32 to display the search results in a tree structure (graph form). A series of processing is ended (step 405). On the other hand, the interface information is as shown in FIG.
With the interface program shown in (B), the search result is given to the interface program that has been fetched to be operated and displayed in the table format on the image display device 22 or 32, and a series of processing is terminated (step 406).

FIG. 5 shows the details of the processing based on the interface control information in step 405 described above. In the case of FIG. 3A, since the interface information is not the interface program, the interface program part as shown in FIG. 5 is required. On the other hand,
In the case of FIG. 3B, since the interface information itself is the interface program, the interface program is not necessary in the application program.

In FIG. 5, first, an answer with a question (search result) is collated with the interface control information (step 500). If the interface control information for the answer is node, the answer is displayed on the image display device 22 or 32.
When the interface control information for the answer is arc, the answer is displayed as an arc on the image display device 22 or 32 (steps 501, 50).
2). Then, it is judged whether or not the display processing for all the answers to the questions is completed (step 503). If not completed, the processing returns to the above-mentioned step 500, and if completed, the series of processing is completed.

FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 each show a display example for a question answer (search result). FIG. 6 shows a case where the interface control information shown in FIG. 3A is used, and the answer to the question is displayed on the image display device 22 or 32 in a tree structure (graph form) as shown. FIG. 7 shows a case where the interface program shown in FIG. 3 (B) is used, and the answers to the questions are displayed on the image display device 22 or 32 in a tabular format as shown.

The processing when the application program 25 or 35 uses the interface information in the database 11 has been described above. In the case of this embodiment, since the interface information itself is stored in the database 11 in the storage process, the modification process, the deletion process, etc. of the interface information itself used in this way, the storage process and the modification process for the original data are performed. The deletion processing is the same as the deletion processing and the detailed description thereof is omitted.

Also, when deleting or adding data, the interface information is used, although a detailed description is omitted. For example, in the case of FIG. 3A, when a certain record is deleted, the node, arc, etc. related to that record are also deleted.

Therefore, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) A user interface can be defined for each of the application programs 25, 35, ... Which access the database management system 10.

(2) The user interface is not limited to the tabular form and the nested tabular form, but can be various interfaces such as a graph form.

(3) The user interface need not necessarily follow the model of the data stored in the database 11 and need not be based on a specific data model.

(4) Even when a visual interface is provided, the interface can be freely created by the application program side, so that the operation performed through this interface can also be freely set (see FIG. 3A). .

(5) Different interfaces created for each application program in this way can be used by other application programs by sharing the interface information through the database management system 10.

The type and storage method of the interface information stored in the database are not limited to those in the above embodiment, but may be as follows.

As the information used when the application program interfaces with the user, it is possible to use the interface program or subroutine name, the interface program code, the control information of the interface program, etc., and the application program can freely select the type. It can be determined and stored as interface information. Furthermore, instead of storing the interface information in a relation separate from the data, an attribute relating to the interface information may be provided in the relation relating to the data and stored in that attribute. In this case, the interface information is set for each individual record of the relation.

The interface information stored in the database may be stored in advance by the database provider.

Further, a database system (a concept including a knowledge base system) to which the present invention is applicable is
It can be applied not only to a relational database system, but also to a hierarchical or network type database system.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention, the interface control information used by the interface program and the interface information such as the interface program itself are stored in the database, and the database management system stores the application program (computer) as needed. System, it is possible to flexibly define the interface of the application program that accesses the database management system, and to enable interface information to be shared among multiple users without sharing the application program. Can realize a database system that can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a database system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a relation of data in the database 11.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of relations of interface information in the database 11.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing method in the computer systems 20 and 30 of the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing detailed processing of step 405 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example when the interface information shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example when the interface information shown in FIG. 3 (B) is used.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Database system, 10 ... Database management system, 11 ... Database, 20, 30 ... Computer system, 21, 32 ... Computer, 25, 35 ... Application program, 121-12N, 200, 210, 220 ... Data relation, 131 ~ 13M, 300, 310 ... Relation of interface information.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A database system comprising a database management system and one or more application programs for accessing the database management system, and for each data stored in a database managed by the database management system, an application relating to the data. Specifies the user interface between the program and the users of this application program 1
Interface information of more than one kind is provided in the database, and the interface of the data stored in the database to the user of the application program is performed according to the interface information defined by the application program or specified by the application program. A database system characterized by that. 2. The database system according to claim 1, wherein the interface information is a part of data stored in a database. 3. The database system according to claim 1, wherein the interface information is stored in the database separately from the data stored in the database. 4. The interface program according to claim 1, wherein the interface information is an interface program used by an application program that accesses a database.
Database system according to any one of. 5. The interface information is information used by an application program for accessing a database to control the interface.
Database system according to any one of.