A SUCCINCT INDEX STRUCTURE FOR XML

摘要

Succinct data and index structures aim to maximize the efficiency of update and search operations on any data while setting the constraint of storage size to be close to the theoretical optimum. The succinct index structure of the invention indexes data represented in a hierarchical structure. The index is comprised of a symbol table of all distinct root-to-leaf paths as keys or unique element tag names as keys, wherein an entry for a key in the symbol table holds transformed topological information of nodes associated with the key together (Fig. 22) with an indication of the method of transformation used on the topological information (Fig. 17), and wherein the method of transformation used is based on the topological relationship between nodes that are associated with the key. The invention also concerns methods, computer systems and computer software for constructing, using and updating the succinct index structure.