Method and apparatus for preserving non-current information that can be overwritten in a computer file

摘要

A method and system periodically copies information from a computer file to a database to preserve non-current information from the file. As information from the file is overwritten by new information, the old information is preserved in the database, allowing non-current information to be used without reprogramming the computer programs or portions of the computer program that read or write the file. If the file is arranged into one or more sections, and new information stored in a section of the file is assigned an identifier higher than the other information in the section, the amount of time required to locate new information in the file can be reduced. Comparing the highest identifier in the section with the highest identifier in the database for that section can identify sections of the file that have received no new information since the last update made to the database.