| 摘要 |
The present invention describes a system and method for maintaining databases. An ordered genealogy table (302) is built for implying hierarchical relations (310) on an as needed basis. The invention further provides relational search capabilities to a hierarchical database. The invention also allows a database that is maintained on a computer system in a hierarchical structure to be converted into a database that is maintained in a relational structure, and vice versa. In addition, the invention may be used with currently existing hierarchical and relational databases. Specifically, the invention provides a plurality of records; a unique identifier for each of the records; a database for maintaining the records; and a table (302) which contains one or more table entries, wherein each table entry contains a genealogy including the unique identifier of a particular record and the unique identifier of any records that can be considered ancestors of that particular record in a hierarchy, and wherein the table entries are sorted in a collating sequence according to their genealogies. |
