US 5,418,957 AGranted

Network data dictionary

OwnerRom Narayaninventor

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Abstract

The Network Data Dictionary is a device for enabling standardization of data structures in programs, file layouts and Data Base Management System (DBMS) schema residing in Include Files located on one or more computers in a network. By making the data structures comply with the data element definitions stored in a common data element dictionary, improvements in the quality, accuracy, and consistency of data can be obtained, while simultaneously providing productivity advantages to programmers. The device is set up to organize a set of disparate Include Files (representing data structure descriptions corresponding to program structures, file layouts, and DBMS schema), in one or more computers in a network under a common scheme called the Include File Dictionary, so that these Include Files are made accessible by the device to programmers for sharing, controlled modification, and use. The Include Files are enabled by the device so that programmers can edit these with reference to a common data element dictionary (DED) residing on one of the network nodes. Measurement of the extent to which Include Files correspond to dictionary standards are reported on compilation reports so that corrective actions (such as reconciling conflicting data element definitions) can be taken.

In a network of one or more computers having data structures relating to programs, file layouts, and database schema, the data structures being stored in Include Files, wherein each of the data structures comprises one or more data items, each of the Include Files is associated with a Support File, and each of the Include Files is accessible from an Include File Dictionary (IFD) that includes a tree-structured directory for mapping the Include Files to the network and access control information, a method for enabling a user to interactively edit or create Include Files so as to comply with a set of logical data element definitions derived from the data structures and stored in a Data Element Dictionary (DED), the method comprising the steps of:

1) retrieving a user selected Include File from the IFD into a text editor;
2) editing or creating data structures of the selected Include File from the text editor;
3) validating a user selected data item of the data structures against the logical data element definitions in the DED from the text editor, and if valid logical data element definitions for the selected data item exist, performing the steps of:
displaying logical data element definitions that are valid for the selected data item;
replacing the selected data item in the text editor with a user selected one of the displayed logical data element definitions;
storing cross-reference information in a Support file corresponding to the selected Include File, the cross-reference information referencing a logical data element definition in the DED corresponding to the selected data item in the text editor;
or
if valid logical data element definitions for the selected data items do not exist, performing the steps of:
proposing a logical data element definition by the user, in accordance with a set of rules of defined in the DED, in the DED and subject to approval by a system administrator;
replacing the selected data item in the text editor with the proposed logical data element definition;
4) auditing the selected Include File using the support file, including cross-references, and calculating a dictionary compliance percentage to provide a summary of the compliance of the selected Include File to the DED.

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Abstract

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