Apparatus and method for adding an associative query capability to a programming language

A method for executing a query in an object query language operating in conjunction with a host language, comprising the steps of:

• defining the object query language with set declarations;
• formulating query statements by combining a type system of the host language as a database model with preselected aspects of a relational query language as a basic structure for said query statements;
• preprocessing said query statements into host language statements, said host language statements to access transient and persistent objects by accessing a data dictionary having pointers to said transient and persistent objects to maintain information corresponding to both said transient and persistent objects;
• compiling said host language statements;
• and
• executing said compiled host language statements to return at least one result in response to said formulated query statement.

A database system, comprising:

• a transient object memory;
• a persistent object memory;
• a programming language processor connected to said transient object memory and said persistent object memory and accepting statements in a programming language comprising a host programming language and a query extension to said host programming language, wherein said query extension uses a type system of said host programming language as a database model;
• and
• a database processor connected to said transient object memory and to said persistent object memory, wherein query operations corresponding to said query extension of said database processor are directed by programs in said programming language, and wherein said query operations include access of objects in both said transient object memory and in said persistent object memory by accessing a data dictionary having pointers to said transient and persistent objects to maintain information corresponding to both said transient and persistent objects.

A method for operating a database management system, comprising the steps of:

• accepting queries;
• parsing said queries, including the sub-steps of:
• validating said queries in an object query language having a grammar for combining a type system of a host language as a data model with preselected aspects of a relational query language as a basic structure for said queries, said queries accessing both persistent objects and transient objects by accessing a data dictionary having pointers to said transient and persistent objects to maintain information corresponding to both said transient and persistent objects;
• indicating as a syntactic fault a query not conforming to said grammar and rejecting said query;
• globally type checking said queries;
• translating said queries from said object query language into said host language;
• compiling said translated queries;
• and
• executing said compiled queries.