Encapsulating form and function in user data in a relational database in order to eliminate database schema changes

A method for encapsulating the form and function of user data in a relational database in order to eliminate database schema changes whenever the presentation of the user data changes, comprising:

• receiving source data, associated source data definitions and report layouts consisting of report headings and report logic;
• parsing the source data definitions and the report layouts into three or more user data types comprising:
• one or more organizational type fields identifying a data collection;
• one or more value type fields containing data values in the data collection;
• one or more procedural type fields containing one or more form keywords and function keywords;
• creating one or more form keywords for classifying and describing the data values that can be collected and presented based upon the source data definitions and the report headings;
• creating one or more function keywords for identifying an arithmetic relationship for the data values in the data collection based upon the report logic;
• creating blank or NotApplicable form and function keywords to indicate when a form or function keyword in the procedural type field does not apply for some user data;
• associating the form keywords and the function keywords with the source data based upon a conversion mapping table that specifies which of the form keywords and which of the function keywords are assigned to the source data definitions so as to create user data;
• creating a user data database schema by assigning names and data types to each of the organizational type fields, the value type fields and the procedural type fields;
• storing the user data in a relational database using the user database schema;
• and
• presenting the user data from the relational database so that standard database queries are used to present the data without the need for additional algebraic processing, whereby changes to the presentation of the user data do not require changes to the user database schema, but rather the changes to the presentation of the user data are based upon changes to one or more of the source data, the source data definitions, the conversion mapping table, the form keywords and the function keywords.