US 7,624,115 B1Granted

Backward reference in a persistent data target object within a unidirectional relational database relationship

AssigneeSap SE

InventorSvetoslav Manolov

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Abstract

A method is described for making a change in an object oriented relational database in which objects that represent items of persistent data are related to other objects that represent items of persistent data. The method comprises referring to a backward reference contained in a first object that does not have visibility to a second object that the first object is in a unidirectional relationship with. The first object represents a first item of persistent data. The second object represents another item of persistent data. The backward reference identifies the second object. The method also comprises removing the unidirectional relationship, adding a new unidirectional relationship from a third object to the first object, and modifying the backward reference to identify the third object rather than the second object. A cascade delete method that uses a backward reference is also described.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

in a runtime environment of a computing system, accessing a data field of a first object to retrieve a backward reference to a second object in an object oriented relational database wherein the two objects are in a unidirectional relationship, wherein the second object points to the first object, further wherein the backward reference does not interfere with a relational database schema for the object oriented relational database;
storing the backward reference in a memory of the computing system;
removing the unidirectional relationship from the memory of the computer system by calling a container persistence management function, by which a persistent management of entity beans associated with a container in which the first and the second objects reside is managed;
identifying a third object that has higher priority access to the first object than the second object;
adding a new unidirectional relationship between the third object and the first object, wherein the third object points to the first object by calling a container persistence management function, by which the persistence management of entity beans associated with the container in which the third and the first objects reside is managed;
and modifying the backward reference stored in the memory of the computing system, by accessing the data field of the first object to replace the backward reference to the second object with a backward reference to the third object.

3 more elements

A machine readable medium having machine readable instructions tangibly stored thereon for execution by a machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

in a runtime environment of a computing system, accessing a data field of a first object to retrieve a backward reference to a second object, the two objects representing items of persistent data and are in a unidirectional relationship in an object oriented relational database wherein the second object points to the first object, further wherein the backward reference does not interfere with a relational database schema for the object oriented relational database;
removing the unidirectional relationship by calling a container persistence management function, by which a persistent management of entity beans associated with a container in which the first and the second objects reside is managed;
identifying a third object that has higher priority access to the first object than the second object;
adding a new unidirectional relationship between the third object and the first object, wherein the third object points to the first object by calling a container persistence management function, by which the persistence management of entity beans associated with the container in which the third and the first objects reside is managed;
and modifying the backward reference, by accessing the data field of the first object to replace the backward reference to the second object with a backward reference to the third object.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.