String storage and searching for data base applications: Implementation on the INDY backend kernel

ABSTRACT

User and hardware cost trends dictate that data base systems should provide more complete functionality, simplicity of use, and reliability by increasing the amount of hardware present in the system. These goals are accomplished with a simple hardware arrangement within a one-dimensional cellular storage system called INDY. The INDY backend kernel is intended as a powerful tool for implementing all data models. The INDY cellular storage array is intended to provide functionality that is difficult to implement efficiently using a conventional hardware arrangement. It allows a simple implementation of improved data independence at high speeds. INDY simultaneously satisfies the time windows of future hardware technologies and user requirements. The importance of strings as a mechanism for defining abstract data types for data base languages is discussed in more detail in another paper. In that paper, a language called STRING is introduced which allows names of data objects to be semantically defined as variable-length strings and compared based on string pattern membership. This paper is concerned with the implementation of string storage and searching required by the STRING language. Implementation of higher level structures and searching requirements (such as sets, rows, tables and hierarchies) on the INDY kernel is treated elsewhere.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.2 Storage Management
          Subjects: Secondary storage

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.3 Language Constructs and Features
          Subjects: Abstract data types

  F. Theory of Computation
  F.2 ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS AND PROBLEM COMPLEXITY
      F.2.2 Nonnumerical Algorithms and Problems
          Subjects: Sorting and searching
  F.4 MATHEMATICAL LOGIC AND FORMAL LANGUAGES
      F.4.2 Grammars and Other Rewriting Systems

  H. Information Systems
  H.2 DATABASE MANAGEMENT
      H.2.8 Database applications

General Terms:
Design, Management, Performance