Patent ID: 9659036
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: G06F

Claim:
1. A machine-implemented method comprising: receiving a first alteration request to mark a selected column in a database table as an unused column, wherein the first alteration request includes a write value; updating a database control table indicating that the selected column is unused and storing the write value in the database control table; receiving a write request corresponding to the selected column, wherein the write request includes write data and identifies one or more rows to write in the database table; in response to the selected column existing in the database table, writing the previously stored write value to the selected column of the one or more rows, wherein the write data included in the write request is not written to the selected column of the one or more rows; in response to the selected column not existing in the database table, inhibiting writing of any data to the selected column of the one or more rows; in response to receiving a second alteration request to mark the selected column in the database table as a used column: