Patent ID: 6941316
Filing Date: 2005-09-06
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. In a system in which an object that is an instance of a user defined type is persisted in a database store, wherein a definition of the user defined type comprises one or more fields and behaviors and includes annotations that control a storage layout for instances of the type in the database store, and wherein the database store maintains information reflecting the storage layout as provided by the annotations to the type definition, a method of executing a query on an object that is an instance of the type, the method comprising: receiving a query on an object that is an instance of the type, wherein execution of the query may require hydration of the object; accessing the information maintained by the database store to determine the storage layout of instances of the type; translating the query into an equivalent structural access path for a value of a field of the type that is to be returned in response to the query, based on the information about the storage layout of instances of the type; structurally accessing the value of the field without hydrating the object; and returning the value of the field in response to the query.