Patent ID: 7739251
Filing Date: 2010-06-15
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A machine-executed method for incrementally maintaining an index that indexes Extensible Markup Language (XML) data, the method comprising: identifying a node, within the XML data, that is to be deleted in response to a Data Manipulation Language (DML) operation; generating a hybrid key for the node; wherein the hybrid key includes (a) a first set of one or more index order key components and (b) a first set of one or more canonical order key components; wherein the first set of index order key components reflects a portion of an index order key by which the node is indexed in the index; wherein the first set of canonical order key components reflects the actual position of the node within the XML data; converting the hybrid key to the index order key; wherein the index order key includes a second set of one or more index order key components and a third set of one or more index order key components; wherein the second set of index order key components equals the first set of index order key components; wherein converting the hybrid key to an index order key comprises converting the first set of canonical order key components to the third set of index order key components; wherein the first set of canonical order key components differs in value from the third set of index order key components; using the index order key to locate a set of one or more index entries within the index; wherein one of the set of one or more index entries indexes the node; and deleting the set of index entries from the index.