Patent ID: 6513044
Filing Date: 2003-01-28
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for selecting a group of records in a database wherein:the database comprises a set of tables, at least some records in any particular table are in an ordered relationship with the other records in the table, at least one field in one of the tables consists of a join key field, the join key field being related to a field in another table, wherein a parent-child relationship between the tables is defined in which the table comprising the join key field is the child of the table comprising the field related to the join key field, at least some of the tables in the set of tables are related to at least one other table in the set of tables in a parent-child relationship, at least one of the records of the group carries a â€œcurrent recordâ€  designation, wherein a current table is defined; the method comprising: designating one of the set of tables as a â€œreference table;â€ designating one of the records of the reference table as a â€œreference record,â€  the reference record comprising a field related to a join key field of a record of a descendant table of the reference table; designating the group of records to comprise: the reference record and all records having a field related to the reference record; and designating a record in the reference table as the current record.