Patent ID: 7933920

Claim:
A method of data retrieval by a user from a distributed database, comprising: saving metadata pertaining to real data stored in databases distributed on a network in first servers distributed on the network associated with each of said databases; collecting metadata saved in said first servers and storing said metadata in a metadata database of a second server without storing the real data represented by said metadata; extracting metadata that matches a user retrieval request from a user terminal by searching metadata stored in said metadata database, and transmitting a retrieval result including information of a location of the first server saving the metadata that matches said user retrieval request, to said user terminal; inputting a real data retrieval condition for the database on the basis of the retrieval result of the metadata database transmitted to said user terminal; issuing a real data retrieval condition from said user terminal to the first server on the basis of said information of a location of the first server, wherein said real data retrieval condition is issued to said first server by bypassing said second server; and retrieving, by the first server, the real data from the corresponding database after converting said real data retrieval condition into a format which is concordant with the database.