Patent ID: 7039651

Claim:
A method for directing a database management system to execute a fetch query, comprising: receiving the fetch query that contains at least one large object fetch request and a predefined threshold parameter associated with the large object fetch request; accessing a selected large object value that corresponds to the large object fetch request of the fetch query; comparing the selected large object value with the predefined threshold value; returning a fetch response that corresponds to the large object fetch request according to a return operation from a pair of return operations; and wherein the pair of return operations comprises: a first return operation that returns the selected large object value in the large object fetch response, if the large object value is less than the predefined threshold value; and a second return operation that returns a large object locator that is associated with the large object value in the large object fetch response, if the large object value is greater than the predefined threshold value; wherein the fetch response comprises a fetch parameter associated with the large object fetch response; placing an indicator in the fetch parameter; and wherein the indicator comprises one of two distinct return states, a first state that is placed by the first return operation and a second state that is placed by the second return operation.