Patent ID: 7774321

Claim:
A method to perform a partial XML validation of an XML document, the method comprising: receiving a user request to modify data of an XML document, the XML document stored as a large binary object in a relational database, the XML document retrieved from the relational database, the XML document defined by an XML document schema comprising a first portion and a second portion, wherein the data to be modified is constrained by the first portion of the XML document schema, and wherein the second portion of the XML document schema comprises a parent portion of the first portion, wherein the parent portion comprises constraints on the first portion; converting the XML document associated with the request into an operator tree structure for execution by a query processor, the operator tree having a first operator corresponding to the first portion of the XML document schema and a second operator corresponding to the parent portion of the XML document schema; extracting the first portion of the XML document schema; performing a partial validation of the modified data using the first operator with the extracted first portion of the XML document schema to form a partially validated XML document portion; extracting the second portion of the XML document schema; performing a validation of the partially validated XML document portion with the extracted second portion of the XML document schema using the second operator to verify that the partially validated XML document portion complies with constraints of the extracted second portion of the XML document schema; merging the modified data into the XML document, wherein a full validation of the XML document is avoided; displaying the XML document on a monitor; and returning the XML document to the relational database.