Patent ID: 7165064

Claim:
A data retrieving method comprising: performing a syntax analysis of a retrieval request from a user according to data definition information in a data dictionary so as to convert the retrieval request into a query statement which is executable by a database, wherein the database comprises an unnormalized data structure that violates one or more of (i) a first normal form condition, (ii) a second normal form condition, and (iii) a third normal form condition; and the data definition information in the data dictionary is for representing said unnormalized data structure as a logically normalized data structure, wherein the data dictionary comprises one or more display tables and a plurality of logical items, wherein a display table in said one or more display tables comprises a plurality of display items and wherein each display item in said plurality of display items corresponds to a logical item in the plurality of logical items; executing said query statement relative to the database so as to obtain an intermediate retrieval result; and editing the obtained intermediate retrieval result according to said data definition information so as to generate a final retrieval result corresponding to said retrieval request.