Patent ID: 7469262

Claim:
A computer implemented method to facilitate merging different versions of a database object, comprising: receiving metadata associated with a first version of the database object and a second version of the database object, wherein the metadata provides a data structure that describes the database objects and is distinct from the database objects themselves; comparing metadata associated with the first version of the database object with metadata associated with the second version of the database object to create a difference report; creating an action plan from the difference report that specifies how to merge metadata associated with the first version of the database object with metadata associated with the second version of the database object, wherein creating the action plan from the difference report involves allowing a user to select which actions to take in merging metadata in order to produce merged metadata with desired properties and attributes; and using the action plan to facilitate merging the metadata associated with the first version of the database object with the metadata associated with the second version of the object; and wherein the first version of the database object and the second version of the database object include other objects that have been captured using Unified Modeling Language (UML) and stored in the database during design time.