Patent ID: 7430553

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing a database, comprising: maintaining the database as a series of partial mappings, wherein each of the partial mappings includes at least one assignment of an address to a value; recognizing a state of a selected partial mapping as a compilation of the partial mapping as appended to a preceding partial mapping previously added to the series; establishing a pointer to the selected partial mapping; restricting changes to the selected partial mapping such that there is no change to the state of the selected partial mapping to which the pointer is established; identifying a first partial mapping in the series to which no pointer is established; identifying a second partial mapping appended to the series after the first partial mapping was appended to the series; inserting each assignment included in the second partial mapping in the first assignment by one of: adding to a first assignment any assignment included in the second partial mapping not previously included in the first partial mapping; and overwriting any assignment included in both the first partial mapping and the second partial mapping with the assignment with the assignment included in the second partial mapping; and removing the second partial mapping from the series.