Patent ID: 7599947

Claim:
In a network of computers where a Metastore database holds all the schemas of a Data Management System (DMS) database and wherein a Server operates from a Hierarchical database schema to enable a PC to develop a Relational schema which correlates to said original Hierarchical schema, a method for producing a Relational schema for a database in said PC comprising the steps of: (a) utilizing a Description File which lays out all aspects of a database to load Database Management schema into said Metastore, wherein said utilization includes the steps of: (a1) opening said Description File; (a2) obtaining database features including Dataset, Set/Access, Database Defaults and Global Options from said Description File; (a3) depending on the feature type, processing the following processes: (i) For Dataset: (ia) Gathering dataset information including name, type from the Description File and loading into said Metastore database; (ib) For data items belonging to the Dataset, gathering information including name, type, size from said Description File and storing them into said Metastore database, such that a relationship between the Dataset and associated Data Items is maintained in said Metastore database; (ii) For Set/Access: (iia) Gathering Set/Access information including name, type, duplicate option from said Description File and loading them into said Metastore database; (iib) For Keys of the Set/Access, gathering information including name, Ascending/Descending option from said Description File and loading them into said Metastore database, so that the relationship between the Set/Access and associated Key items is maintained in said Metastore database; (iii) For Database Defaults and Global Options: (iiia) Gathering database defaults and global options including disk, buffer, statistic and audit specifications from said Description File and loading them into said Metastore database; (b) generating an XMI schema from said Metastore; (c) using a Graphical User Interface to apply an XSLT style sheet to an XMI file to generate a Relational XMI file with Relational schema; and (d) viewing and editing said Relational XMI file using open tools, said Relational schema being usable to develop a Relational database.