Patent ID: 7536381

Claim:
A data processing system comprising: storage means for storing a data category definition table, the data category definition table comprising at least the following entries for each data category to define a semantic network for use by a plurality of application programs: a unique name of the data category, a data table identifier for identification of a data table storing data sets of the data category, a data structure table identifier for identification of a data structure table storing key field and data field names of the data table, and a manual flag for each data category for indicating to the application programs whether manual entry of a data set of the data category is enabled or not, a write interface for writing a data set to one of the data tables having a schema defining a structure of the one data table, the write interface performing the following: receiving one of the unique names from one of the plurality of application programs, returning the key field and data field names of the data table of the data category having the one unique name to the application program, receiving a data set and the one of the unique names from the application program, each data value of the data set being assigned to one of the key field or data field names, writing the data set in the data table of the data category having the one unique name, the write interface writing the data set into the data table independent of use of information describing the schema of the data table, reading the manual flag, and returning the manual flag information to the application programs, and a read interface for reading a data set from one of the data tables, the read interface performing the following: receiving one of the unique names from one of the plurality of application programs, returning the key field names of the data table of the data category having the one unique name to the application program, receiving a query with the key field names from the application program, returning the at least one data set resulting from the query to the application program by reading from the one data table independent of use of information describing the schema of the one data table, reading the manual flag, and returning manual flag information to the application programs.