Patent ID: 8346813

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: a database server storing persistently in a database an XML tree index that indexes a corresponding XML document of a collection of XML documents stored in said database, wherein each XML tree index comprises a set of XML tree index entries, each XML tree index entry of the set of XML tree index entries having a one-to-one correspondence with a node of said corresponding XML document; said database server storing a node index on nodes of said collection of XML documents, wherein each row of said node index contains a document identifier of a particular XML document and a reference address to a particular XML tree index entry, wherein said particular XML tree index entry corresponds to a particular node in said particular XML document; said particular XML tree index entry containing another reference address to another XML tree index entry corresponding to an ascendant node of said particular node; based on said reference address, performing ascendant node navigation from said particular node.