Patent ID: 7076481

Claim:
A method for displaying how a row in a database table appeared both before and after it was modified as described by a change record in a transaction log file, the method comprising: providing a database comprising tables, which, in turn, comprise rows; providing a transaction log file comprising change records that describe modifications that have been made to the database; selecting an initial change record in the transaction log file, wherein the initial change record describes a change that has been made to a particular row in a database table; searching the transaction log file for additional change records that could also modify the particular row, comprising the steps of searching the transaction log for change records existing after the initial change record that could modify the particular row and, if a complete copy of the initial change record is not found while searching the transaction log file for change records existing after the initial change record, then searching the transaction log file for change records existing before the initial change record that could modify the particular row; locating a particular change record that contains a complete copy of the particular row in the transaction log file, if such particular change record exists in the transaction log file; and applying the additional change records to the complete copy of the particular row, wherein the complete copy of the particular row is brought to a state as it existed before the change described by the initial change record was made to the particular row, displaying how the particular row in the database table appeared both before and after it was modified as described by the initial change record in the transaction log file.