Patent ID: 7716182

Claim:
A method for a version-controlled database representation comprising: receiving a first node from a file system associated with a data store module, the first node comprising a first identifier, a first version, and a first set of one or more data elements for indexing or searching data stored on the data store module; storing the first node in a memory device; receiving a first control file from the file system, the first control file comprising information associating a plurality of identifiers with a plurality of versions, including associating a second identifier with a second version; and removing the first node from the memory device if the first identifier is identical to the second identifier and if the first version is different from the second version determining whether a second node is stored in the memory device; if it is determined that the second node is not stored in the memory device, then determining whether a path associated with the second node in the file system is valid; if it is determined that the path is valid, then (1) receiving the second node from the file system, the second node comprising the second identifier, the second version, and a second set of one or more data elements for indexing or searching data stored on the data store module; (2) storing the second node in the memory device; and if it is determined that the path is not valid, then receiving a second control file from the file system, the second control file comprising information associating the second identifier with a third version.