Patent ID: 7873659

Claim:
A database management system, comprising: a meta-information storing section for recording a plurality of pieces of taxonomy data in ranks, wherein the pieces of taxonomy data include a plurality of pieces of upper taxonomy data and a plurality of pieces of lower taxonomy data which are respectively associated with the pieces of upper taxonomy data, the taxonomy data in the lowest rank is referred to as lowest taxonomy data, and a plurality of pieces of leaf meta-data respectively correspond to each piece of the lowest taxonomy data; a computer server provided with a control section and a database for recording a plurality of pieces of real data which respectively correspond to pieces of the leaf meta-data; the control section being arranged for searching the real data, wherein the control section includes: a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM and executing a database management program, which when executed causes the control section to function as: a search request acquiring section for acquiring a search request which includes a keyword; a taxonomy searching section for searching upper taxonomy data corresponding to the keyword using the meta-information storing section, wherein, in the case where the upper taxonomy data corresponding to the keyword is registered in the meta-information storing section, the taxonomy searching section acquires lower taxonomy data which is associated with the upper taxonomy data, and the taxonomy searching section being capable of repeatedly acquiring further lower taxonomy data until the lowest taxonomy data is specified, and as a result, the taxonomy searching section acquires the leaf meta-data; a search result outputting section for sampling the real data corresponding to all of the leaf meta data from the database and outputting the real data, and a conversion information storing section for recording a conversion table used for converting each of a plurality of additional attributes into an output format, wherein the meta-information storing section records each of the additional attributes in such a manner that the additional attributes are respectively associated with the taxonomy data, wherein the control section determines the output format for the real data from the search request, wherein the control section further includes an attribute conversion section for converting the additional attributes of the leaf meta-data into the output format using the conversion table and outputting the result to a client terminal, and wherein, in the case where there are additional attributes which are not recorded in association with the leaf meta-data which is the object of output, the attribute conversion section specifies the upper taxonomy data from the leaf meta-data using the meta-information storing section and converts additional attributes which are associated with the upper taxonomy data into the output format.