Patent Document ID: 5555403
Application ID: 07800506

Base Claim:
1. A method for accessing values in a relational database, wherein the relational database operates in a computer system and provides returned values responsive to queries specified in a predefined query language, wherein the relational database supports the use of functions and operators to perform operations on values within the database, wherein the relational database includes a plurality of tables, wherein each table is associated with one or more attributes, wherein each attribute has a set of values, wherein the method includes a user interface executing on a computer system operated by a human user, wherein the computer system executing the user interface includes a processor coupled to a memory, wherein the processor is further coupled to the user interface and the relational database, the method comprising the following steps: associating a first familiar name with a first returned value, wherein the familiar name is also associated with the following: a SELECT clause describing the values returned using a combination of the functions and operators supported by the predefined query language; a WHERE clause describing a condition which can be used to restrict the scope of the returned value; and a plurality of tables containing the attributes on which the SELECT and WHERE clauses operate; accepting signals from the user interface to specify a query, wherein the query includes the familiar name; generating a query in the predefined query language, wherein the query includes the condition; and using the query to access one or more attributes in the relational database.

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Claim 2:
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes query engine means for generating queries, wherein the relational database includes a plurality of tables, wherein each table includes attributes and values associated with the attributes, the method further comprising the following steps: providing a selection of familiar names, wherein each familiar name is associated with one or more of the attributes in the relational database as described in claim 1; accepting signals from the user interface to select first and second combinations of familiar names from the selection of familiar names; generating, by using the query engine means, first and second queries based on first and second combinations, wherein the first and second combinations both include a same first familiar name but different additional familiar names, wherein the first query based on the first combination results in the retrieval of a first set of returned values based on the first familiar name, wherein the second query based on the second combination results in the retrieval of a second set of returned values based on the same first familiar name from the same database.