Hui Ru Chang, 52Fremont, CA

7644066, Jan 5, 2010

Mar 31, 2006

11/394878

Muralidhar Krishnaprasad - Fremont CA, US
Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Vikas Arora - San Francisco CA, US
Susan M. Kotsovolos - San Carlos CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707 3

XML table indexes provide a more efficient mechanism for searching data stored in aggregate form. XML table indexes are a set of tables created to project out in column form commonly sought metadata from stored XML documents. By projecting the data includes into column form, queries on the XML documents can be efficiently processed as they can leverage the enhanced functionality provided by the database tables. The XML table indexes may use aliases, partitioning, constraints and other functions to further improve query flexibility and performance.

7730080, Jun 1, 2010

Jun 23, 2006

11/474038

Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Muralidhar Krishnaprasad - Fremont CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Anand Manikutty - Foster City CA, US
James W. Warner - Lake Oswago OR, US
Vikas Arora - San Francisco CA, US
Susan Kotsovolos - San Carlos CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 7/00
G06F 17/30

707765, 707760

A method for processing queries is provided. A first representation of a query is generated, where the query includes a certain operator that is to be performed based on an XPath expression that is expandable into multiple location paths. The first representation of the query is rewritten into a second representation that corresponds to an equivalent query, where rewriting the first representation includes expanding the XPath expression into the plurality of location paths and, based on the certain operator, including a plurality of operators in the second representation, where the plurality of operators include: a first set of operators that is to be performed based on each of the plurality of location paths, and a second set of operators that is to be performed based on data returned from at least one operator included in the first set of operators. The query may thereafter be executed based on the second representation. The second representation may be further rewritten to third representation depending on the physical storage of XML.

7739219, Jun 15, 2010

Sep 8, 2006

11/517969

Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Muralidhar Krishnaprasad - Fremont CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Anand Manikutty - Foster City CA, US
James W. Warner - Lake Oswego OR, US
Vikas Arora - San Francisco CA, US
Susan Kotsovolos - San Carlos CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707 2, 707718

A method for optimizing queries is described. A query, which includes a first expression for determining whether each of a set of values evaluates to NULL or NOT NULL, is received. At compile-time, a first representation of the query is generated, where the first representation indicates that the query is to be performed based on the first expression. Based on the first expression, a second expression is determined. The second expression is such that the first expression would evaluate to any NOT NULL value if and only if the second expression would evaluate to any NOT NULL value. The second expression, when evaluated, is much more computationally efficient compared with the evaluation of the first expression. Based on the first representation, a second representation of the query is generated, where the second representation indicates that the query is to be performed based on the second expression. Thereafter, the query is executed based on the second representation.

7836066, Nov 16, 2010

Jul 12, 2007

11/777132

Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707760, 26 3

XQuery queries that include functions that operate on dynamically typed XML data are rewritten into compilable SQL constructs. XML data that is dynamically typed is XML data for which a specific XML data type cannot be determined at compile time and in fact may vary. In general, XQuery queries are rewritten into SQL queries that use SQL constructs in lieu of XQuery constructs. The SQL constructs include an “SQL polymorphic function” that is defined or recognized by a database system as valid syntax for an SQL query. The rewritten query applies the XML data to the SQL polymorphic function, but the XML data has been typed as XMLType, a data type recognized by SQL standards.

7870121, Jan 11, 2011

Jan 15, 2008

12/014238

Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Vikas Arora - San Francisco CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707713

Techniques are provided for determining whether an XML table index may be used when executing an XML query. An XML table index is defined with a row pattern expression and one or more column pattern expressions. In one technique, an index expression is generated for each row pattern expression-column pattern expression combination. An expression included in the XML query (“query expression”) is compared against one or more of the index expressions. In another technique, even if a query expression does not exactly match a row pattern expression, it is determined whether the query expression is equivalent to the row pattern expression. In another technique, even if a query expression does not exactly match and a row pattern expression, it is determined whether the query expression is “contained by” the row pattern expression.

7870124, Jan 11, 2011

Dec 13, 2007

11/955944

Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
James W. Warner - South San Francisco CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707718, 707713, 707759, 707739

Techniques for processing reference-based SQL/XML operators are provided. Instead of extracting copies of one or more nodes from XML data, a reference-based operator returns a reference to a node. Such a reference is used to determine, for example, whether the corresponding node comes logical before, after, or is the same as another node. An SQL/XML query that includes a reference-based operator may be the original query, or may be generated (e. g. , rewritten) from a non-SQL/XML query, such as an XQuery query. One or more physical rewrites may be performed on the SQL/XML query, depending on how the XML data is stored and/or whether an XML index exists for the XML data.

8478760, Jul 2, 2013

Nov 17, 2006

11/601147

Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Muralidhar Krishnaprasad - Fremont CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - Fremont CA, US
Vikas Arora - San Francisco CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 17/30

707741

Commonly searched nodes of complex data types contained in a collection of XML documents can be projected to, and their values can be stored in, corresponding columns in XML Table Index tables in a database system. In one embodiment, those columns stores logical pointers, rather than raw values, of the complex data types. Domain indexes are further provided to index at least one of the columns of complex data types in XML Table Indexes. The inclusion of complex data types and domain indexes provide a more efficient mechanism for searching domain specific data, such as audio, video, text stored in the collection of XML documents. Query optimizer logic of the database system can prepare one or more query execution plans for a submitted query including a plan that leverages XML Table Indexes and domain indexes and select a query execution plan based on cost information.

8650204, Feb 11, 2014

Dec 19, 2011

13/330622

Zhen Hua Liu - San Mateo CA, US
Hui Joe Chang - San Jose CA, US
Balasubramanyam Sthanikam - Santa Clara CA, US

Oracle International Corporation - Redwood Shores CA

G06F 7/00
G06F 17/30

707759, 707769

The approaches described herein provide an efficient way to process certain kinds of queries that update XML data stored in an object-relational database. A query may include an XML query expression that conforms to a language for querying XML documents. A technique first determines whether the query contains an XML updating expression, and in response rewrites the query to comprise one or more path-based query operators that specify operations for updating XML data. The query may then be further rewritten to comprise one or more storage format specific query operators based on the particular database storage format associated with the XML data specified in the query. The rewritten query operators are used to generate a query execution plan that provides for several query execution optimizations.