Defining and transforming entity relationship-XML hybrid data models

摘要

An entity-relationship (ER)-eXtensible Markup Language (XML) hybrid data model includes an unmarked entity and an entity marked to be transformed as an XML column. In transforming the ER-XML hybrid data model to a physical data model, the unmarked entity is transformed to a table in the physical data model. It is determined whether the marked entity has an unmarked parent entity. If so, the marked entity, and the transitive closure of the marked entity, is transformed to an XML column in a table representing the unmarked parent entity in the physical data model, an XML schema document (XSD) for the XML column is generated, and the XSD is associated with the XML column. A relational-XML hybrid data model includes one or more XML columns marked to transform to a set of entities in the ER model by expanding the contents of the XSD associated with the XML column.