Method and system for obtaining user data having user-defined data types

1. A computerized method for enabling retrieval of user data having one or more user-defined non-standard data types stored on a data storage device of a data system having a centralized processing unit (CPU), memory, an operating system, user interface, and a data management system, using one or more application programs apart from the data system and having program instructions, the method comprising:

defining a layout for each user-defined non-standard data type of the user data, the layout providing one or more user data fields having the one or more user-defined non-standard data types, wherein the data system does not include data type definitions and the data system defines the data fields as byte arrays of user-defined sizes, wherein the byte arrays are not defined as types to the data system;

defining one or more conversion routines for each user-defined non-standard data type in relation to one or more associated standard data types, wherein the user-defined non-standard data types and the associated standard data types are each a data definition that defines data for interpretation, the user-defined non-standard data types being defined and interpreted differently than the associated standard data types; and

providing a coordination call for mapping the one or more conversion routines to the one or more associated standard data types such that in response to the coordination call being called, the one or more conversion routines convert the one or more user-defined non-standard data types of the user data to the one or more associated standard data types,

wherein in response to a user access request for the user data, the coordination call is called and the user data is retrieved from the data storage device and converted to the one or more associated standard data types, wherein the one or more application programs interpret the user data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layout is dynamically linked with one or more of the conversion routines and coordination call such that the conversion routine is linked and used during the user access request to convert the user data from the one or more user-defined non-standard data types to the one or more associated standard data types.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising receiving a user request from the user interface, invoking a data engine to access the data, and displaying the retrieved user data to the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data system does not use or access a catalog to perform data type checking or data type conversion.

5. A data system having an instantiable computer program product for enabling retrieval of user data having one or more user-defined non-standard data types stored on a data storage device accessible by the data system, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions including a first executable portion having instructions being capable of:

defining a layout for each non-standard data type of user data, the layout providing one or more user data fields having the one or more user-defined non-standard data types, wherein the data system defines the data fields as byte arrays of user-defined sizes and the byte arrays are not defined as types to the data system;

defining one or more conversion routines for each user-defined non-standard data type in relation to one or more associated standard data types, wherein the user-defined non-standard data types and the associated standard data types are each data definitions that define data for interpretation, the user-defined non-standard data types being defined and interpreted differently than the associated standard data types;

in response to a user access request for the user data, calling a coordination call for mapping the one or more conversion routines to the one or more associated standard data types such that the one or more conversion routines convert the one or more user-defined non-standard data types of the user data to the one or more associated standard data types; and

in response to the user access request for the user data, accessing one or more databases and obtaining the user data from the data storage device, the obtained user data being converted to the one or more associated standard data types using the coordination call, and providing the user data to one or more application programs to interpret the user data, the one or more application programs being apart from the data system.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein at least the layout is dynamically linked with one or more of the conversion routine and coordination call such that the conversion routine is linked and used during the user access request to convert the user data from the one or more user-defined non-standard data types to the one or more associated standard data types.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising invoking a data engine of the system to access the data from one or more databases of the system, and providing the retrieved user data to the user interface.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the data system does not use or access a catalog to perform data type checking or data type conversion.