An apparatus and method to analyze relationships of objects when all
objects in combinations are required for the problem resolution to
determine which objects to place in a container (cache) to thereby
improve database performance and utility. Preferred embodiments are
illustrated with respect to attribute caching in a computer database
system, where the attributes or objects that need to be cached are not
individual attributes, but combinations of attributes where including one
object affects all combinations in which it exists. In other preferred
embodiments, attribute caching is described where including a combination
of objects affects all other combinations that contain one or more of the
individual objects in the included combination.