Managing a computerized database using a volatile database table attribute

• US 10,325,029 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2014
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Konik, Rafal P., Mittelstadt, Roger A., Muras, Brian R., Theuer, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burke, Jeff A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Thong H
• Application Number:
  US14/566,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20160171032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 707713, 707754, 707769, 707613, 707718, 707749, 707822, 707693, 705 36 R, 705 735
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/119 Details of migration of file systems migration mechanisms in storage systems G06F3/0647
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2282 Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2393 Updating materialised views
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24542 Plan optimisation

Abstract

A respective volatility attribute associated with each of one or more tables of a computerized database is used in any of various aspects to (a) determine how table data is stored in a physical storage device; (b) regulate the use of a materialized query table using database table data; and/or (c) influence circumstances under which indexes are created or advised by database analytic software. Various optional additional uses of a volatility attribute to manage a database are disclosed. Preferably, database parameters are automatically monitored over time and database table volatility state is automatically determined and periodically adjusted.

Claims

1. A method for managing a computerized database, comprising the following executed by at least one computer system:

storing at least one respective volatility attribute for each of at least one database table of said computerized database, each volatility attribute expressing volatility of at least a portion of a respective database table of said computerized database, said volatility of at least a portion of a respective database table being a property of the respective database table that is a function of changes to data recorded in said at least a portion of the respective database table with respect to time;

selectively determining whether to maintain at least one metadata structure describing data in at least a first database table of said at least one database table, the determining whether to maintain at least one metadata structure being performed using at least one volatility attribute expressing volatility of at least a portion of the first database table, wherein maintaining the at least one metadata structure comprises updating data in the at least one metadata structure responsive to changes to data in the at least a first database table; and

responsive to determining to maintain a first metadata structure of the at least one metadata structure, maintaining the first metadata structure.

2. The method for managing a computerized database of claim 1, wherein said at least one metadata structure comprises a materialized query table.

3. The method for managing a computerized database of claim 1, wherein said at least one metadata structure comprises an index.

4. The method for managing a computerized database of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring at least one respective parameter of each said database table of said computerized database over at least one time interval and saving monitored parameter data with respect to the respective database table; and

determining a respective volatility state of each said database table using the saved monitored parameter data to automatically generate said at least one respective volatility attribute for each said database table.

5. The method for managing a computerized database of claim 4, further comprising:

computing a respective figure of merit representing volatility of the at least a portion of the respective database table for each of said at least one time interval.

6. The method for managing a computerized database of claim 1, wherein said volatility attribute comprises a quantitative value.