Data storage management driven by business objectives

• US 20050060178A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DataFrameworks, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Sherman, Douglas E., Honrud, Paul, Kirkland, Kyle G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Storage organization of data according to business objectives is provided to manage data storage consumption among data storage consumers. Data is not managed at the file level, but organized, coordinated and enforced at a global level based on business logic. The business objectives typically include customer information, priority information, marketing information, manufacturing information, recorded contract and documentary information or information regarding the revenue generation or potential of data. The logical representation enforces data storage consumers to work according to the definitions in the logical representation. The data storage consumers will have the opportunity to define storage parameters for each of the data defined in the logical representation. The placement and determination of where the data should be stored is accomplished according to these defined storage parameters. Data organization based on business logic provides a higher degree of intelligence to the organization of data storage compared to prior art solutions.

Claims

1. A method for managing storage of digital data in a distributed network of data storage consumers and data storage resources, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining at the level of said data storage consumers a logical and hierarchical representation for said digital data wherein said logical representation is based on one or more business or project objectives, and wherein said logical representation is based on one or more work types;

(b) enforcing said digital data to be organized according to said one or more work types;

(c) creating one or more work units under each one of said one or more work types, wherein said work units refer to directories or folders and comprise the files of said digital data which refer to one or more files;

(d) naming said one or more work units, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted;

(e) naming one or more of said digital data, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted; and

(f) determining one or more of said data storage resources to store said one or more work units or said files of said digital data.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said logical representation comprises a higher-level description of said digital data.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said digital data comprises revenue generating data.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said one or more business or project objectives comprises customer information, priority information or marketing information.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of defining one or more parameters for each of said digital data defined in said logical representation, wherein said one or more parameters comprises a storage size, user information, security information, priority information, storage location information or storage optimization information.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said naming of said one or more work units is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said naming of said one or more digital data is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of specifying calculation parameters that determine the size of said digital data and calculating said size of said digital data using said specified calculation parameters.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said work units have attributes or properties to facilitate work flow management in the processing of said digital data.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of requesting storage space for said digital data in said logical representation or a storage location for said digital data in said logical representation.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is guaranteed to the data storage consumer who reserved said storage space or storage location.

12. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is time aware.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of determining comprises the step of optimizing said storage of said digital data on or more data storage resources.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein said step of optimizing said storage comprises the step of minimizing the overall network traffic performance, optimizing to the capacity of said one or data storage resources, optimizing to the performance of said one or more data storage resources, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage size for said digital data in said logical representation, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage location for said digital data in said logical representation or optimizing to minimize processing time for said digital data in said logical representation.

15. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of abstracting a map from the physical locations of said storage of said digital data wherein said map corresponds to said defined logical representation.

16. A program storage device accessible by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform method steps for managing storage of digital data in a distributed network of data storage consumers and data storage resources, said methods steps comprising:

(a) defining at the level of said data storage consumers a logical and hierarchical representation for said digital data wherein said logical representation is based on one or more business or project objectives, and wherein said logical representation is based on one or more work types;

(b) enforcing said digital data to be organized according to said one or more work types;

(c) creating one or more work units under each one of said one or more work types, wherein said work units refer to directories or folders and comprise the files of said digital data which refer to one or more files;

(d) naming said one or more work units, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted;

(e) naming one or more of said digital data, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted; and

(f) determining one or more of said data storage resources to store said one or more work units or said files of said digital data.

17. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said logical representation comprises a higher-level description of said digital data.

18. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said digital data comprises revenue generating data.

19. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said one or more business or project objectives comprises customer information, priority information or marketing information.

20. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, further comprising the step of defining one or more parameters for each of said digital data defined in said logical representation, wherein said one or more parameters comprises a storage size, user information, security information, priority information, storage location information or storage optimization information.

21. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said naming of said one or more work units is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

22. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said naming of said one or more digital data is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

23. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, further comprising the step of specifying calculation parameters that determine the size of said digital data and calculating said size of said digital data using said specified calculation parameters.

24. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said work units have attributes or properties to facilitate work flow management in the processing of said digital data.

25. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, further comprising the step of requesting storage space for said digital data in said logical representation or a storage location for said digital data in said logical representation.

26. The program storage device as set forth in claim 25, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is guaranteed to the data storage consumer who reserved said storage space or storage location.

27. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is time aware.

28. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, wherein said step of determining comprises the step of optimizing said storage of said digital data on or more data storage resources.

29. The program storage device as set forth in claim 28, wherein said step of optimizing said storage comprises the step of minimizing the overall network traffic performance, optimizing to the capacity of said one or data storage resources, optimizing to the performance of said one or more data storage resources, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage size for said digital data in said logical representation, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage location for said digital data in said logical representation or optimizing to minimize processing time for said digital data in said logical representation.

30. The program storage device as set forth in claim 16, further comprising the step of abstracting a map from the physical locations of said storage of said digital data wherein said map corresponds to said defined logical representation.

31. A system for managing storage of digital data, comprising:

(a) a distributed network of data storage consumers and data storage resources;

(b) means to define at the level of said data storage consumers a logical and hierarchical representation for said digital data wherein said logical representation is based on one or more business or project objectives, and wherein said logical representation is based on one or more work types;

(c) means to enforce said digital data to be organized according to said one or more work types;

(d) means to create one or more work units under each one of said one or more work types, wherein said work units refer to directories or folders and comprise the files of said digital data which refer to files;

(e) means to name said one or more work units, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted;

(f) means to name one or more of said digital data, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted; and

(g) means to determine one or more of said data storage resources to store said one or more work units or said files of said digital data.

32. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said logical representation comprises a higher-level description of said digital data.

33. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said digital data comprises revenue generating data.

34. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said one or more business or project objectives comprises customer information, priority information or marketing information.

35. The system as set forth in claim 31, further comprising means to define one or more parameters for each of said digital data defined in said logical representation, wherein said one or more parameters comprises a storage size, user information, security information, priority information, storage location information or storage optimization information.

36. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said naming of said one or more work units is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

37. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said naming of said one or more digital data is accomplished through a save as interface, export interface, API or dialog window.

38. The system as set forth in claim 31, further comprising the step of specifying calculation parameters that determine the size of said digital data and calculating said size of said digital data using said specified calculation parameters.

39. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said work units have attributes or properties to facilitate work flow management in the processing of said digital data.

40. The system as set forth in claim 31, further comprising means to request storage space for said digital data in said logical representation or a storage location for said digital data in said logical representation.

41. The system as set forth in claim 32, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is guaranteed to the data storage consumer who reserved said storage space or storage location.

42. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein said requested storage space or said storage location is time aware.

43. The system as set forth in claim 31, wherein means to determine comprises means to optimize said storage of said digital data on or more data storage resources.

44. The system as set forth in claim 43, wherein said means to optimize said storage comprises means to minimize the overall network traffic performance, optimizing to the capacity of said one or data storage resources, optimizing to the performance of said one or more data storage resources, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage size for said digital data in said logical representation, optimizing to satisfy a requested storage location for said digital data in said logical representation or optimizing to minimize processing time for said digital data in said logical representation.

45. The system as set forth in claim 31, further comprising means to abstract a map from the physical locations of said storage of said digital data wherein said map corresponds to said defined logical representation.

46. A system for managing storage of digital data, comprising:

(a) at least one data storage consumer using at least one computer device;

(b) one or more data storage resources;

(c) means to define at the level of said data storage consumers a logical and hierarchical representation for said digital data wherein said logical representation is based on one or more business or project objectives, and wherein said logical representation is based on one or more work types;

(d) means to enforce said digital data to be organized according to said one or more work types;

(e) means to create one or more work units under each one of said one or more work types, wherein said work units refer to directories or folders and comprise the files of said digital data which refer to files;

(f) means to name said one or more work units, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted;

(g) means to name one or more of said digital data, wherein said naming is unrestricted, restricted, determined from a list or semi-restricted; and

(h) means to determine one or more of said one or more data storage resources to store said one or more work units or said files of said digital data.