Method and system for integrating file system events into a relational database

• US 20070011207A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Vishnubhotla, Prasad
• Application Number:
  US11/175,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011207A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

Provided is a method of integrating events such as creation, modification and deletion associated with computer files into a database management system (DBMS) or relational DBMS (RDBMS). Once a file associated with a RDBMS is created, updated or deleted, the RDBMS is notified of the event so that a trigger corresponding to the event and the file can be executed. A file system callback mechanisms associated with asynchronous and non-blocking input/output (I/O) functions communicates the completion of file creation, deletion and update operations to a RDBMS. The RDBMS recognizes the communication and fires an appropriate database trigger or triggers.

Claims

1. A method for integrating file system events into a database management system (DBMS), comprising:

designating a file of interest;

detecting a file state change event associated with the file of interest;

updating a file events table of a database upon a detection of the file state change event;

generating a database trigger upon a change in the file events table; and

updating the database with data from the file of interest upon receipt of the database trigger.

2. The method of claim 1, the updating of the file events table comprises generating a callback upon the correlation of the file state change event to the file of interest, wherein the callback executes a structured query language (SQL) statement to effect the update to the file events table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the DBMS is a relational database management system (RDBMS).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the file events table is one of an insert operation, an update operation or a delete operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the file state change event corresponds to a one of a file creation, a file deletion or a file update.

6. The method of claim 1, the detection of the file state change event comprising:

periodically executing a fileExists process with respect to the file of interest;

comparing a current return value from the fileExists process with a previous return value form a previous execution of the fileExists process with respect to the file of interest; and

updating the file events table when the current return value is not equal to the previous return value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the file state change event is generated by an operating system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the file state change event corresponds to a one of a file creation, a file deletion or a file update.

8. A system for integrating file system events into a database management system (DBMS), comprising:

a database;

a file events table associated with the database;

a file of interest;

logic for detecting a file state change event associated with the file of interest;

logic for updating the file events table upon a detection of the file state change event;

a database trigger generated upon a change in the file events table; and

logic for updating the database with data from the file of interest upon receipt of the database trigger.

9. The system of claim 8, the logic for updating of the file events table comprises logic for generating a callback upon the detection of the file state change event, wherein the callback executes a structured query language (SQL) statement to effect the update to the file events table.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the DBMS is a relational database management system (RDBMS).

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the change in the file events table is one of an insert operation, an update operation or a delete operation.

13. The system of claim 8, the logic for detecting the file state change event comprising:

logic for periodically executing a fileExists process with respect to the file of interest;

logic for comparing a current return value from the fileExists process with a previous return value form a previous execution of the fileExists process with respect to the file of interest; and

logic for updating the file events table when the current return value is not equal to the previous return value.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the file state change event is generated by an operating system.

15. A computer programming product for integrating file system events into a database management system (DBMS), comprising:

a memory;

logic, stored on the memory, for designating a file of interest;

logic, stored on the memory, for detecting a file state change event associated with the file of interest;

logic, stored on the memory, for updating a file events table of a database upon a detection of the file state change event;

logic, stored on the memory, for generating a database trigger upon a change in the file events table; and

logic, stored on the memory, for updating the database with data from the file of interest upon receipt of the database trigger.

16. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for updating of the file events table comprises logic for generating a callback upon the correlation of the file state change event to the file of interest, wherein the callback executes a structured query language (SQL) statement to effect the update to the file events table.

17. The computer programming product of claim 15, wherein the DBMS is a relational database management system (RDBMS).

18. The computer programming product of claim 15, wherein the change in the file events table is one of an insert operation, an update operation or a delete operation.

19. The computer programming product of claim 15, wherein the file state change event corresponds to a one of a file creation, a file deletion or a file update.

20. The computer programming product of claim 15, the logic for detecting the file state change event comprising:

logic for periodically executing a fileExists process with respect to the file of interest;

logic for comparing a current return value from the fileExists process with a previous return value form a previous execution of the fileExists process with respect to the file of interest; and

logic for updating the file events table when the current return value is not equal to the previous return value.