Maintaining synchronization among multiple active database systems

• US 20070094308A1
• Filed: 12/13/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Mitchell, Mark, Fastner, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/638,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094308A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A data-synchronization tool is used to ensure synchronization between at least two copies of a relational database that are stored in at least two database systems. The tool includes (a) a sync-control component configured to initiate synchronization of the copies of the database and (b) a sync-execution component configured to replicate one or more changes made to the copy stored in one of the database systems within the copy stored in another of the database systems.

Claims

1. A data-synchronization tool for use in ensuring synchronization between at least two copies of a relational database that are stored in at least two database systems, the synchronization tool comprising:

a sync-control component configured to initiate synchronization of the copies of the database; and

a sync-execution component configured to replicate one or more changes made to the copy stored in one of the database systems within the copy stored in another of the database systems.

2. The data-synchronization tool of claim 1, where, in replicating the one or more changes, the sync-execution component is configured to copy an entire database table at once from the one database system to the other.

3. The data-synchronization tool of claim 2, where the sync-execution component is configured to copy the entire table using an ARCDUMP utility.

4. The data-synchronization tool of claim 2, where the sync-execution component is configured to copy the entire table using a FASTEXPORT/FASTLOAD utility.

5. The data-synchronization tool of claim 1, where, in replicating the one or more changes, the sync-execution component is configured to copy one or more individual rows of a database table from the one database system to the other.

6. The data-synchronization tool of claim 5, where the sync-execution component is configured to copy the one or more individual rows to a shadow table in the one database system.

7. The data-synchronization tool of claim 6, where the sync-execution component is configured to copy the one or more individual rows from the shadow table into a corresponding table in the other database system.

8. The data-synchronization tool of claim 7, where, in copying the one or more individual rows into the corresponding table, the sync-execution component is configured first to copy the one or more individual rows from the shadow table in the one database system into another shadow table.

9. The data-synchronization tool of claim 6, where, in copying the one or more individual rows, the sync-execution component is configured to:

lock the shadow table in the one -database system;

copy the one or more individual rows from the shadow table into a second shadow table;

unlock the shadow table in the one database system;

export the one or more individual rows from the second shadow table; and

load the one or more individual rows into a target table in the other database system.

10. A method for use in ensuring synchronization between at least two copies of a relational database that are stored in at least two database systems, the method comprising:

concluding that synchronization of the copies of the database is necessary; and

replicating one or more changes made to the copy stored in one of the database systems within the copy stored in another of the database systems.

11. The method of claim 10, where replicating the one or more changes includes copying an entire database table at once from the one database system to the other.

12. The method of claim 11, where copying the entire table includes using an ARCDUMP utility.

13. The method of claim 11, where copying the entire table includes using a FASTEXPORT/FASTLOAD utility.

14. The method of claim 10, where replicating the one or more changes includes copying one or more individual rows of a database table from the one database system to the other.

15. The method of claim 14, where copying the one or more individual rows includes copying the rows to a shadow table in the one database system.

16. The method of claim 15, where copying the one or more individual rows includes copying the rows from the shadow table into a corresponding table in the other database system.

17. The method of claim 16, where copying the one or more individual rows into the corresponding table includes first copying the rows from the shadow table in the one database system into a shadow table in the other database system.

18. The method of claim 14, where copying the one or more individual rows includes:

locking the shadow table in the one database system;

copying the one or more individual rows from the shadow table into a second shadow table in the other database system;

unlocking the shadow table in the one database system;

exporting the one or more individual rows from the second shadow table; and

loading the one or more individual rows into a target table in the other database system.