Method, system, and product for maintaining software objects during database upgrade

• US 20070220065A1
• Filed: 03/28/2002
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lim, Peter, Coyle, Mark, Huang, Shuang
• Granted Patent: US 7,310,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/217 Database tuning G06F16/2282 takes precedence; database performance monitoring G06F11/3409
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

Techniques to support modification of certain data in a database during an upgrade to a new version. In one method, objects in an original database are marked as either modifiable or read-only, with changes being allowed for modifiable objects during the upgrade. An upgraded database of objects is generated based on objects in the original database (e.g., by copying objects in the original database and upgrading the copied objects to new schema and binaries). Changes to modifiable objects in the original database (e.g., after these objects have been copied) are logged. After the upgraded database has been created, objects in this database may be updated (e.g., individually or all at once) by identifying modifiable objects in the original database having changes not yet incorporated into the upgraded database and updating objects in the upgraded database based on the modified objects in the original database.

Claims

1. A computer program product for upgrading a database of objects, comprising a computer-usable medium having embodied therein computer-readable program codes for

marking objects in a first database as either modifiable or read-only, wherein marking objects in the first database comprises marking first and second objects in the first database as modifiable and read-only, respectively, wherein modifiable objects are allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database, and wherein read-only objects are not allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database;

generating a second database of objects based on objects in the first database;

identifying modifiable objects in the first database that have been changed from versions used to generate the second database; and

updating objects in the second database based on modified objects in the first database.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for logging changes to modifiable objects in the first database.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein changes to modifiable objects in the first database are logged after the modifiable objects have been used to generate corresponding objects in the second database.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for storing a copy of a modifiable object prior to making any changes to the modifiable object after it has been used to generate a corresponding object in the second database.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for maintaining a second table for copies of modified objects in the first database not yet sent to the second database.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the stored copy of a modified object is an XML document.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

receiving a request for a latest version of a particular modifiable object in the first database;

and

sending the latest version of the requested object.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the sent version of the requested object includes only changes to the requested object since a prior sent version.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the latest version of the requested modifiable object is sent only if there has been changes since a prior sent version.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for updating an object in the second database corresponding to the requested object based on the sent version of the requested object.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

determining a difference between the sent version of the requested object and a most current version of the requested object in the second database, and

wherein the object in the second database corresponding to the requested object is updated based on the determined difference.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for:

storing in the first database a representation of the sent version of the requested object.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable program codes for updating further include program codes for

identifying modifiable objects in the first database having changes not yet sent to the second database,

sending changes in the modifiable objects in the first database to the second database, and

updating objects in the second database based on the changes in the corresponding modifiable objects in the first database.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer-readable program codes for updating further include program codes for sending representations of the changes in the modifiable objects to the second database.

16. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable program codes for generating the second database include program codes for

copying objects in the first database, and

upgrading the copied objects to generate the objects in the second database.

24. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for maintaining a first table to identify modifiable objects in the first database.

2. (canceled)

17. In a computer system, a method for upgrading a database of objects, comprising:

marking objects in a first database as either modifiable or read-only, wherein marking objects in the first database comprises marking first and second objects in the first database as modifiable and read-only respectively, wherein modifiable objects are allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database, and wherein read-only objects are not allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database;

generating a second database of objects based on objects in the first database;

logging changes to modifiable objects in the first database;

identifying modifiable objects in the first database that have been changed from versions used to generate the second database; and

updating objects in the second database based on modified objects in the first database.

18. In a computer system, a method for upgrading a database of objects, comprising:

marking objects in a first database as either modifiable or read-only, wherein marking objects in the first database comprises marking first and second objects in the first database as modifiable and read-only, respectively, wherein modifiable objects are allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database, and wherein read-only objects are not allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database;

receiving an indication to start logging changes to modifiable objects;

logging changes to modifiable objects in the first database in response to receiving the indication;

receiving a request for one or more modifiable objects in the first database; and

sending representations that include changes for the one or more requested modifiable objects.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining changes to the one or more requested modifiable objects since the indication to start logging changes was received, and

wherein the representations for the requested modifiable objects are sent only if there are changes.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the representations for the requested modifiable objects are XML documents.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. A computer program product for upgrading a repository of objects, comprising:

code for marking objects in a first database as either modifiable or read-only, wherein the code for marking includes code for marking first and second objects in the first database as modifiable and read-only, respectively, wherein modifiable objects are allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database, and wherein read-only objects are not allowed to be changed during upgrade of the first database;

code for generating a second database of objects based on objects in the first database;

code for logging changes to modifiable objects in the first database;

code for identifying modifiable objects in the first database that have been changed from versions used to generate the second database;

code for updating objects in the second database based on corresponding modified objects in the first database; and

a data storage medium configured to store the codes.