Active storage and retrieval systems and methods

• US 20070271306A1
• Filed: 10/09/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Albert C., Kreuch, Robert M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A data storage management system comprises a workflow engine, a lifecycle module, and a storage application. The workflow engine is configured to manage a plurality of defined business processes and to execute at least one process step associated with at least one data item. The lifecycle module is configured to detect a change in lifecycle of the at least one data item. The storage application is configured to perform at least one storage action on the data item as a result of the data item reaching a step in a business process, the data item having a change in lifecycle, the data item having a change in metadata, or an event occurring to the data item. Application layer information about data derived from operation of the system allows the system to make more accurate determinations of business value of data and to determine appropriate storage actions to perform on data.

Claims

1. A data storage management system comprising:

at least one workflow engine configured to manage a plurality of defined business processes and to execute at least one process step associated with at least one data item;

at least one lifecycle module configured to detect a change in lifecycle of the at least one data item;

at least one storage application configured to perform at least one storage action on the data item as a result of the data item reaching a step in a business process, the data item having a change in lifecycle, the data item having a change in metadata, or an event occurring to the data item.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage action comprises moving the data item from a first storage tier to a second storage tier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage action comprises replicating the data item.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage action comprises encrypting the data item.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one storage policy that defines at least one storage action to be performed on an associated data item under a defined circumstance, and wherein the system determines which storage action to perform on the data item at least in part by referring to any storage policy associated with the data item.

6. A method of managing storage of a data item, the method comprising:

associating with a data item a storage policy that defines at least an initial storage tier that the data item is stored in and at least one circumstance in which a storage action is to be performed on the data item;

detecting at least one event that has occurred on the data item;

determining based at least in part on the occurrence of the event and the storage policy, that a storage action is to be performed on the data item; and

performing the storage action on the data item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein performing the storage action comprises moving the data item from the initial storage tier to a second storage tier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein performing the storage action comprises encrypting the data item.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein performing the storage action comprises electronically shredding the storage action.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein performing the storage action comprises changing a security level of the data item.

11. A method of managing storage of a data item, the method comprising:

creating at least one data item associated with at least one defined business process;

associating with the data item a storage policy that defines at least an initial storage tier that the data item is stored in and at least one circumstance in which at least one storage action is to be performed on the data item;

performing a step in the defined business process;

determining in response to the performance of the step in the defined business process and based at least in part on the storage policy, at least one storage action that is to be performed on the data item; and

performing the storage action on the data item.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein performing the storage action comprises moving the data item from the initial storage tier to a second storage tier.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising detecting, by an event listener, the performance of the step in the defined business process.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising invoking at least one storage application configured to perform the determined storage action.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising invoking, by at least one workflow engine, at least one storage application configured to perform the determined storage action.

16. A system of managing data storage configured to make at least one decision about where or how to store data based at least in part on information about the data that is available at an application layer but not available at a storage layer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is configured to make the decision based on a combination of information about the data that is available at the application layer and information about the data that is available at the storage layer.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the information about the data available at the application layer comprises information derived at least in part from operation of a workflow engine.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the information about the data available at the application layer further comprises information derived at least in part from operation of a lifecycle module.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information about the data available at the application layer further comprises information derived at least in part from operation of a content manager.