Online Propagation of Data Updates

• US 20070282790A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rubinshtein, Galina, Segev, Uri, Goulko, Igor, Schejter, Marjorie
• Granted Patent: US 8,515,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing

Abstract

A method for online propagation of data updates, the method including initiating a record update process for any of a plurality of records in a system responsive to a modification of a trigger data item, where the process is performed while the system is online, creating an update process timestamp indicating a time at which the record update process is begun, and determining if a last-modified timestamp associated with any of the records indicates an eariler time than the update process timestamp, and, if so updating the record to reflect the modification to the trigger data item, and modifying the last-modified timestamp to reflect a time that is later than the update process timestamp.

Claims

1. A method for online propagation of data updates, the method comprising:

initiating a record update process for any of a plurality of records in a system responsive to a modification of a trigger data item, wherein the process is performed while the system is online;

creating an update process timestamp indicating a time at which the record update process is begun; and

determining if a last-modified timestamp associated with any of the records indicates an earlier time than the update process timestamp, and, if so

updating the record to reflect the modification to the trigger data item, and

modifying the last-modified timestamp to reflect a time that is later than the update process timestamp.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises determining where the last-modified timestamp is maintained for an entire database in which any of the records reside, indicating the last time that any of the records in the database was modified.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the updating step comprises updating all records in the database that are affected by the modification to the trigger data item if the database'"'"'s last-modified timestamp indicates an earlier time than the update process timestamp.

4. A method according to claim 2 wherein the modifying step comprises modifying the database'"'"'s last-modified timestamp.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the updating step comprises giving update priority to any of the records associated with a user who logs into a computer system after the record update process has begun on the computer system, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the updating step comprises giving update priority to any of the records associated with a user who is logged into a computer system before the record update process has begun on the computer system, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records associated with users who are not currently logged in.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the updating step comprises giving update priority to any of the records for which a request is received after the record update process has begun, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records for which no request is received after the record update process has begun.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein a request to modify any of the records that is received after the record update process has begun is withheld until after the record has been updated.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein a request to modify any of the records that is received after the record update process has begun is withheld until after the record update process has finished.

10. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising sending any of the following notifications:

a notification informing a user that any of the records to which the user has access is about to be updated;

a notification informing a user that any of the records to which the user has access has been updated; and

a notification describing the nature of an update to any of the records.

11. A system for online propagation of data updates, the system comprising:

a computer system for storing a plurality of records; and

a record update utility configured to;

initiate a record update process for any of the records responsive to a modification of a trigger data item, wherein the process is performed while the system is online;

create an update process timestamp indicating a time at which the record update process is begun; and

determine if a last-modified timestamp associated with any of the records indicates an earlier time than the update process timestamp, and, if so

update the record to reflect the modification to the trigger data item, and

modify the last-modified timestamp to reflect a time that is later than the update process timestamp.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the last-modified timestamp is maintained for an entire database in which any of the records reside, indicating the last time that any of the records in the database was modified.

13. A system according to claim 12 wherein the record update utility is configured to update all records in the database that are affected by the modification to the trigger data item if the database'"'"'s last-modified timestamp indicates an earlier time than the update process timestamp.

14. A system according to claim 11 wherein the record update utility is configured to give update priority to any of the records associated with a user who logs into a computer system after the record update process has begun on the computer system, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records.

15. A system according to claim 11 wherein the record update utility is configured to give update priority to any of the records associated with a user who is logged into a computer system before the record update process has begun on the computer system, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records associated with users who are not currently logged in.

16. A system according to claim 11 wherein the record update utility is configured to give update priority to any of the records for which a request is received after the record update process has begun, wherein the priority is relative to any other of the records for which no request is received after the record update process has begun.

17. A system according to claim 11 wherein a request to modify any of the records that is received after the record update process has begun is withheld until after the record has been updated.

18. A system according to claim 11 wherein a request to modify any of the records that is received after the record update process has begun is withheld until after the record update process has finished.

19. A system according to claim 11 wherein the record update utility is configured to send any of the following notifications:

a notification informing a user that any of the records to which the user has access is about to be updated;

a notification informing a user that any of the records to which the user has access has been updated; and

a notification describing the nature of an update to any of the records.

20. A computer-implemented program embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program comprising:

a code segment operative to initiate a record update process for any of a plurality of records in a system responsive to a modification of a trigger data item, wherein the process is performed while the system is online;

a code segment operative to create an update process timestamp indicating a time at which the record update process is begun; and

a code segment operative to determine if a last-modified timestamp associated with any of the records indicates an earlier time than the update process timestamp, and, if so

update the record to reflect the modification to the trigger data item, and

modify the last-modified timestamp to reflect a time that is later than the update process timestamp.