ON DEMAND DATA CONVERSION

• US 20090055445A1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Cheng, Anthony H., Kendai, Vijayakumar K., Liu, Lujiang
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

Novel tools for updating data structures in a database. In an aspect, the tools are used to update a database'"'"'s structures in response to the update of an application (such as an enterprise application) that uses the database. In another aspect, the tools may convert a data set to a new format when the updated application attempts to access the data set; in some cases, other data sets within the database might remain unconverted until their use. Advantageously, this allows for a database (and/or a table within a database) to be updated incrementally and/or on demand. This feature can mitigate the impact of the update on users, for example, by avoiding the need to take the database (and/or application) offline to perform a batch process to update the database.

Claims

1. A method of updating a database, the method comprising:

providing a database comprising a first table having stored therein data in a first format, the of data comprising a plurality of records including a first record that comprises a plurality of fields;

determining that an application that uses the database to be updated, wherein the updated application is configured to be operable in either a pre-update version or an updated version, wherein the pre-update version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in the first format, and wherein the updated version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a second format;

providing for a system constant to be assigned a first value, indicating that the application should continue to be operate in the pre-update version;

selecting a first data interface to provide access to the database, based on the first value of the system constant, wherein the first data interface provides access to data in the first format;

storing one or more additional records from the application in the first table, wherein the additional records are stored in the first format and are received via the first data interface;

providing for the system constant to be assigned a second value, indicating that the application should operate in the updated version;

selecting a second data interface to provide access to the database, based on the second value of the system constant, wherein the second data interface provides access to data in the second format;

receiving a request from the application, operating in the updated version, to access the first record in the first table;

based on the request, converting the first record to the second format for access by the application, wherein converting the first record comprises augmenting the first record with one or more additional fields and storing at least some of the one or more additional fields in a second table; and

providing the application with access with access to least some of the one or more additional fields via the second data interface, when the application is operating in the second version.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein converting the first data set comprises storing the first record, including the one or more additional fields, in the second table.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, creating the second table in the database.

4. A method of updating a database, the method comprising:

providing a database for storing data for an application, the database comprising a first table, the first table being configured to store a plurality of data sets;

determining that the application has been updated from a first version to a second version, wherein the first version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a first format, and wherein the second version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a second format;

receiving a request from the application, operating in the second version, to access a first data set in the first table;

converting the first data set to the second format for access by the application, based on the request; and

providing the application with access to at least a portion of the first data set in the second format, when the application is operating in the second version.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the application has been updated comprises providing for the application to be updated.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing for the application to be updated comprises for the application to be patched.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining that the application has been updated comprises providing for the application to be upgraded to a new release level.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the updated application is configured to be operable in either a first version or the second version, the method further comprising:

providing a system constant that indicates whether the application should operate in the first version or in the second version.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a plurality of data interfaces between the database and the application, wherein providing for the application to access at least a portion of the first data set in the second format comprises;

selecting a data interface based on a value of the system constant, wherein the selected data interface is used to provide the application with access to the first data set.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing for the system constant to be assigned a value indicating that the application should operate in the second version.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein converting the first data set comprises storing at least a portion of the first data set, in the second format, in a second table.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein storing at least a portion of the first data set in the second table comprises storing, in the first table, a set of header information that references the first data set in the second table.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein the first data set, in the first format, comprises a first set of one or more data elements.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein converting the first data set to the second format comprises converting only some of the one or more data elements in the first set.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein converting the first data set to the second format comprises augmenting the first data set with a second set of one or more data elements.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein converting the first data set further comprises storing, in a second table, at least some of the one or more data elements in the second set.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein converting the first data set comprises creating a header table with an entry for the first data set, wherein the header table references the first table for at least some of the one or more data elements in the first set, and wherein the header table references the second table for at least some of the one or more data elements in the second set.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein augmenting the first data set with a second set of one or more data elements comprises providing default values for one or more of the data elements in the second set.

19. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of data sets comprises a second data set, and wherein the second data set remains in the first format until accessed by the application.

20. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining that the first data set is a key data set;

based on a determination that the first data set is a key data set, identifying one or more additional data sets that are related to the first data set; and

converting the one or more additional data sets to the second format, in response to receiving the request from the application.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein the first data set comprises a record in the first table.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein converting the first data set to the second format comprises creating a record in a second table in the database.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein converting the first data set to the second format comprises linking the record in the second table with the record in the first table.

24. A computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon a computer program comprising a set of instructions for programming a computer system to perform a set of operations, the computer program comprising:

instructions to provide a database for storing data for an application, the database comprising a first table, the first table being configured to store a plurality of data sets;

instructions to determine that the application has been updated from a first version to a second version, wherein the first version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a first format, and wherein the second version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a second format;

instructions to receive a request from the application, operating in the second version, to access a first data set in the first table;

instructions to convert the first data set to the second format for access by the application, based on the request; and

instructions to provide the application with access to at least a portion of the first data set in the second format, when the application is operating in the second version.

25. A computer system, comprising:

a database for storing data for an application, the database comprising a first table, the first table being configured to store a plurality of data sets;

one or more processors in communication with the database;

a computer readable storage medium having encoded thereon a computer program comprising a set of instructions for programming the one or more processors to perform a set of operations, the computer program comprising;

instructions to determine that the application has been updated from a first version to a second version, wherein the first version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a first format, and wherein the second version of the application requires data to be stored in the database in a second format;

instructions to receive a request from the application, operating in the second version, to access a first data set in the first table;

instructions to convert the first data set to the second format for access by the application, based on the request; and

instructions to provide the application with access to at least a portion of the first data set in the second format, when the application is operating in the second version.