SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENT RULE UPDATES IN POLICY BASED DATA MANAGEMENT

• US 20090077133A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Hsu, Windsor, Huang, Lan
• Application Number:
  US11/856,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077133A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product is provided for efficient policy rule update in a data management system. A policy rule is stored along with the attributes of a data object when the application of the policy rule results in action taken on the data object. A stored policy rule, called an effective policy rule, is subsequently used to restrict the number of data objects examined when a policy rule is added, deleted, modified, or otherwise updated.

Claims

1. A method for an efficient policy rule update in policy based data management having policy rules, comprising:

calculating a policy rule against a data object having attributes; and

storing an effective policy rule along with the attributes of the data object if an action was taken on the data object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein when a new policy rule is inserted into existing policy rules, the method further comprises:

inserting a new policy rule having a priority into the existing policy rules;

identifying a set of data objects each of which has an effective policy rule wherein the effective priority is less than the priority of the new policy rule; and

,

calculating said new policy rule against each data object in said set of data objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein when a policy rule is deleted, the method further comprises:

identifying a policy rule to be deleted, said policy rule having a priority;

finding a set of data objects each of which has said policy rule to be deleted as an effective policy rule;

deleting said policy rule; and

,

calculating remaining policy rules each having a priority less than the priority of said deleted policy rule against each of data objects in said set of data objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when a policy rule is updated, the method further comprises:

identifying a policy rule having a priority to be updated to a modified policy rule having a modified priority;

finding a first set of data objects having said policy rule as an effective policy rule;

deleting said policy rule;

calculating policy rules having a priority less than the priority of said policy rule to be updated against said first set of data objects;

updating said policy rule;

inserting said policy rule;

finding a second set of data objects having effective policy rules with effective priority less than the modified priority of said updated policy rule; and

,

calculating said updated policy rule against each of said second set of data objects.

5. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

calculate a policy rule against a data object having attributes; and

store effective policy rule along with the attributes of the data object if an action was taken on the data object.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer program product when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

insert a new policy rule having a priority into existing rules;

identify a set of data objects each of which has an effective policy rule wherein the effective priority is less than the priority of the new policy rule; and

,

calculate said new policy rule against each data object in said set of data objects.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer program product when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

identify a policy rule to be deleted, said policy rule having a priority;

find a set of data objects each of which has said policy rule to be deleted as an effective policy rule;

delete said policy rule; and

,

calculate remaining policy rules each having a priority less than the priority of said

deleted policy rule against each of data objects in said set of data objects.

8. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer program product when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

identify a policy rule having a priority to be updated to a modified policy rule having a modified priority;

find a first set of data objects having said policy rule as an effective policy rule;

delete said policy rule;

calculate policy rules having a priority less than the priority of said policy rule to be updated against said first set of data objects;

update said policy rule;

insert said policy rule;

find a second set of data objects having effective policy rules with effective priority less than the modified priority of said updated policy rule; and

,

calculate said updated policy rule against each of said second set of data objects.

9. A system, comprising logic capable of performing operations, the operations comprising:

calculating a policy rule against a data object having attributes; and

storing effective policy rule along with the attributes of the data object if an action was taken on the data object.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

inserting a new policy rule having a priority into existing rules;

identifying a set of data objects each of which has an effective policy rule wherein the effective priority is less than the priority of the new policy rule; and

,

calculating said new policy rule against each data object in said set of data objects.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a policy rule to be deleted, said policy rule having a priority;

finding a set of data objects each of which had said policy rule to be deleted as an effective policy rule;

deleting said policy rule; and

,

calculating remaining policy rules each having a priority less than the priority of said deleted policy rule against each of data objects in said set of data objects.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a policy rule having a priority to be updated to a modified policy rule having a modified priority;

finding a first set of data objects having said policy rule as an effective policy rule;

deleting said policy rule;

calculating policy rules having a priority less than the priority of said policy rule to be updated against said first set of data objects;

updating said policy rule;

inserting said policy rule;

finding a second set of data objects having effective policy rules with effective priority less than the modified priority of said updated policy rule; and

,

calculating said updated policy rule against each of said second set of data objects.

13. A method for initializing a storage system having data objects and a policy based data management system including policy rules, comprising:

calculating each policy rule in the policy based data management system against each data object having attributes; and

,

for each data object, storing an effective policy rule along with the attributes of said each data object if an action was taken on each said data object.