Data Storage and Processing Service

• US 20120016901A1
• Filed: 05/16/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Amit, Sheldon, Michael, Kadatch, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/108,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016901A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods systems, and program products. A request to store data is received. The data is stored as an object in a repository. A request to create a table is received, where the request identifies a name for the table. The table is created with the name. A request to import the data into the table is received. The data is imported into the table, where importing the data in the object into the table includes converting the data in the object into columnar stripes, and storing the columnar stripes in association with the table. A request to perform a query on the table is received, where the request includes the query and identifies the table. The query is performed on the table, where performing the query includes querying one or more of the columnar stripes.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server system and from a remote computing device, a request to store data at the server system;

storing, by the server system, the data identified in the request as an object in a repository at the server system;

receiving, at the server system and from a remote computing device, a request to create a table, wherein the request identifies a name for the table;

creating, by the server system and at the server system, the table with the name identified in the request;

receiving, at the server system, a request to import the data in the object into the table;

importing, by the server system, the data in the object into the table, wherein importing the data in the object into the table includes;

(i) converting the data in the object into columnar stripes, and (ii) storing the columnar stripes in association with the table;

receiving, at the server system and from a remote computing device, a request to perform a query on the table, wherein the request includes the query and identifies the table; and

performing the query on the table, wherein performing the query includes querying one or more of the columnar stripes.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1:

wherein the repository includes a collection of buckets and the request to store the data identifies a bucket from the collection, each bucket having a name that is unique among buckets in the repository, and each bucket providing a namespace to objects that are stored in each bucket; and

wherein storing the data includes storing the object in the bucket identified in the request to store the data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the repository stores buckets in a flat namespace such that buckets are not nested.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein a bucket in the collection provides multiple different remote computing devices that correspond to different authenticated user accounts an ability to upload data from the different remote computing devices to the bucket.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request to store data, the request to create the table, and the request to perform the query are received at the server system through application programming interfaces and from one or more remote computing devices that submit the requests over the internet.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1:

further comprising receiving, at the server system and from a remote computing device, a request to establish a continuous import service, the request identifying a bucket to monitor for newly stored objects and a table in which data in the newly stored objects is to be imported; and

wherein the request to import the data in the object into the table is received from the continuous import service operating at the server system in response to the continuous import service determining that the object is newly stored in the bucket.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising deleting the object from the repository in response to importing the data in the object into the table.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data includes a collection of structured records and the collection of structured records are stored in the object, and wherein importing the data in the object into the table includes converting the structured records stored in the object into columnar stripes that each includes values for a field of the structured records.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a particular one of the structured records includes multiple values for a particular field, and wherein the multiple values for the particular field are stored in a particular columnar stripe.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the particular record includes multiple values for another field, and wherein the multiple values for the other field are stored in a different columnar stripe.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the particular columnar stripe stores, in an adjacent relationship, values for the particular field from multiple of the records.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the particular record includes nested sets of values for fields.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a schema specifies a structure of the structured records in the collection;

further comprising;

receiving, at the server system and from a remote computing device, a request to extend the schema to include a new field; and

generating, by the server system, a new columnar stripe for the new field without modifying the columnar stripes.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein a schema specifies a structure of the structured records in the collection;

further comprising;

receiving, at the server system and from a remote computing device, a request to change an existing name of a field in the schema to a new name of the field; and

designating, by the server system, the new name as an alias of the existing name so that data identified with a field of the existing name and data identified with a field of the new name are stored in a same columnar stripe.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein creating the table includes generating, in the repository, a delegate object having the name of the table.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein creating the table includes generating in a database metadata for the table, the delegate object references the metadata for the table so that the metadata is accessed when the server system performs an operation on the delegate object.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the table is a structured data set that is configured to be queried by the server system.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the object and the one or more columnar stripes are replicated among geographically dispersed computing devices that form the server system.

19. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

transmitting, by a computing device and to a remote server system, a request to store data at the server system such that, in response to receiving the request, the server system stores the data identified in the request as an object in a repository at the server system;

transmitting, by the computing device and to the server system, a request to create a table, the request identifying a name for the table, such that, in response to receiving the request, the server system creates the table with the name identified in the request;

transmitting, by the computing device and to the server system, a request to import the data in the object into the table such that, in response to receiving the request, the server system imports the data in the object into the table, wherein importing the data in the object into the table includes;

(i) converting the data in the object into columnar stripes, and (ii) storing the columnar stripes in association with the table; and

transmitting, by the computing device and to the server system, a request to perform a query on the table, the request including the query and identifying the table, such that, in response to receiving the request, the server system performs the query on the table, wherein performing the query includes querying one or more of the columnar stripes.

20. A system, the system comprising:

an object storage repository, at a server system, configured to store, as an object, data that is transmitted from a remote computing device;

a table management system, at the server system, configured to, in response to a request from a remote computing device to create a table, create the table;

an import job manager at the server system configured to, in response to a request from a remote computing device to import the data in the object into the table, import the data in the object into the table, wherein importing the data in the object into the table includes;

(i) converting the data in the object into columnar stripes, and (ii) storing the columnar stripes in association with the table; and

a columnar data processing system at the server system configured to, in response to a request, from a remote computing device to perform a query, perform the query on the table, wherein performing the query includes querying one or more of the columnar stripes.