SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BUSINESS-DRIVEN ARCHIVING

• US 20140006356A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Held, Dominik
• Granted Patent: US 8,983,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/667
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

A computer system maintains a repository of software products. The software products include a plurality of business processes, and each business process includes a business object. The system maintains a plurality of archiving objects, and further maintains a mapping of each business process to at least one business object, a mapping of each business object to at least one related database table, and a mapping of each database table to at least one related archiving object. The system receives a selection of a business process for which data is to be archived, and uses the mapping of the each business process to the at least one business object, the mapping of the each business object to the at least one database table, and the mapping of the each database table to the at least one archiving object to determine the database tables to transmit to the archiving objects.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer processor and a computer storage device configured to;

(a) maintain in the computer storage device a repository of software products in the system, the software products comprising a plurality of business processes, each business process comprising at least one business object;

(b) maintain in the computer storage device a plurality of archiving objects;

(c) maintain in the repository a mapping of each business process to at least one business object, a mapping of each business object to at least one related database table, and a mapping of each database table to at least one related archiving object;

(d) receive into the computer processor a selection of a business process for which data is to be archived; and

(e) use the mapping of the each business process to the at least one business object, the mapping of the each business object to the at least one database table, and the mapping of the each database table to the at least one archiving object to determine the database tables to transmit to the archiving objects.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the archiving objects are configured to archive the database tables.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of business processes are mapped to a business scenario, and the computer processor is configured to receive a selection of a business scenario for which data is to be archived.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected business process comprises a critical business process.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the critical business process is selected using at least one of the following criteria:

(a) a frequency of execution of the business process;

(b) a number of users who execute the business process;

(c) a change in the amount of data in database tables that are accessed by the business process; and

(d) an amount of time that the business process is executed.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of computer processors and a plurality of computer storage devices distributed across an information technology landscape.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b), (c), and (e) are executed by a system operator or system group, and step (d) is executed by a user or application person or group.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein steps (a), (b), (c), and (e) are executed by a system operator or system group, and step (d) is executed by a user or application person or group.

8. A process comprising:

(a) maintaining in a computer storage device a repository of software products in the system, the software products comprising a plurality of business processes, each business process comprising at least one business object;

(b) maintaining in the computer storage device a plurality of archiving objects;

(c) maintaining in the repository a mapping of each business process to at least one business object, a mapping of each business object to at least one related database table, and a mapping of each database table to at least one related archiving object;

(d) receiving into the computer processor a selection of a business process for which data is to be archived; and

(e) using the mapping of the each business process to the at least one business object, the mapping of the each business object to the at least one database table, and the mapping of the each database table to the at least one archiving object to determine the database tables to transmit to the archiving objects.

9. The process of claim 8, comprising archiving the database tables using the archiving objects.

10. The process of claim 8, comprising mapping a plurality of business processes to a business scenario, and receiving a selection of a business scenario for which data is to be archived.

11. The process of claim 8, wherein the selected business process comprises a critical business process.

12. The process of claim 11, comprising selecting the critical business process using at least one of the following criteria:

(a) a frequency of execution of the business process;

(b) a number of users who execute the business process;

(c) a change in the amount of data in database tables that are accessed by the business process; and

(d) an amount of time that the business process is executed.

13. The process of claim 8, wherein the computer storage device is distributed across an information technology landscape.

15. A computer readable storage device comprising instructions that when executed by a processor execute a process comprising;

(a) maintaining in a computer storage device a repository of software products in the system, the software products comprising a plurality of business processes, each business process comprising at least one business object;

(b) maintaining in the computer storage device a plurality of archiving objects;

(c) maintaining in the repository a mapping of each business process to at least one business object, a mapping of each business object to at least one related database table, and a mapping of each database table to at least one related archiving object;

(d) receiving into the computer processor a selection of a business process for which data is to be archived; and

(e) using the mapping of the each business process to the at least one business object, the mapping of the each business object to the at least one database table, and the mapping of the each database table to the at least one archiving object to determine the database tables to transmit to the archiving objects.

16. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, comprising instructions for archiving the database tables using the archiving objects.

17. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, comprising instructions for mapping a plurality of business processes to a business scenario, and receiving a selection of a business scenario for which data is to be archived.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the selected business process comprises a critical business process.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 18, comprising instructions for selecting the critical business process using at least one of the following criteria:

(a) a frequency of execution of the business process;

a number of users who execute the business process;

(c) a change in the amount of data in database tables that are accessed by the business process; and

(d) an amount of time that the business process is executed.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the computer storage device is distributed across an information technology landscape.

21. The computer readable storage device of claim 15, wherein steps (a), (b), (c), and (e) are executed by a system operator or system group, and step (d) is executed by a user or application person or group.

22. A system comprising:

a computer processor and a computer storage device configured to;

maintain in the computer storage device a plurality of database tables;

maintain in the computer storage device a plurality of attributes of the database tables;

receive weighting factors relating to the attributes of the database tables;

evaluate and rank database tables in the system as a function of the attributes and the weighting factors; and

implement a data volume management strategy as a function of the evaluation and ranking.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the plurality of database tables is distributed over an entire information technology landscape.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the weighting factors are received from a user of the system.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the evaluation and ranking of the database tables comprises:

creating ordered lists of database tables for each of the attributes;

assigning a ranking value to each of the database tables in the ordered lists;

multiply each ranking value by the weighting factor for the attribute of the ordered list; and

calculate an overall ranking value for each of the database tables by summing the ranking values for each of the database tables.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the attributes comprise at least one of a size of the database table;

a growth rate of the database table, a database table utilization, an age of data in the database table, and a complexity of archiving the database table.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the data volume management strategy comprises at least one of an avoidance, summarization, deletion, or archiving of data.