TABLE LEVEL DATABASE RESTORE IN A DATA STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20180089038A1
• Filed: 08/15/2017
• Published: 03/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CommVault Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Kumarasamy, Paramasivam, Vallabhanenl, Brahmaiah
• Granted Patent: US 10,997,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

The data storage system according to certain aspects can implement table level database restore. Table level database restore may refer to restoring a database table and its related data without restoring the entire database. The data storage system may use table metadata index to implement table level restore. A table metadata index may be created for each table, e.g., during a backup of the database. The table metadata index for a table can include any type of information for restoring the table and its related data. Some examples of the type of information included in the table metadata index include the following: container for the table, table backup location, system data, table index, table relationships, etc. Table metadata index can make the restoring of tables fast and efficient by packaging information that can be used to restore a table and its related data in an easily accessible manner.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of storing database tables in secondary storage of a data storage system, comprising:

using one or more computing devices comprising computer hardware;

copying data associated with a plurality of database tables from one or more primary storage devices in a primary storage subsystem to one or more secondary storage devices in a secondary storage subsystem, wherein said copying comprises at least;

identifying a first set of database tables referenced by a first database table from the plurality of database tables; and

packaging (i) information for restoring the first database table and (ii) information for restoring the first set of database tables referenced by the first database table, together in a first table metadata index specific to the first database table for use in restoring the first database table such that the first database table can be restored without restoring at least one other table of the plurality of database tables.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying, from the plurality of database tables, a second set of database tables referenced by a second database table different from the first database table; and

packaging (i) information for restoring the second database table and (ii) information for restoring the second set of database tables referenced by the second database table, together in a second table metadata index specific to the second database table for use in restoring the second database table such that the second database table can be restored without restoring the first database table or accessing the first fable metadata index.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising restoring the first database table from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem at least by accessing the first table metadata index, without restoring the second database table or accessing the second table metadata index.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein subsequent to said restoring, data associated with the first set of database tables referenced by the first database table are accessible in the primary storage subsystem.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the first table metadata index in a data structure associated with one or more storage managers comprising computer hardware such that the first table metadata index is stored separately from the data associated with the plurality of database tables.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the first table metadata index in a data structure associated with one or more media agents comprising computer hardware such that the first table metadata index is stored separately from the data associated with the plurality of database tables.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the first table metadata index on the one or more secondary storage devices such that the first table metadata index is stored together with the data associated with the plurality of database tables.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the information for restoring the first database table packaged in the first table metadata index indicates a first location within a secondary copy stored on the one or more data storage devices where data associated with the first database table is stored, and the information for restoring the first set of database tables indicates, each respective database table in the first set, a respective location within the secondary copy that is different from the first location where data associated with the respective database table is stored.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the first set of database tables and packaging the information in the first table metadata index during a scheduled backup of primary data from the primary storage subsystem to the secondary storage subsystem.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the first table metadata index comprises metadata relating to the first set of database tables, the metadata comprising, for each respective database table in the first set, a table metadata index usable to restore the respective database table.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the first table metadata index comprises a list including the first set of database tables referenced by the first database table.

13. A system for storing database tables, comprising:

one or more computing devices comprising computer hardware and configured to;

copy data associated with a plurality of database tables from one or more primary storage devices in a primary storage subsystem to one or more secondary storage devices in a secondary storage subsystem, wherein the one or more computing devices are configured to copy the data at least by;

identifying a first set of database tables referenced by a first database table from the plurality of database tables; and

packaging (i) information for restoring the first database table and (ii) information for restoring the first set of database tables referenced by the first database table, together in a first table metadata index specific to the first database table for use in restoring the first database table such that the first database table can be restored without restoring at least one other table of the plurality of database tables.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

identify, from the plurality of database tables, a second set of database tables referenced by a second database table different from the first database table; and

package (i) information for restoring the second database table and (ii) information for restoring the second set of database tables referenced by the second database table, together in a second table metadata index specific to the second database table for use in restoring the second database table such that the second database table can be restored without restoring the first database table or accessing the first table metadata index.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to restore the first database table from the secondary storage subsystem to the primary storage subsystem at least by accessing the first table metadata index, without restoring the second database table or accessing the second table metadata index.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein subsequent to said restoring, data associated with the first set of database tables referenced by the first database table are accessible in the primary storage subsystem.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to store the first table metadata index in a data structure associated with one or more storage managers comprising computer hardware or one or more media agents comprising computer hardware such that the first table metadata index is stored separately from the data associated with the plurality of database tables.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to store the first table metadata index on the one or more secondary storage devices such that the first table metadata index is stored together with the data associated with the plurality of database tables.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the information for restoring the first database table packaged in the first table metadata index indicates a first location within a secondary copy stored on the one or more data storage devices where data associated with the first database table is stored, and the information for restoring the first set of database tables indicates, each respective database table in the first set, a respective location within the secondary copy that is different from the first location where data associated with the respective database table is stored.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to determine the first set of database tables and package the information in the first table metadata index during a scheduled backup of primary data from the primary storage subsystem to the secondary storage subsystem.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the first table metadata index comprises metadata relating to the first set of database tables, the metadata comprising, for each respective database table in the first set, a table metadata index usable to restore the respective database table.