CONFLICT RESOLUTION FOR DATABASE FILE MERGE

• US 20190332699A1
• Filed: 04/27/2018
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Rittinger, Jan
• Granted Patent: US 11,113,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/14 Merging, i.e. combining at least two sets of record carriers each arranged in the same ordered sequence to produce a single set having the same ordered sequence

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for resolving conflicts between different versions of a database file. In one example, the method may include one or more of receiving, at a database, a request to publish a modified version of a database file modified by a user having privileges to update the database file, detecting, during a merge operation, a conflict between one or more data values included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and one or more corresponding data values in an intervening version of the database file published by another user that also has privileges to update the database file, and outputting a user interface displaying an identification of the one or more conflicting data values and one or more selections for resolving the one or more conflicting data values.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a processor configured to receive a request to publish a modified version of a database file modified by a user having privileges to update the database file, and detect a conflict between one or more data values included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and one or more corresponding data values in an intervening version of the database file published at the database by another user that also has privileges to update the database file; and

an output configured to output a user interface displaying an identification of the one or more conflicting data values and one or more selections for automatically resolving the one or more conflicting data values at the database.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the intervening published version of the database file is published by the processor after the database file is downloaded by the user and before the user attempts to publish the modified version of the database file.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the intervening published version of the database file comprises a public file visible to all authorized users, and the unpublished modified version of the database file comprises a private file that is visible to only the user.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to detect a conflict between values within cells of a table included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and the intervening published version of the database file.

5. The computing of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to attempt a two-way merge between the unpublished modified version of the database file and the previous version of the database file published by another user, and detect the one or more conflicting data values during the attempted two-way merge.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to attempt a three-way merge between the unpublished modified version of the database file, the previous version of the database file published by another user, and a copy of the database file at a previous point in time before the previous version of the database file was published, and detect the one or more conflicting data values during the attempted three-way merge.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the output user interface comprises options for selecting a prior version, an unpublished modified version, and a suggested version, for each conflicting value between the intervening published version and the unpublished modified version of the database file.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein a granularity of data values within the prior published version and the unpublished modified version output via the user interface are configured to be modified to reveal one or more underlying sub-values of each conflicting value between the prior published version and the unpublished modified version.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a database, a request to publish a modified version of a database file modified by a user having privileges to update the database file;

detecting a conflict between one or more data values included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and one or more corresponding data values in an intervening version of the database file published at the database by another user that also has privileges to update the database file; and

outputting a user interface displaying an identification of the one or more conflicting data values and one or more selections for automatically resolving the one or more conflicting data values at the database.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the intervening published version of the database file is published after the database file is downloaded by the user and before the user attempts to publish the modified version of the database file.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the intervening published version of the database file comprises a public file visible to all authorized users, and the unpublished modified version of the database file comprises a private file that is visible to only the user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a conflict between values within cells of a table included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and the intervening published version of the database file.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises attempting a two-way merge between the unpublished modified version of the database file and the previous version of the database file published by another user, and the detecting comprises detecting the conflict during the attempted two-way merge.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises attempting a three-way merge between the unpublished modified version of the database file, the previous version of the database file published by another user, and a copy of the database file at a previous point in time before the previous version of the database file was published, and the detecting comprises detecting the conflict during the attempted three-way merge.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the user interface comprises options for selecting a prior version, an unpublished modified version, and a suggested version, for each conflicting value between the intervening published version and the unpublished modified version of the database file.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a granularity of data values within the prior published version and the unpublished modified version output via the user interface are configured to be modified to reveal one or more underlying sub-values of each conflicting value between the prior published version and the unpublished modified version.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving, at a database, a request to publish a modified version of a database file modified by a user having privileges to update the database file;

detecting a conflict between one or more data values included in the unpublished modified version of the database file and one or more corresponding data values in an intervening version of the database file published at the database by another user that also has privileges to update the database file; and

outputting a user interface displaying an identification of the one or more conflicting data values and one or more selections for resolving the one or more conflicting data values.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the intervening published version of the database file is published after the database file is downloaded by the user and before the user attempts to publish the modified version of the database file.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the intervening published version of the database file comprises a public file visible to all authorized users, and the unpublished modified version of the database file comprises a private file that is visible to only the user.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a conflict between values within cells of a table included in both the unpublished modified version of the database file and the intervening published version of the database file.