System of global update for time/language heterogeneous databases using a relational reference database and both request and database identifier files

• US 5,452,450 A
• Filed: 12/21/1993
• Issued: 09/19/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent France, SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent France, SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Delory, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US08/170,979
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/650, 364/419.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A database network management method ensures consistency of modifications to data in a network of databases comprising a relational database which constitutes a reference database and at least one further database accessible in real time. The data of the relational database is duplicated at least in part in the further databases accessible in real time. To enable an application process to modify data in all of the database network, the method is as follows: (1) A data modification request in the SQL language is sent from the application process to a pool of server processes of a relational database management system, (2) a server process is assigned to the request for the duration of its processing, (3) the modification request in the dynamic SQL language is sent from the server process pool to a relational database management system and the request is executed, (4) the further databases in accessible in real time to which the modification request relates are determined, (5) the request is transferred to the further databases in a form compatible with a management system of each further database concerned, and (6) the modification request is executed in each further database concerned.

Claims

1. A method of managing a network of databases comprising (i) a relational database which constitutes a reference database having an associated database management system and being accessible with a first access time, and (ii) at least one additional database having a respective database management system and being accessible with a second access time faster than said first access time, at least some of the data of the relational database being duplicated in the at least one additional database, wherein to enable an application process to modify data in all of the database network, the method, which ensures that a data modification request is executed throughout the network, comprises:

sending said data modification request, in a single language for modifying all said databases, from the application process to a pool of server processes of said database network management system;

assigning a tag to each modification request;

storing the tag of the request in a file;

assigning a server process to said request for the duration of its processing;

sending the modification request in said language from the server process pool to said database management system of said relational database, accessing said relational database in accordance with said first access time and executing said request;

determining a set of at least one of said additional databases to which the modification request relates;

transferring said request from said database network management system to said at least one additional database in a form which is different from said language and is compatible with the management system of each said at least one additional database;

accessing said additional databases in accordance with said second access time and executing the modification request and sending a signal reporting that the modification request has been executed in each of said at least one additional database;

storing in a file an identifier of each additional database which reported that said modification request has been executed in each of said at least one additional database;

concluding that execution of said modification request is complete in the database network when all the databases concerned have reported that said modification request has been executed; and

concluding that the execution is not complete in all the database network when at least one database concerned has not reported that said modification request has been executed.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transferring from said application process to said server process a signal for deferring the execution of a data modification request in each of said at least one additional database.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein, to guarantee the consistency of data in all of the network, it further comprises verifying that the contents of the reference database matches the content of said at least one additional database , and in supplying a message to an operator when an inconsistency is detected.