Event recording in a service database system

• US 6,292,793 B1
• Filed: 02/16/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lehtinen, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): Choules, Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Linh, Pham
• Application Number:
  US09/249,871
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 379/88.1, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/219-232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of handling event recordings in a service database system. The database comprises measurement tables (MT) which include consecutive rows (Ri). A single row comprises data about a single measurement object. So that correct counter values can be recorded efficiently, the counters on the measurement table row have been duplicated, and in every recording interval the counter values of a given counter group on said row are incremented, and the counter values of another given counter group on said row are recorded according to a predefined rotation principle. In the system, measurement object-specific and measurement group-specific time stamps are maintained, on the basis of which it is tested whether the counter values are acceptable for recording.

Claims

1. A method for performing event recordings in a service database system, the database comprising measurement tables (MT) which comprise consecutive rows (Ri), whereby a single row comprises data related to a single measurement object and the measurement objects of one measurement table are of the same type so that they form a measurement group, the method comprising the steps of

receiving service requests (SR) into the system during whose processing it is necessary to count the number of events occurring per each measurement object,

activating the provision of the service as a response to the service request,

performing the recording of events by incrementing the measurement object-specific counters for each different event during the processing of the service request for a time determined by a certain, predefined recording interval, and

performing the recording of counter values by storing the measurement object-specific counter values after each recording interval,

characterized in that the method further comprises the steps of

maintaining a single measurement counter copied to N copies on the row of the measurement table so that each of the N counters belongs to a different counter group, whereby N counter groups are located on the row,

dividing time domain into consecutive recording intervals (TP) so that only the values of a selected counter group located on the row are incremented during each recording interval, and the counter group to be incremented is changed from one recording interval to another,

handling the recording and zeroing of counter values during a recording interval one measurement object at a time by processing the rows of the measurement table one at a time so that the recording and zeroing of the counter values of a single counter group is performed during the recording intervals which are left between the recording intervals during which the counters of the counter group in question are incremented,

maintaining in the system measurement object-specific time stamps that indicate at least the latest and second-latest moments when a counter group has been zeroed in the measurement object row, and measurement group-specific time stamps which indicate at least the three latest changing moments of the recording interval, and

comparing the measurement object-specific time stamps with measurement group-specific time stamps, and accepting the counter values of the measurement object as valid, if at least one of the measurement object-specific time stamps is as desired between those measurement group-specific time stamps which limit the interval during which it was last possible to zero the counter group currently to be recorded and zeroed.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that method comprises the steps of

maintaining each counter on the row of the measurement table corresponding to the measurement object as duplicated, whereby the first counter belongs to the first counter group (CG1), and the second counter to the second counter group (CG2), and incrementing the counter values of the first counter groups and recording and zeroing the counter values of the second counter groups during every second recording interval, and incrementing the counters of the second counter groups and recording and zeroing the counter values of the first counter groups during every other recording interval,

accepting the counter values of the measurement object for recording, if at least one of the measurement object-specific time stamps is as desired between the time stamps indicating the second-latest and third-latest changing moments of the recording interval.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance and comparison of the time stamps is handled by the process that performs the recording and zeroing of counter values, said process being started repeatedly during each recording interval and handling a single row at most once during the recording interval.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the time used in the system is divided into discrete units so that all said time stamps are integers corresponding to full minutes.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the time stamp indicating the latest moment of zeroing on the row corresponding to the measurement object is set in connection with the processing of the row to the current time, rounded up to the next full minute.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that when updating the measurement group-specific time stamps after the changing of the recording interval, the time stamp indicating the latest changing moment of the interval is set according to the current time to a minute reading smaller than said time.

7. A method according to claim 5, characterized in that when starting the measurement of a measurement group, the measurement group-specific time stamps are set to a value corresponding to the current time rounded up to the next full minute.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that when starting the measurement of a measurement object in the measurement group the object-specific time stamps are set to a value corresponding to the current time rounded up to the next full minute.