Object caching and update queuing technique to improve performance and resource utilization

• US 7,099,926 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Yongcheng, Ims, Steven D., Tan, Yih-Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D.
• Application Number:
  US09/611,157
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/203, 709213-218, 709227-228, 719/315, 719/316, 719/330, 707/10, 711142-143
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for caching objects to improve performance and resource utilization of software applications which interact with a back-end data source, such as a legacy host application and/or legacy host data store or database. Read-only requests for information are satisfied from the cache, avoiding the overhead of a network round-trip and the computing overhead of repeating an interaction with the back-end data source. Refreshes of cached objects and update requests to objects may be queued for delayed processing (for example, at a time when the system is lightly loaded), thereby improving system resource utilization. A sequence of actions that may be required to initiate, and interact with, the refresh and update processes is also preferably stored in the cached objects. This technique is applicant-independent, and may therefore be used for objects having an arbitrary format.

Claims

1. A computer program product for improving performance and resource utilization of software applications that interact with a back-end data source to update information stored therein, the computer program product embodied on one or more computer-readable media and comprising:

computer-readable program code for storing one or more objects in a cache for responding to update requests against a back-end data source corresponding to each of the objects, wherein (1) a set of input properties is stored with or associated with each stored object and (2) update logic specifying how to update the back-end data source corresponding to each of the stored objects is stored with or associated with the stored object or a group of stored objects;

computer-readable program code for receiving update requests against the back-end data source for one or more of the objects;

computer-readable program code for checking an update policy to determine an update mode to use for each selected on of the update requests, responsive to the computer-readable program code for receiving;

computer-readable program code for immediately processing the selected update request against the back-end data source if the determined update mode is not a delayed update mode; and

computer-readable program code for delaying processing of the selected update request against the back-end data source is the delayed update mode further comprising;

computer-readable program code for queuing the selected update request, along with the input properties and values thereof which are to be used for performing the selected update request, as a queued update request on an update queue;

computer-readable program code for detecting a triggering event for performing the delayed processing of the queued update requests, wherein the triggering event comprises reaching a particular count of queued update requests for a selected object; and

computer-readable program code for performing, responsive to the computer-readable program code for detecting, the queued update requests.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the computer-readable program code for performing further comprises:

computer-readable program code for setting the input properties of a selected object against which the queued update request is to be performed using the queued input property values; and

computer-readable program code for executing the update logic stored with or associated with the selected object, thereby updating the back-end data source corresponding to the selected object.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the triggering event further comprises reaching a particular time of day.

4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises instead reaching a count of read requests received a read-access object which is used for responding to read requests and which is associated with a selected one of the objects for which at least one of the update requests is queued.

5. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein a separate update queue is created for each of one or more back-end data sources to be accessed during operation of the computer-readable program code for performing.

6. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode based upon a time of day when the selected update request is received.

7. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode based upon a classification of a user making the selected update request.

8. The computer program product according to claim 1, further comprising:

computer-readable program code for connecting to the back-end data source prior to operation of the computer-readable program code for performing; and

computer-readable program code for disconnecting from the back-end data source after operation of the computer-readable program code for performing.

9. A system for improving performance and resource utilization of software applications that interact with a back-end data source to update information stored therein, comprising:

means for storing one or more objects in a cache for responding to update requests against a back-end data source corresponding to each of the objects, wherein (1) a set of input properties is stored with or associated with each stored object and (2) update logic specifying how to update the back-end data source corresponding to each of the stored objects is stored with or associated with the stored object or a group of stored objects;

means for receiving update requests against the back-end data source for one or more of the objects;

means for checking an update policy to determine an update mode to use for each selected one of the update requests, responsive to the means for receiving;

means for immediately processing the selected update request against the back-end data source if the determined update mode is not delayed update mode; and

means for delaying processing of the selected update request against the back-end data source is the delayed update mode, further comprising;

means for queuing the selected update request, along with the input, as a queued update request on an update queue;

means for detecting a triggering event for performing the delayed processing of the queued update requests, wherein the triggering event comprises reaching a particular count of queued update requests for a selected object; and

means for performing, responsive to the means for detecting, the queued update requests.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the means for performing further comprises:

means for setting the input properties of a selected object against which the queue update request is to be performed using the queued input property values; and

means for executing the update logic stored with or associated with the selected object, thereby updating the back-end data source corresponding to the selected object.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the triggering event further comprises reaching a particular time of day.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the triggering event comprises instead reaching a count of read requests received for a read-access object which is used for responding to read requests and which is associated with a selected one of the objects for which at least one of the update requests is queued.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein a separate update queue is created for each of one or more back-end data sources to be accessed during operation of the means for performing.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode based upon a time of day when the selected update request is received.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode based upon a classification of a user making the selected update request.

16. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for connecting to the back-end data source prior to operation of the means for performing; and

means for disconnecting from the back-end data source after operation of the means for performing.

17. A method for improving performance and resource utilization of software applications that interact with a back-end data source to update information stored therein, comprising the steps of:

storing one or more objects in a cache for responding to update requests against a back-end data source corresponding to each of the objects, wherein (1) a set of input properties is stored with or associated with each stored object and (2) update logic specifying how to update the back-end data source corresponding to each of the stored objects is stored with or associated with the stored object or a group of stored objects;

receiving update requests against the back-end data source for one or more of the objects;

checking an update policy to determine an update mode to use for each selected one of the update requests, responsive to the receiving step;

immediately processing the selected update request against the back-end data source if the determined update mode is not a delayed update mode; and

delaying processing of the selected update request against the back-end data source is the delayed update mode, further comprising the steps of;

queuing the selected update request, along with the input properties and values thereof which are to be used for performing the selected update request, as a queued update request on an update queue;

detecting a triggering event for performing the delayed processing of the queued update requests, wherein the triggering event comprises reaching a particular count of queued update requests for a selected object; and

performing, responsive to the detecting step, the queued update requests.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the performing step further comprises the steps of:

setting the input properties of a selected object against which the queued update request is to be performed using the queued input property values; and

executing the update logic stored with or associated with the selected object, thereby updating the back-end data source corresponding to the selected object.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the triggering event further comprises reaching a particular time of day.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the triggering event comprises instead reaching a count of read requests received for a read-access object which is used for responding to read requests and which is associated with a selected one of the objects for which at least one of the update requests is queued.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein a separate update queue is created for each of one or more back-end data sources to be accessed during operation of the sept of performing.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode base upon a time of day when the selected update request is received.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein the update policy selects the delayed update mode based upon a classification of a user making the selected update request.

24. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

connecting to the back-end data source prior to operation of the performing step; and

disconnecting from the back-end data source after operation of the performing step.