Synchronization-replication concurrency using non-shared snapshot query on a history table at read-uncommitted isolation level

• US 7,403,958 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 07/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Isaac Kam-Chak, Clare, Donald Lee, Biswal, Dilip Kumar, Mau, Louis S. W., Chu, Cecilia O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, BINH VAN
• Application Number:
  US11/039,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2329 using versioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A method and system for synchronization-replication concurrency maintain a history table for a data table in a mirror, where the history table can include redundant version values that indicate a period in which data values corresponding to the version values are valid. Replication can thus be performed between a source and a mirror for a current version of the data table, while synchronization is simultaneously performed between the mirror and a client for an earlier version of the data table using the history table.

Claims

1. A method for performing a replication of data between a first database server and a second database server concurrently with a synchronization of the data between the second database server and a client, the method comprising:

the second database server storing and maintaining a history table that includes data values that correspond to a first version of the data and includes data values that correspond with a second version of the data, the first and second versions being stored at the same time in the table;

performing the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server using the data values in the history table that correspond to the first version of the data; and

performing the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client using the data values in the history table that correspond to the second version of the data, wherein the synchronization between the second database server and the client is performed concurrently with performing the replication of the data and permits one or more of a row insert, delete, or update to occur to the data during the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server without affecting data integrity associated with the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client, and wherein the second version of the data is an earlier version of the data relative to the first version of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein instructions on a replication thread and instructions on a synchronization thread are executed concurrently.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server and the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client are performed at a read-uncommitted isolation level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first version of the data and the second version of the data is retrieved from the history table though performing a query on the history table.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first database server is a source configured to store data;

the second database server is a mirror configured to store a subset of the data stored at the source; and

the client is configured to store a subset of the data stored at the mirror.

4. A system comprising:

a first database server storing data in a data table;

a second database server storing a history table that includes data values that correspond to a first version of the data in the data table and includes data values that correspond with a second version of the data in the data table, the first and second versions being stored at the same time in the table; and

,

a client in communication with the second database server,

wherein replication of data between the first database server and the second database server is performed using the data values in the history table that correspond to the first version of the data,

wherein synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client is performed using the data values in the history table that correspond to the second version of the data and permits one or more of a row insert, delete, or update to occur to the data during the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server without affecting data integrity associated with the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client, and wherein the second version of the data is an earlier version of the data relative to the first version of the data, and

wherein the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client is performed concurrently with the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein instructions on a replication thread and instructions on a synchronization thread are executed concurrently.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the first version of the data and the second version of the data is retrieved from the history table through performing a query on the history table.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the first database server is a source configured to store data;

the second database server is a mirror configured to store a subset of the data stored at the source; and

the client is configured to store a subset of the data stored at the mirror.

6. A computer readable medium encoded with a computer program for performing a replication of data between a first database server and a second database server concurrently with a synchronization of the data between the second database server and a client, the computer program comprising computer executable code for:

the second database server storing and maintaining a history table that includes data values that correspond to a first version of the data and includes data values that correspond with a second version of the data, the first and second versions being stored at the same time in the table;

performing the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server using the data values in the history table that correspond to the first version of the data; and

performing the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client using the data values in the history table that correspond to the second version of the data, wherein the synchronization between the second database server and the client is performed concurrently with performing the replication of the data and permits one or more of a row insert, delete, or update to occur to the data during the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server without affecting data integrity associated with the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client, and wherein the second version of the data is an earlier version of the data relative to the first version of the data.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein instructions on a replication thread and instructions on a synchronization thread are executed concurrently.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the replication of the data between the first database server and the second database server and the synchronization of the data between the second database server and the client are performed at a read-uncommitted isolation level.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein each of the first version of the data and the second version of the data is retrieved from the history table through performing a query on the history table.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein:

the first database server is a source configured to store data;

the second database server is a mirror configured to store a subset of the data stored at the source; and

the client is configured to store a subset of the data stored at the mirror.