Replication-based propagation mechanism for pipelines

• US 7,424,493 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Hosain T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ng; Amy
• Application Number:
  US11/055,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 707/10, 707/204, 707/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Processing database objects via a database pipeline having a plurality of stages. The invention provides a replication mechanism for propagating selected data from a database in one stage to a database in another stage without accessing a file system. Each database stage may have a plurality of input and output pipes. The invention enables a user to select a subset of the database objects in each stage for propagation to a subsequent stage.

Claims

1. A database pipeline system, comprising a processor coupled to a memory including:

a first stage having a first database including first objects and having a first output pipe, said first stage;

specifying a subset of the first objects;

creating for the first output pipe a first publication defining the first subset of the first objects;

a second stage having a second database having a second input pipe for receiving first subset of objects from the first output pipe and having a second output pipe, said second stage;

defining a first subscription associated with the second input pipe wherein the first subscription subscribes to the first publication;

propagating the first subset of the first objects defined by the first publication from the first stage to the second stage, said second database receiving the first subset of first objects via the second input pipe, wherein propagating comprises replicating the first subset of first objects from the first database to the second database without accessing a file system;

specifying a second subset of the first objects replicated in the second database wherein the first subset is different than the second subset; and

creating for the second output pipe a second publication defining the second subset of the first objects;

a third stage having a third database having a third input pipe receiving database objects from the second output pipe and a third output pipe, said third stage;

defining a second subscription associated with the third input pipe wherein the third input pipe of the third stage is defined as a function of a second publication, said second publication being created from a subset of the second objects specified for a second output pipe;

propagating, from the second stage to the third stage, the specified subset of the second objects as a function of the defined second subscription, wherein propagating comprises replicating the specified subset of second objects without accessing a file system;

specifying a subset of the third objects for the third output pipe wherein the third subset is different than the second subset; and

creating for the third output pipe a third publication defining the third subset of the first objects.

2. The database pipe system of claim 1, further comprising creating a plurality of second publications, each of said publication being a different version of the second subset of the first objects wherein a subscriber selects one of the plurality of second publications to subscribe to.

3. The database pipe system of claim 2, further comprising:

incrementing a counter representing a quantity of created second publications;

determining if the incremented counter exceeds a pre-defined threshold; and

deleting a previously created second publication as a function of said determining.

4. The database pipe system of claim 1, wherein the first subset of objects comprises a plurality of data rows in the database, and further comprising filtering the first subset of first objects horizontally by eliminating one or more of the plurality of data rows from the first subset of first objects.

5. The database pipe system of claim 1, wherein the first subset of first objects comprises a plurality of data columns in the database, and further comprising filtering the first subset of first objects vertically by eliminating one or more of the plurality of data columns from the first subset of first objects.

6. The database pipe system of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a first source identifier to each of the first subset of first objects of the first publication;

adding a second source identifier to each of the second subset of first objects in the, said first source identifier being different than said second identifier and distinguishing the second subset of first objects from the first subset of first objects.

7. One or more computer storage media storing computer-executable components for processing a plurality of database objects in a database, said components comprising:

a first stage having a first database including first objects and having a first output pipe, said first stage;

specifying a subset of the first objects;

creating for the first output pipe a first publication defining the first subset of the first objects;

a second stage having a second database having a second input pipe for receiving first subset of objects from the first output pipe and having a second output pipe, said second stage;

defining a first subscription associated with the second input pipe wherein the first subscription subscribes to the first publication;

propagating the first subset of the first objects defined for the first publication from the first stage to the second stage, said second database receiving the first subset of first objects via the second input pipe, wherein propagating comprises replicating the first subset of first objects from the first database to the second database without accessing a file system; and

specifying a second subset of the first objects replicated in the second database wherein the first subset is different than the second subset; and

creating for the second output pipe a second publication defining the second subset of the first objects;

a third stage having a third database having a third input pipe receiving database objects from the second output pipe and a third output pipe, said third stage;

defining a second subscription associated with the third input pipe wherein the third input pipe of the third stage is defined as a function of a second publication, said second publication being created from a subset of the second objects specified for a second output pipe;

propagating, from the second stage to the third stage, the specified subset of the second objects as a function of the defined second subscription, wherein propagating comprises replicating the specified subset of second objects without accessing a file system;

specifying a subset of the third objects for the third output pipe wherein the third subset is different than the second subset; and

creating for the third output pipe a third publication defining the third subset of the first objects.

8. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, further comprising creating a plurality of second publications, each of said publication being a different version of the second subset of the first objects wherein a subscriber selects one of the plurality of second publications to subscribe to.

9. The computer readable storage media of claim 8, further comprising:

incrementing a counter representing a quantity of created second publications;

determining if the incremented counter exceeds a pre-defined threshold; and

deleting a previously created second publication as a function of said determining.

10. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the first subset of objects comprises a plurality of data rows in the database, and further comprising filtering the first subset of first objects horizontally by eliminating one or more of the plurality of data rows from the first subset of first objects.

11. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the first subset of first objects comprises a plurality of data columns in the database, and further comprising filtering the first subset of first objects vertically by eliminating one or more of the plurality of data columns from the first subset of first objects.

12. The computer readable storage media of claim 7, further comprising:

adding a first source identifier to each of the first subset of first objects of the first publication;

adding a second source identifier to each of the second subset of first objects, said first source identifier being different than said second identifier and distinguishing the second subset of first objects from the first subset of first objects.

13. A method for processing a plurality of database objects in a database, said components comprising:

defining a first stage having a first database including first objects and having a first output pipe;

specifying a subset of the first objects;

adding a first source identifier to each of the first subset of first objects;

creating for the first output pipe a first publication defining the first subset of the first objects including the first source identifiers;

defining a second stage having a second database having a second input pipe for receiving first subset of objects from the first output pipe and having a second output pipe;

defining a first subscription associated with the second input pipe wherein the first subscription subscribes to the first publication;

propagating the first subset of the first objects defined for the first publication from the first stage to the second stage, said second database receiving the first subset of first objects via the second input pipe, wherein propagating comprises replicating the first subset of first objects from the first database to the second database without accessing a file system;

specifying a second subset of the first objects replicated in the second database wherein the first subset is different than the second subset;

adding a second source identifier to each of the second subset of first objects, said first source identifier being different than said second identifier and distinguishing the second subset of first objects from the first subset of first objects; and

creating for the second output pipe a second publication defining the second subset of the first objects including the second source identifiers;

defining a third stage having a third database having a third input pipe receiving database objects from the second output pipe and a third output pipe;

defining a second subscription associated with the third input pipe wherein the third input pipe of the third stage is defined as a function of a second publication, said second publication being created from a subset of the second objects specified for a second output pipe;

propagating, from the second stage to the third stage, the specified subset of the second objects as a function of the defined second subscription, wherein propagating comprises replicating the specified subset of second objects without accessing a file system;

specifying a subset of the third objects for the third output pipe wherein the third subset is different than the second subset;

adding a third source identifier to each of the third subset of first objects, said third source identifier being different than the first and second source identifiers and distinguishing the subset of first objects from the first and second subset of first objects; and

creating for the third output pipe a second publication defining the second subset of the first objects including the third source identifiers.