Systems, methods and articles of manufacture for upgrading a database with a shadow system

• US 7,523,142 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2002
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Driesen, Volker, Valentin, Christiane
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US10/320,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 707/202, 707/204
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed for upgrading a database using of a shadow system. During an upgrade, the shadow system or repository is built as a new instance on the database. The shadow system may be a complete central instance and comprise the new release to be installed in the database. The new release or “destination release” may represent the release(s) of software application(s) and/or data that the user wants to run in the future. The destination release may replace a “source release” of software application(s) and/or data currently running on the database as part of a main productive system. In one embodiment, the shadow system may be operated in parallel with the main productive system to minimize the required downtime for the upgrade.

Claims

1. A method for upgrading a database, the database including a main system with a source release accessible to a main database user, the method comprising:

installing in the database a shadow system that includes a destination release accessible to a shadow database user, wherein installing the shadow system comprises defining storage structures for the destination release based on a name of the main database user, and creating synonyms for the shadow database user to provide access to storage structures for the destination release that are stored under the name of the main database user;

operating the shadow system in parallel with operation of the main system;

setting a plurality of triggers to detect and report chances in data in the main production system;

analyzing the triggers, during downtime of the main system, to restore or update the changed data in the shadow system back to the destination release; and

performing, during downtime of the main system, a system switch to remove the source release from the database and provide an upgraded system based on the destination release of the shadow system.

2. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein installing the shadow system further comprises importing at least one of a software application and data of the destination release into the defined storage structures.

3. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein defining the storage structures comprises adding a predetermined suffix to a defined name of each storage structure in the shadow system.

4. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein the storage structures for the destination release comprise tables, and further wherein the tables comprise repository tables, customizing tables and application tables.

5. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, further comprising configuring the shadow system installed in the database during runtime operation of the main system.

6. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 5, wherein configuring the shadow system comprises adjusting entries of storage structures for the destination release based on at least one of user modifications, configurations and additional software.

7. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein, prior to the system switch, the shadow system is installed physically in the same database as the main system.

8. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein

the destination release includes destination information comprising a destination information name;

the main system includes main system information comprising a main system information name; and

the destination information name and the main system information name are different.

9. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein the shadow system is updated before the system switch and during downtime of the main system.

10. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein the shadow system is updated before the system switch and during downtime of the main system, wherein the main system is run on a main system application server, the shadow system is run on a shadow system application server, and the application servers are implemented on one device.

11. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the destination release is compatible with hardware and software associated with the database,

wherein the shadow system is installed if the destination release is compatible.

12. A method for upgrading a database according to claim 1, wherein the main system is operated during an operating period, and the destination release includes data that was no present on the main system during the operating period.

13. A system for upgrading a database, the database including a source release accessible to a main database user, the system comprising:

means for installing in the database a shadow repository that includes a destination release accessible to a shadow database user, the means for installing comprising means for defining storage structures for the destination release based on a name of the main database user, and means for creating synonyms for the shadow database user to provide access to storage structures for the destination release;

means for providing access to the shadow repository in parallel with access to the source release;

means for setting a plurality of triggers to detect and report changes in data in the source release;

means for analyzing the triggers, during downtime of the main system, to restore or update the chanced data in the shadow repository back to the destination release; and

means for performing, during downtime of access to the source release, a system switch to replace the source release in the database with the destination release of the shadow repository.

14. A system for upgrading a database according to claim 13, wherein the means for installing the shadow repository further comprises importing at least one of a software application and data of the destination release into the defined storage structures.

15. A system for upgrading a database according to claim 13, wherein the means for defining the storage structures for the destination release comprises adding a predetermined suffix to a defined name of each storage structure in the shadow repository.

16. A system for upgrading a database according to claim 13, wherein the storage structures for the destination release comprise tables, and further wherein the destination release tables comprise repository tables, customizing tables and application tables.

17. A system for upgrading a database according to claim 13, further comprising means for configuring the shadow repository installed in the database during runtime access to the source release.

18. A system for upgrading a database according to claim 17, wherein the means for configuring the shadow repository comprises adjusting entries of storage structures for the destination release based on at least one of user modifications

19. A computer-readable medium that stores program instructions that are executable by a computing-based environment to perform a method for upgrading a database, the database including a main productive system with a source release accessible to a main database user, the source release comprising a plurality of software applications and associated data, the method comprising:

installing in the database a shadow system that includes a destination release accessible to a shadow database user, the destination release comprising at least one new release of a software application or data, wherein installing the shadow system comprises defining storage structures for the destination release based on a name of the main database user, and creating synonyms for the shadow database user to provide access to storage structures for the destination release;

operating the shadow system in parallel with operation of the main productive system;

setting a plurality of triggers to detect and report changes in data in the main productive system;

analyzing the triggers, during downtime of the main productive system, to restore or update the changed data in the shadow system back to the destination release; and

performing, during downtime of the main productive system, a system switch to remove the source release from the database and provide an upgraded system based on the destination release of the shadow system.

20. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein installing the shadow system further comprises importing the at least one of software application of the destination release into the defined storage structures.

21. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein defining the storage structures comprises adding a predetermined suffix to a defined name of each storage structure in the shadow system.

22. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the storage structures for the destination release comprise tables, and further wherein the destination release tables comprise repository tables, customizing tables and application tables.

23. A computer-readable medium according to claim 19, further comprising configuring the shadow system installed in the database during runtime operation of the main productive system.

24. A computer-readable medium according to claim 23, wherein configuring the shadow system comprises adjusting entries of storage structures for the destination release based on at least one of user modifications, configurations and additional software.