Use of a set based approach to constructing complex queries for managing resources built from a set of simple underlying operations

• US 7,707,141 B1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Erlich, Yan-David, Outhred, Geoffrey, Burton, William G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown; Sheree N
• Application Number:
  US10/306,533
• Time in Patent Office: 2,708 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 5
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and methodology for resource query management. The system includes a resource manager, a query engine and a filter component. The system facilitates construction and management of a resource query across resource type(s) that may be similar, different, incongruent and/or distinct. Accordingly, an SQL environment is leveraged to perform efficient, complex and intensive queries and/or operations using resource query constraint(s) from a resource constraint(s) store and the filter component over large set(s) of resources from the resource pool.

Claims

1. A query management system for managing queries over a resource pool, comprising:

a processing unit that executes one or more computer-executable components stored on a computer storage medium, the components comprising;

a resource manager that identifies respective servers associated with a set of user accounts and receives a query of resources relating to a resource provisioning transaction comprising allocation of resources on one or more of the respective servers for a new user account, wherein the resources comprise one or more of available disk storage, available network bandwidth, and available software license(s);

a query engine that identifies a candidate set of resources corresponding to the query of resources at least in part by querying a set of resources associated with a resource pool corresponding to the identified respective servers associated with the set of user accounts, wherein the query performed over the set of resources is based, at least in part, upon at least one constraint associated with the resource query, the at least one constraint corresponding to servers that are online, are available for allocation, are part of a user service plan, and have capacity for a new user account; and

a filter component that filters the candidate set to organize the candidate set and reduce the size of the candidate set by ranking, the filtered candidate set according to a score, and removing resources with a ranking score below a predetermined threshold from the filtered candidate set, and ordering the remaining filtered candidate set based upon the score;

wherein the resource manager provides identities of resources in the filtered candidate set suitable for allocation of a new user account in response to the query of resources.

2. The system of claim 1, the filter component further comprising a selection component that reduces a quantity of resources of the candidate set based, at least in part, upon one or more of a property, a characteristic, an attribute and a relationship between resources.

3. The system of claim 1, the filter component further comprising a rank component that performs the ranking of the filtered candidate set according to the score.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a resource constraint(s) store that stores the at least one constraint.

5. The system of claim 1, the resource pool comprising a plurality of disparate resources.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource manager further performs at least one action on at least one resource of the filtered candidate set.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the query engine employs an SQL environment.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one action performed on at least one resource of the filtered candidate is one or more of allocating a resource in the filtered candidate set and de-allocating a resource in the filtered candidate set.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the query of resources relates to resource provisioning transaction comprises moving information from a first resource in the resource pool to a second resource in the resource pool.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource provisioning transaction comprises moving a set of user accounts from a first set of servers to a second set of servers and the resources further comprise the set of user accounts.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first resource is disk storage at a first server and the second resource is disk storage at a second server.

8. A query management system comprising:

a processing unit that executes one or more computer-executable components stored on a computer storage medium, the components comprising;

a resource manager that maps respective user accounts to servers at which the user accounts reside and receives a query of resources associated with moving a user account from a server on which the user account resides to a disparate server, the resources comprising one or more of available disk storage, available network bandwidth, and available software license(s);

a query engine that employs an SQL environment to perform a query concurrently over a resource pool that comprises a plurality of resources at the servers at which the respective user accounts reside based, at least in part, upon at least one constraint associated with the query, wherein the at least one constraint corresponds to servers that are online, are available for allocation, are part of a user service plan, and have capacity for a new user account, and the query engine identifies a candidate set of resources based on the resource pool attribute search; and

a filter component that organizes and filters the candidate set, the filter component comprising a selection component and a rank component that ranks the filtered candidate set according to a score, and organizes the resources according to the score, and removes resources from the filtered candidate set based on a the ranking score being below a predetermined threshold, the resource manager providing identities of candidate resources corresponding to the user account in the filtered candidate set in response to the query; and

an update component that facilitates performance of one or more actions on the filtered candidate set, the one or more actions comprise at least one of allocating a resource in the filtered candidate set and de-allocating a resource in the filtered candidate set.

9. The system of claim 8, the selection component reducing a quantity of resources of the candidate set based, at least in part, upon one or more of a property, a characteristic, an attribute and a relationship between resources.

10. The system of claim 8, the rank component ranking the filtered candidate set according to the score.

11. A method for managing a query over a resource pool, comprising:

mapping one or more user accounts to respective disk storage devices associated with respective computer systems on which the user accounts reside;

searching the computer systems and associated disk storage devices mapped to respective user accounts to locate the respective user accounts;

identifying a candidate set of available resources for use in a resource provisioning transaction that comprises moving a set of user accounts from computer systems on which the user accounts reside to respective disparate computer systems based, at least in part, upon a resource query performed at least over a set of resources, wherein the candidate set of resources comprises one or more of disk storage, network bandwidth, and software license(s) and the resource query has one or more constraints associated therewith, the constraints comprising computer systems that are online, are available for allocation, are part of a user service plan, and have capacity for one or more new user accounts;

refining the candidate set of resources using a filter component, resulting in a smaller candidate set of resources;

ranking the refined candidate set of resources using the filter component to compile a scored set for the refined candidate set, and organizing the scored set using the filter component;

removing resources from the refined and organized candidate set of resources that have a ranking score below a predetermined threshold; and

returning information associated with the candidate set of resources in response to the resource query.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

receiving the query of resources;

querying at least one of the resources of the candidate set; and

updating at least one of the resources of the candidate set.

13. A query management system for managing queries over a resource pool, comprising:

a processing unit that executes one or more computer-executable components stored on a computer storage medium, the components comprising;

a resource manager component that locates a set of user accounts at least in part by mapping the user accounts to respective servers at which the user accounts reside and searching the servers for the respectively mapped user accounts and receives a query of available resources for moving at least one user account from a server at which the user account resides to a new server, the resources comprising at least one of disk storage, network bandwidth, and software license(s);

a query engine component that employs an SQL environment to perform the resource query over a set of resources and identifies a candidate set of resources for moving the at least one user account from a resource pool corresponding to a plurality of servers based, at least in part, upon at least one constraint associated with the resource query, the at least one constraint corresponding to servers that are online, are available for allocation, are part of a user service plan, and have capacity for a new user account; and

a filter component that filters the candidate set to result in a smaller candidate set of resources, ranks the filtered candidate set by using the filter component to compile a scored set and organizing the scored set using the filter component, and removes resources from the filtered and organized candidate set with a ranking score below a predetermined threshold, wherein the resource manager component provides identities of respective resources in the filtered candidate set that are suitable for use in moving the at least one user account in response to the resource query.

14. A query management system for managing queries over a resource pool, comprising:

a processing unit that executes one or more computer-executable instructions stored on a computer storage medium, the processing unit configured to;

means for identifying respective servers at which one or more user accounts reside;

means for receiving a resource query related to a resource provisioning transaction comprising allocation of resources on one or more of the respective servers for a new user account, wherein the resources comprise one or more of available disk storage, available network bandwidth, and an available software license;

means for employing an SQL environment to perform a query over a set of resources and identifying a candidate set of resources based, at least in part, upon at least one constraint associated with the resource query, the at least one constraint corresponding to servers that are online, are available for allocation, are part of a user service plan, and have capacity for a new user account;

means for filtering the candidate set of resources using a filter component, resulting in a smaller candidate set of resources;

means for ranking the filtered candidate set of resources using the filter component to compile a scored set for the refined candidate set, and organizing the scored set using the filter component;

means for removing resources from the filtered and organized candidate set of resources with a ranking score below a predetermined threshold; and

means for allocating resources from the filtered candidate set of resources for the new user account.