Managing distributed index data

• US 7,827,160 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kuhr, Gernot, Schmidt, Olaf, Fischer, Martin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ruiz; Angelica
• Application Number:
  US11/694,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/104.1, 707/202, 707/203, 707/204, 707600-899, 707999001-999206
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution

Abstract

This disclosure provides various embodiments of systems, methods, and software for managing distributed index data. For example, in one embodiment, software for managing distributed index data may identify a query for one or more data objects from a data repository using a generic index, map the query to one of a plurality of logically distributed indices according to at least one rule, and execute the mapped query using the particular distributed index to retrieve the one or more data objects. Each distributed index may be in a disparate index repository that is on a disparate storage device. In some aspects, the one or more rules may include a plurality of business rules, as well as at least one technical rule, which may be stored in a rules repository. In further aspects, an administration view may be presented to a client such that one of the business rules is customized.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable article for managing distributed index data, the article storing instructions that are operable when executed by a processor to:

load a plurality of rules associated with business attributes of one or more data objects in a data repository, wherein the one or more data objects are indexed using a plurality of logically distributed indices, each logically distributed index comprising an index of a subset of the one or more data objects, wherein data objects indexed in each logically distributed index share at least one common business attribute determined at least in part by the plurality of rules;

identify a query for one or more data objects from the data repository, the query targeting a generic index of data objects in the data repository, wherein the query includes an attribute associated with a particular logically distributed index;

map the query to the particular logically distributed index according to at least one of the plurality of rules and the attribute associated with the particular logically distributed index; and

execute the mapped query against the particular distributed index to retrieve the one or more data objects, wherein the mapped query is executed against the particular distributed index without executing the mapped query against any other of the plurality of logically distributed indices and without using the generic index.

2. The article of claim 1, each distributed index being stored in a logically disparate index repository.

3. The article of claim 2, each index repository stored on a disparate storage device.

4. The article of claim 1, the rules stored in a rules repository.

5. The article of claim 1, the rules further comprising at least one technical rule.

6. The article of claim 1 further storing instructions operable when executed to present an administration view to a client such that one of the business rules is customized.

7. The article of claim 1, the plurality of distributed indices comprising a first index associated with a particular business criteria and a second index associated with another particular business criteria.

8. The article of claim 1 further storing instructions operable when executed to:

receive a request to add a new data object to the data repository;

parse the request to identify data for the plurality of rules; and

add index data to one of the distributed indices as the data object is stored based on the identified data and the plurality of rules.

9. The article of claim 1 further storing instructions operable when executed to:

receive a request to reorganize the data repository based on a business occurrence;

identify one of the distributed indices based on the business occurrence; and

reorganize the data repository according to the identified distributed index.

10. The article of claim 9, the reorganization of the data comprising:

archiving a subject of the data repository to a backup repository;

moving the identified distributed index associated with the subject from the plurality of distributed indices to the backup repository;

destroying the subject of the data repository; and

dropping the identified distributed index from the plurality of distributed indices.

11. The article of claim 1 further storing instructions operable when executed to maintain an audit trail of a first of the rules as the first rule changes.

20. The article of claim 1, wherein one of the data objects is associated with two logically distributed indices.

12. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors for managing distributed index data stored in memory, the method comprising the following steps performed by one or more processors:

loading a plurality of rules associated with business attributes of one or more data objects in a data repository, wherein the one or more data objects are indexed using a plurality of logically distributed indices stored in memory, each logically distributed index comprising an index of a subset of the one or more data objects, wherein data objects indexed in each logically distributed index share at least one common business attribute determined at least in part by the plurality of rules;

identifying a query for one or more data objects from the data repository, the query targeting a generic index of data objects in the data repository, wherein the query includes an attribute associated with a particular logically distributed index;

mapping the query to the particular logically distributed index stored in memory according to at least one of the plurality of rules and the attribute associated with the particular logically distributed index; and

executing the mapped query against the particular distributed index to retrieve the one or more data objects, wherein the mapped query is executed against the particular distributed index without executing the mapped query against any other of the plurality of logically distributed indices and without using the generic index.

13. The method of claim 12, each distributed index in a disparate index repository that is stored on a disparate storage device.

14. The method of claim 12, the one or more rules comprising a plurality of business rules and at least one technical rule.

15. The method of claim 14, the rules stored in a rule repository.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising presenting an administration view to a client such that one of the business rules is customized.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving a request to add a new data object to the data repository;

parsing the request to identify data for the plurality of rules; and

adding index data to one of the distributed indices as the data object is stored based on the identified data and the plurality of rules.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

receiving a command to reorganize the data repository based on a business occurrence;

identifying one of the distributed indices based on the business occurrence; and

reorganizing the data repository according to the identified distributed index.

19. The method of claim 18, the reorganizing of the data repository further comprising:

archiving a subject of the data repository to a backup repository;

moving the identified distributed index associated with the subject from the plurality of distributed indices to the backup repository;

destroying the subject of the data repository; and

dropping the identified distributed index from the plurality of distributed indices.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the data objects is associated with two logically distributed indices.