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

• US 7,966,308 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Burton, William G., Erlich, Yan David, Outhred, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Sheree
• Application Number:
  US11/188,333
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 709/224
• US Class Current: 707/708
• 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 method for allocating new user accounts, comprising:

identifying one or more respective servers associated with a set of user accounts;

receiving a request for a new user account, wherein the request is related to a resource provisioning transaction comprising allocation of resources on the one or more respective servers for the new user account;

querying, based at least in part upon one or more constraints corresponding to online servers that are available for allocation, part of a user service plan, and have capacity for the new user account, at least over a set of resources associated with a resource pool corresponding to identified respective servers associated with the set of user accounts to identify a candidate set of resources based, at least in part, upon the request for the new user account, the online servers comprising at least a portion of the respective servers;

utilizing a first computing process, refining the candidate set of resources for resources that are within the user service plan, to create a refined candidate set of resources;

utilizing a second computing process, assigning each resource of the refined candidate set of resources a ranking score based, at least in part, upon available capacity;

utilizing a third computing process, removing resources whose ranking score is below a predetermined threshold from the refined candidate set of resources, to create a reduced candidate set of resources;

utilizing a fourth computing process, searching for resources that meet at least one predetermined constraint and removing resources that do not meet the at least one predetermined constraint from the reduced candidate set of resources, wherein the at least one predetermined constraint includes a resource type;

utilizing a fifth computing process, ordering the reduced candidate set of resources based upon their respective ranking scores to create a reduced and ordered candidate set of resources;

utilizing a sixth computing process, providing identities of resources in the reduced and ordered candidate set suitable for allocation of the new user account; and

utilizing a seventh computing process, allocating the new user account to one of the reduced and ordered candidate set of resources,

wherein each computing process is performed by a filter component associated with one or more computing devices.