Restoring selected objects from a monolithic database backup

• US 8,065,278 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Beatty, Louis, Saraf, Deepak, DeVos, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison; Jay
• Application Number:
  US12/242,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20100082554A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/674
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

The present invention provides a mechanism to selectively restore portions of a monolithically backed up database, while maintaining hierarchical relationships and other metadata relationships of the restored portions of the database. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer-readable storage medium that provides for receiving a request to restore a selected object from among a plurality of backed up objects in a database backup, locating information associated with the selected object in the database backup, and restoring the object-to-restore using the information associated with the selected object in a target area. Database table metadata is gathered from the backed up database at the time the backup was created in order to locate the information associated with the selected object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request at a computer system, wherein

the request comprises

a request to restore a selected object from a backup of a database,

the database comprises a plurality of objects, and

the plurality of objects comprises

the selected object;

locating information in the backup using a processor of the computer system, wherein

the information is associated with the selected object,

the locating is performed using database table metadata,

the database table metadata was gathered from the database, and

the database table metadata was gathered at the time the backup was created; and

restoring the selected object using the processor, wherein

the restoring is performed using the information associated with the selected object, and

the restoring comprises

restoring one or more necessary objects,

the selected object is one of a plurality of objects,

the plurality of objects comprises the one or more necessary objects,

one or more of a plurality of data relationships describes a relationship between each of the plurality of objects and another of the plurality of objects,

each of the one or more necessary objects is necessary to restore the selected object, by virtue of a relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object,

the relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object is described by at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

the restoring restores all such necessary objects.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

the information comprises

information regarding each of the at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

information regarding the selected object,

the plurality of data relationships describes a hierarchy of objects, and

each of the plurality of objects is a member of the hierarchy of objects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

an object is necessary to restore the selected object

if the object is above the selected object in the hierarchy of objects, and

if the object was not previously restored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the database table metadata comprises:

an offset to a database table stored in the backup, wherein

the database table comprises

information describing the selected object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the database table metadata further comprises:

information describing a structure of the database table.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein

a plurality of database tables comprises the database table, and

each of the plurality of database tables comprises

at least a portion of the information describing the selected object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a backup operation on the database; and

storing the database table metadata.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein

the database comprises

a SharePoint content database, and

the database table metadata comprises

information describing one or more tables in the SharePoint content database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more tables in the SharePoint content database comprise:

one or more of

a Sites table,

a Webs table,

a Lists table,

a UserData table,

a UserInfo table,

a Groups table, and

a Roles table.

10. A system comprising:

a central processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium, wherein

the computer-readable storage medium is coupled to the central processor,

the computer-readable storage medium stores

a first storage object, wherein

the first storage object is configured to store a backup of a database, and

the database comprises

 

a plurality of objects, and

 

a plurality of database tables describing the plurality of objects, and

a second storage object, wherein

the second storage object is configured to store a target storage area, and

the target storage area is configured to store objects restored from the backup,

the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions executable by the processor, and

the instructions are configured to cause the central processor to receive a request, wherein

the request comprises

a request to restore a selected object from the backup,

the database comprises the plurality of objects, and

the plurality of objects comprises

the selected object,

locate information in the database backup, wherein

the information is associated with the selected object,

the instructions configured to cause the central processor to locate are configured to use database table metadata,

the database table metadata was gathered from the database, and

the database table metadata was gathered at the time the backup was created, and

restore the selected object to the second storage object, wherein

the instructions configured to cause the central processor to restore are configured to use the information associated with the selected object, and

the instructions configured to cause the central processor to restore comprise instructions configured to cause the central processor to restore one or more necessary objects,

the selected object is one of a plurality of objects,

the plurality of objects comprises the one or more necessary objects,

one or more of a plurality of data relationships describes a relationship between each of the plurality of objects and another of the plurality of objects,

each of the one or more necessary objects is necessary to restore the selected object, by virtue of a relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object,

the relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object is described by at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

the instructions configured to cause the central processor to restore the one or more necessary objects is configured to restore all such necessary objects.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein

the information comprises

information regarding each of the at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

information regarding the selected object,

the plurality of data relationships describes a hierarchy of objects, and

each of the plurality of objects is a member of the hierarchy of objects.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein

an object is necessary to restore the selected object

if the object is above the selected object in the hierarchy of objects, and

if the object was not previously restored.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the database table metadata comprises:

an offset to a database table stored in the backup, wherein

the database table comprises information describing the selected object.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the database table metadata further comprises:

information describing a structure of the database table.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein

a plurality of database tables comprises the database table, and

each of the plurality of database tables comprises at least a portion of the information describing the selected object.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein

the database comprises

a SharePoint content database, and

the database table metadata comprises

information describing one or more tables in the SharePoint content database.

17. A computer program product encoded on non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

a plurality of instructions, comprising

a first set of instructions, executable by a processor, and configured to receive a request, wherein

the request comprises

a request to restore a selected object from a backup of a database,

the database comprises a plurality of objects, and

the plurality of objects comprises

the selected object,

a second set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to locate information in the backup, wherein

the information is associated with the selected object,

the second set of instructions comprises further instructions configured to use database table metadata,

the database table metadata was gathered from the database, and

the database table metadata was gathered at the time the backup was created, and

a third set of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to restore the selected object to a target storage, wherein

the third set of instructions are configured to use the information associated with the selected object, and

the third set of instructions comprises

a first subset of instructions, executable by the processor, and configured to restore one or more necessary objects,

the selected object is one of a plurality of objects,

the plurality of objects comprises the one or more necessary objects,

one or more of a plurality of data relationships describes a relationship between each of the plurality of objects and another of the plurality of objects,

each of the one or more necessary objects is necessary to restore the selected object, by virtue of a relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object,

the relationship between the each of the one or more necessary objects and the selected object is described by at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

the third set of instructions is configured to restore all such necessary objects.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein

the information comprises

information regarding each of the at least one of the plurality of data relationships, and

information regarding the selected object,

the plurality of data relationships describes a hierarchy of objects, and

each of the plurality of objects is a member of the hierarchy of objects.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein

an object is necessary to restore the selected object

if the object is above the selected object in the hierarchy of objects, and

if the object was not previously restored.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the database table metadata comprises:

an offset to a database table stored in the backup, wherein

the database table comprises

information describing the selected object; and

information describing a structure of the database table.