Automated storage and retrieval of data

• US 8,271,508 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dao, Quyen C., Reel, John T., Reeves, William D., Snyder, Paul L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hasan, Syed H
• Application Number:
  US11/782,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770, 707/999.001, 707/999.003, 707/999.1
• US Class Current: 707/758
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing

Abstract

The present invention is directed to the automated storage and retrieval of data. A method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: requesting a data record; broadcasting a query for the requested data record to a plurality of data records in a data center, the query comprising a unique listener key identifying the requested data record and information regarding a requesting program; providing each of the plurality of data records with a listener, wherein each listener actively monitors the broadcasted query to determine if the unique listener key in the broadcasted query matches a unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener; and in the case of a match, automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving data, comprising:

receiving from a requesting program a request for one of a plurality of data records;

broadcasting a query for the requested data record to the plurality of data records in a data center in response to the receiving, wherein the data center stores more than one data record, the query comprising;

a unique listener key identifying the requested data record, wherein the unique listener key identifies one data record in the plurality of data records as the requested data record; and

information regarding the requesting program;

providing each of the plurality of data records with a listener, wherein each listener actively monitors the broadcasted query to determine if the unique listener key in the broadcasted query matches a unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener, and wherein the unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener specifically identifies the data record associated with the listener;

in the case of a match, automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program;

storing the unique listener key with a plurality of unique listener keys in a listener key table, each unique listener key identifying one specific data record in the plurality of data records;

removing the requested data record from the data center, wherein the removal is in response to the transfer;

reassigning the unique listener key of the removed data record to another data record in the plurality of data records; and

updating the listener key table to reflect the reassignment of the unique listener key.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a unique listener key to each data record of the plurality of data records; and

storing the plurality of data records in the data center.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the query comprises a plurality of unique listener keys each identifying a respective requested data record, further comprising:

automatically transferring each data record with a matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each listener simultaneously monitors the broadcasted query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the query comprises information regarding a plurality of requesting programs, further comprising:

automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to each of the plurality of requesting programs in the case of a match.

6. A system for retrieving data, comprising:

at least one computing device including;

a system for receiving from a requesting program a request for one of a plurality of data records;

a system for broadcasting a query for the requested data record to the plurality of data records in a data center in response to the receiving, wherein the data center stores more than one data record, the query comprising;

a unique listener key identifying the requested data record, wherein the unique listener key identifies one data record in the plurality of data records as the requested data record; and

information regarding the requesting program;

a system for providing each of the plurality of data records with a listener, wherein each listener comprises a system for actively monitoring the broadcasted query to determine if the unique listener key in the broadcasted query matches a unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener, and wherein the unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener specifically identifies the data record associated with the listener;

a system for automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program, in the case of a match;

a system for storing the unique listener key with a plurality of unique listener keys in a listener key table, each unique listener key identifying one specific data record in the plurality of data records;

a system for removing the requested data record from the data center, wherein the removal is in response to the transfer;

a system for reassigning the unique listener key of the removed data record to another data record in the plurality of data records; and

a system for updating the listener key table to reflect the reassignment of the unique listener key.

7. The system of claim 6, the at least one computing device further comprising:

a system for assigning a unique listener key to each data record of the plurality of data records; and

a system for storing the plurality of data records in the data center.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the query comprises a plurality of unique listener keys each identifying a respective requested data record, the at least one computing device further comprising:

a system for automatically transferring each data record with a matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein each listener is configured to simultaneously monitor the broadcasted query.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the query comprises information regarding a plurality of requesting programs, the at least one computing device further comprising:

a system for automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to each of the plurality of requesting programs in the case of a match.

11. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, which when executed, retrieves data, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising program code for:

receiving from a requesting program a request for one of a plurality of data records;

broadcasting a query for the requested data record to the plurality of data records in a data center in response to the receiving, wherein the data center stores more than one data record, the query comprising;

a unique listener key identifying the requested data record, wherein the unique listener key identifies one data record in the plurality of data records as the requested data record; and

information regarding the requesting program;

providing each of the plurality of data records with a listener, wherein each listener actively monitors the broadcasted query to determine if the unique listener key in the broadcasted query matches a unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener, and wherein the unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener specifically identifies the data record associated with the listener;

in the case of a match, automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program;

storing the unique listener key with a plurality of unique listener keys in a listener key table, each unique listener key identifying one specific data record in the plurality of data records;

removing the requested data record from the data center, wherein the removal is in response to the transfer;

reassigning the unique listener key of the removed data record to another data record in the plurality of data records; and

updating the listener key table to reflect the reassignment of the unique listener key.

12. A method for deploying an application for retrieving data, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

receive from a requesting program a request for one of a plurality of data records;

broadcast a query for the requested data record to the plurality of data records in a data center in response to the receiving, wherein the data center stores more than one data record, the query comprising;

a unique listener key identifying the requested data record, wherein the unique listener key identifies one data record in the plurality of data records as the requested data record; and

information regarding the requesting program;

provide each of the plurality of data records with a listener, wherein each listener actively monitors the broadcasted query to determine if the unique listener key in the broadcasted query matches a unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener, and wherein the unique listener key of the data record associated with the listener specifically identifies the data record associated with the listener;

in the case of a match, automatically transferring the data record with the matching unique listener key from the data center to the requesting program;

store the unique listener key with a plurality of unique listener keys in a listener key table, each unique listener key identifying one specific data record in the plurality of data records;

remove the requested data record from the data center, wherein the removal is in response to the transfer;

reassign the unique listener key of the removed data record to another data record in the plurality of data records; and

update the listener key table to reflect the reassignment of the unique listener key.