System and method for stack-based batch evaluation of program instructions

• US 9,471,370 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Marinelli, Eugene E. III, Namara, Yogy
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huaracha, Willy W
• Application Number:
  US13/657,656
• Publication Number:
  US 20140115589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: 718/101
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/541 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4484 Executing subprograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services

Abstract

A batching module that inspects call stacks within a stack evaluator to identify current expressions that can be evaluated in batch with other expressions. If such expressions are identified, the corresponding stacks are blocked from further processing and a batch processing request for processing the expressions is transmitted to the application server. The application server processes the expressions in batch and generates a value for each of the expressions. The blocked stacks are then populated with the values for the expressions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for batch evaluating a program instruction within a stack evaluator, the method comprising:

generating a call frame associated with the program instruction within a call stack that is associated with a program subroutine which includes the program instruction, wherein the call frame includes one or more expressions specified by the program instruction;

generating a child frame associated with a first expression of the one or more expressions within the call stack;

initiating evaluation of the first expression associated with the child frame;

automatically determining, in response to the initiating, whether the first expression associated with the child frame should be sent for batch processing by an application server based on a particular characteristic in common between the first expression and each of one or more other expressions;

transitioning the call stack into blocked state, in response to determining that the first expression should be sent for batch processing by the application server;

sending the first expression and each of the one or more other expressions to the application server;

in response to the application server processing the first expression associated with the child frame, receiving a modification to the child frame that sets a value of the first expression within the child frame;

unblocking the call stack; and

evaluating the call frame based at least in part on the value of the first expression within the child frame.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after generating the child frame associated with the first expression, transitioning the call stack to a stack evaluation state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically determining whether the first expression associated with the child frame should be sent for processing by the application server comprises:

determining a first type of expression of the first expression;

determining whether the first type of expression is an expression from among types of expressions pre-determined to be expressions that should be processed in batch;

when the first type of expression is an expression from among the types of expressions pre-determined to be expressions that should be processed in batch, determining whether the first type of expression of the first expression and a second type of expression of each of the one or more other expressions is the same or similar to each other;

further comprising, when the first type of expression of the first expression and the second type of expression of each of the one or more other expressions are the same or similar to each other, sending the first expression and the one or more other expressions to the application server to be processed in batch by the application server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a second call frame associated with the program instruction within the call stack, wherein the second call frame includes a second expression specified by the program instruction, and generating a child frame associated with the second expression within the call stack.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein processing the first expression includes the execution of a database call.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request from a software module to inspect the child frame, wherein the software module applies the modification to the child frame in response to the inspection of the child frame.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the inspection of the child frame comprises analyzing one or more characteristics associated with the first expression.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform batch evaluating a program instruction within a stack evaluator, by performing the steps of:

generating a call frame associated with the program instruction within a call stack that is associated with a program subroutine that includes the program instruction, wherein the call frame includes one or more expressions specified by the program instruction;

generating a child frame associated with a first expression of the one or more expressions within the call stack;

initiating evaluation of the first expression associated with the child frame;

automatically determining, in response to the initiating, whether the first expression associated with the child frame should be sent for batch processing by an application server based on a particular characteristic in common between the first expression and each of one or more other expressions;

transitioning the call stack into blocked state, in response to determining that the first expression should be sent for batch processing by the application server;

sending the first expression and each of the one or more other expressions to the application server;

in response to the application server processing the first expression associated with the child frame, receiving a modification to the child frame that sets a value of the first expression within the child frame;

unblocking the call stack; and

evaluating the call frame based at least in part on the value of the first expression within the child frame.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform, after generating the child frame associated with the first expression, transitioning the call stack to a stack evaluation state.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the instructions which when executed cause performing automatically determining whether the first expression associated with the child frame should be sent for processing by the application server comprise instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform:

determining a first type of expression of the first expression;

determining whether the first type of expression is an expression from among types of expressions pre-determined to be expressions that should be processed in batch;

when the first type of expression is an expression from among the types of expressions pre-determined to be expressions that should be processed in batch, determining whether the first type of expression of the first expression and a second type of expression of each of the one or more other expressions is the same or similar to each other;

further comprising, when the first type of expression of the first expression and the second type of expression of each of the one or more other expressions are the same or similar to each other, sending the first expression and the one or more other expressions to the application server to be processed in batch by the application server.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform generating a second call frame associated with the program instruction within the call stack, wherein the second call frame includes a second expression specified by the program instruction, and generating a child frame associated with the second expression within the call stack.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform receiving a request from a software module to inspect the child frame, wherein the software module applies the modification to the child frame in response to the inspection of the child frame.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the inspection of the child frame comprises analyzing one or more characteristics associated with the first expression.