Systems and/or methods for tailoring event processing in accordance with boundary conditions

• US 9,542,448 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG
• Original Assignee: Software AG
• Inventors: Schning, Harald
• Primary Examiner(s): Kraft, Shih-Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/926,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,260 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

The technology relates to techniques for the attachment of priorities and/or reaction time limits to various entities of a system such as, for example, events, event types, queries, etc. The system'"'"'s processing may be tailored behavior to match these boundary conditions while at the same time increasing (and sometimes even maximizing) the rate of events processed. Advantageously, the system may be made to adapt its behavior to the current situation, which is changeable and may even be changing quite frequently, e.g., as in connection with a potentially rapidly changing stream. Users may, for example, specify policies to control this adaptation and, thus, events (including events of special interest) may be handled appropriately, even in response to changing conditions.

Claims

1. A method for handling a stream of events, the method comprising:

receiving the stream of events, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

executing, via at least one processor of a computer system, predefined queries on the events;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

estimating whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition,

processing the predefined queries according to a first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

processing the predefined queries according to a second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

ending the second mode returning to processing according to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising resuming, at least temporarily suspended queries, and delivering all events when the second mode is ended.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily storing, in a data store, any at least temporarily suspended queries.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in the second mode, resuming any at least temporarily suspended queries associated with further received events that have attached boundary conditions.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising applying real-time scheduling techniques to develop an improved processing plan during the second mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the events are received via predefined channels on an event bus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of said channels has a boundary condition associated therewith.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising when an event has an attached boundary condition and a channel receiving the event also has an associated boundary condition, performing said estimating using a shorter reaction time and/or a higher priority.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each said event has an associated predefined event type.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein boundary conditions for events are at initially set by virtue of the event type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each said query includes a specification of any event types consumed, transformation specifications specifying how to compute any query outputs from any query inputs, and a definition of any output events with an explicit or implicit event type.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the query further includes conditions or constraints for any events it consumes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said events have a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto indirectly by virtue of an assignment of the maximum reaction time and/or the priority to one or more associated event types on which the events are based.

14. A method for configuring a system to handle a stream of events, the method comprising:

defining a plurality of event types;

storing said event types in an event type registry; and

enabling the system to execute in first and second modes, wherein;

the stream of events is received, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

queries are executed, via at least one processor of the system, on the events;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition is estimated,

the queries are processed according to the first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

the queries are processed according to the second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

the second mode is ended and processing is returned to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least temporarily suspended queries are resumed and all events are delivered when the second mode is ended.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein any of the at least temporarily suspended queries associated with further received events that have attached boundary conditions are resumed in the second mode.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising configuring channels on an event bus of the system, the events being receivable by the channels.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of said channels has a boundary condition associated therewith.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when an event has an attached boundary condition and a channel receiving the event also has an associated boundary condition, said estimating is performed using a shorter reaction time and/or a higher priority.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein each event is associated with exactly one event type.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising defining said queries to include a specification of any event types consumed, transformation specifications specifying how to compute any query outputs from any query inputs, and a definition of any output events with an explicit or implicit event type.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said queries further include conditions or constraints for any events they consume.

23. A system configured to generate and process a stream of events, comprising:

an event bus configured to receive the stream of events, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

at least one processor configured to execute predefined queries on the events, the at least one processor being further configured to;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

estimate whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition,

process the predefined queries according to a first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

process the predefined queries according to a second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

end the second mode return to processing according to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a system, performs functionality comprising:

receiving the stream of events, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

executing, via at least one processor of a computer system, predefined queries on the events;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

estimating whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition,

processing the predefined queries according to a first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

processing the predefined queries according to a second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

ending the second mode returning to processing according to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.

25. A system configured to generate and process a stream of events, comprising:

a memory configured to store one or more instructions for generating and processing the stream of events; and

at least one processor, operatively associated with the memory, and configured to at least;

define a plurality of event types;

store said event types in an event type registry; and

enable the system to execute in first and second modes,

wherein;

the stream of events is received, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

queries are executed, via at least one processor of the system, on the events;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition is estimated,

the queries are processed according to the first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

the queries are processed according to the second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

the second mode is ended and processing is returned to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.

26. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of a system, performs functionality comprising:

defining a plurality of event types;

storing said event types in an event type registry; and

enabling the system to execute in first and second modes, wherein;

the stream of events is received, at least one of said events having boundary conditions attached thereto, the boundary conditions being maximum reaction times and/or priorities;

queries are executed, via at least one processor of the system, on the events;

for each said event having a maximum reaction time and/or a priority attached thereto;

whether the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition is estimated,

the queries are processed according to the first mode when the event can be processed within the attached boundary condition, and

the queries are processed according to the second mode when the event cannot be processed within the attached boundary condition, wherein the second mode is practiced by at least temporarily suspending queries that do not consume events with attached boundary condition instead processing other queries; and

the second mode is ended and processing is returned to the first mode when it is estimated that unconsumed events having attached boundary conditions can be processed within their attached boundary conditions.