Monitoring and raising alerts for database jobs

• US 6,356,917 B1
• Filed: 07/17/1998
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teradata US, Inc. (Teradata Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Kam, Wai Hung, Yang, Annie Yu-Ju, Dempsey, Michael, Ishimoto, Guy K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/118,413
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/104, 707/10, 707/201-205, 711/13, 714/20, 714/22, 714/39, 710/16, 709/201, 709/220, 709/219, 709/224, 709/223, 709/205, 600/509, 340/539, 340/825.44, 340/870.01, 379/29, 379/45, 342/357.02, 342/465, 455/404, 370/216, 702/187
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for monitoring and raising alerts in data processing jobs. The alert and monitoring system uses a monitor request table stored in a relational database as a central repository in which data process jobs insert monitoring requests. The monitoring requests specify the time at which alerts or monitoring notices should be taken, and if the data processing job fails to submit an updated monitor request, the action described in the monitor request is taken. Provision is made for customized actions to be taken via a action alert table, which stores additional data allowing conditional and logical invocation of actions.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring a data process in a relational database management system, comprising:

means for accepting a monitoring request for the data process, the monitoring request comprising an action time and an action information including an action code and an action destination;

memory for storing and retrieving the monitoring request in a row of a monitor request table stored in the relational database management system;

an alert control module for periodically processing the monitor request table to determine if an action characterized by the action code should be taken; and

means for comparing a current time to the action time;

means for initiating the action when the action time is earlier than the current time;

means for deleting monitoring requests for actions that have been taken; and

an alert action module for commanding the action specified by the action code when indicated by the alert control module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the alert control module comprises:

means for comparing a current time to the action time; and

means for initiating the action characterized by the action code when the current time is later than the action time.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for deleting monitoring requests for actions which have been taken.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an alert action dynamic link library for reading an action definition from an alert action table stored in the relational database and for sending a command the perform the action.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for periodically accepting updated monitoring requests from the data process.

6. A method of monitoring a data process, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request table data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the step of accepting a monitoring request in a monitor request data structure comprises the step of inserting the monitoring request as a row in a monitor request table.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the data process job comprises a relational database management system query, and the monitor request table is stored in the relational database management system.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of repeating steps (a) through (f) until the data process has completed.

9. A method of monitoring a data process, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request table data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the monitoring request is accepted from the data process.

10. A method of monitoring a data process, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request table data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed;

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken;

(e) updating the monitoring request; and

(f) repeatedly performing steps (b) through (d) using the updated monitoring request.

11. A method of monitoring a data process, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request table data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the step of taking an action characterized by the action code comprises the steps of;

reading an action definition from an action alert data structure; and

taking the action specified by the action definition.

12. A method of monitoring a data process, comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request table data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the step of taking the action characterized by the action code comprises the step of transmitting a message to an interested party.

13. An apparatus for monitoring a data process, comprising:

means for accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

means for recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

means for taking an action associated with the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for accepting a monitoring request in a monitor request data structure comprises means for inserting the monitoring request as a row in a monitor request table.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data process comprises a relational database management system query and the monitor request table is stored in the relational database management system.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for accepting a monitoring request comprises means for accepting a monitoring request from the data process.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

means for accepting an updated monitoring request from the data process and for recurrently processing the monitoring request table to determine if the action characterized by the action code should be taken.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the means for taking an action characterized by the action code comprises:

means for reading an action definition from an action alert data structure; and

means for taking the action specified by the action definition.

19. A program storage device, readable by computer having a processor and a memory, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform the method steps of monitoring a data process, the method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the method step of accepting a monitoring request in a monitor request data structure comprises the method step of inserting the monitoring request as a row in a monitor request table.

20. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the data process job comprises a relational database management system query, and the monitor request table is stored in the relational database management system.

21. The program storage device of claim 19, wherein the method steps further comprise the step of repeating steps (a) through (f) until the data process has completed.

22. A program storage device, readable by computer having a processor and a memory, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform the method steps of monitoring a data process, the method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the monitoring request is accepted from the data process.

23. A program storage device, readable by computer having a processor and a memory, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform the method steps of monitoring a data process, the method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed;

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken;

(e) updating the monitoring request; and

(f) repeatedly performing steps (b) through (d) using an the updated monitoring request.

24. A program storage device, readable by computer having a processor and a memory, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform the method steps of monitoring a data process, the method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the method step of taking an action characterized by the action code comprises the method steps of;

reading an action definition from an action alert data structure; and

taking the action specified by the action definition.

25. A program storage device, readable by computer having a processor and a memory, tangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable by the computer to perform the method steps of monitoring a data process, the method steps comprising the steps of:

(a) accepting a monitoring request associated with the data process in a monitor request data structure, the monitoring request having an action time and an action code;

(b) recurrently processing the monitoring request data structure to determine if the action time is earlier than the current time;

(c) taking an action characterized by the action code when the action time is earlier than the current time and the data process has not completed; and

(d) deleting the monitoring request from the monitor request data structure after the action has been taken; and

wherein the method step of taking the action characterized by the action code comprises the method step of transmitting a message to an interested party.