Methods and apparatus for synchronizing content

• US 7,447,709 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Simon, Richard T., Tiruveedi, Venkata R., Gandhi, Rajesh K., Rozenman, Vitaly, Bushoy, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Shahid Al
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHONG H
• Application Number:
  US11/169,464
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 707/8, 707/101, 707/200, 707/201, 709/248, 709/213, 711/141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2443 Stored procedures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A computer process initiates a pre-analysis of managed objects and corresponding structures for storing object data in a relational database. The pre-analysis yields a set of operational instructions (e.g., a “stored” database procedure) that can be applied at run time to more efficiently initiate a modification to objects and corresponding object data stored in a relational database. After execution of a stored procedure to modify contents of an object and respective contents in a relational database, a synchronizer utilizes an identifier to access a log that stores changes associated with a managed object to which the stored procedure was applied. Based on contents of the log, the synchronizer identifies changes to one or more managed objects and identifies corresponding processes that rely on use of the affected managed objects. The synchronizer then notifies corresponding processes utilizing the affected managed objects of the changes to the relational database and/or managed objects.

Claims

1. A method to provide notification of modifications with respect to a managed object having corresponding data stored in a relational database, the method comprising:

initiating execution of a set of database instructions to modify contents of the relational database associated with the managed object, execution of the set of database instructions prompting generation of a log of corresponding changes to contents of the relational database associated with the managed object;

storing a log identifier associated with the log, the log identifier being a pointer referencing a location of the log in a corresponding repository;

providing notification of the log identifier to a synchronizer that utilizes the log identifier to;

i) access the log, ii) identify the corresponding changes, and iii) notify at least one process that utilizes the managed object regarding the changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object; and

prior to storing the log identifier, receiving the log identifier from a database related process in response to the log storing information associated with the corresponding changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein storing the log identifier includes instantiating a result set object in which to store the log identifier, the synchronizer obtaining the log identifier from the result set object in order to access the log, the log indicating a pending set of changes to eventually be made to the contents of the relational database as a result of executing the set of database instructions.

3. A method as in claim 2 further comprising:

generating a communication to the synchronizer indicating that the pending set of changes have been committed to change the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object, the communication prompting the synchronizer to identify and notify the at least one process of an occurrence of the changes to the managed object.

4. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request from a given process to modify the managed object;

generating a transaction identifier associated with the request, the transaction identifier indicative of a respective transaction including execution of the database instructions to modify the managed object to which the transaction applies; and

instantiating a result set object to include the transaction identifier and the log identifier.

5. A method as in claim 4 further comprising:

instantiating a set of managed objects in memory prior to receiving the request to modify the managed object, the set of managed objects having related object data stored in the relational database, each of multiple processes including the given process having access to the instantiated set of managed objects in memory; and

communicating a message to the synchronizer to indicate that changes have been made to the relational database with respect to the managed object, the message prompting the synchronizer to update the set of managed objects in memory based on the changes to the relational database associated with the managed object.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the set of database instructions is a pre-generated set of operational instructions that are generated based on an analysis of a relationship between an object type associated with the managed object and a corresponding structure for storing associated object data associated with the managed object in the relational database, the analysis being performed before receiving a respective command to initiate the set of database instructions and execution of the set of database instructions;

and

wherein initiating execution of the set of database instructions includes initiating execution of the pre-generated set of operational instructions with respect to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object.

7. A computer system that facilitates notification of changes associated with a managed object having corresponding data stored in a relational database, the computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory unit that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the processor; and

an interconnect coupling the processor and the memory unit, enabling the computer system to execute the application and perform operations of;

initiating execution of a set of database instructions to modify contents of the relational database associated with the managed object based on input from a first process of multiple processes, execution of the set of database instructions corresponding changes to contents of the relational database associated with the managed object, each of the multiple processes accessing the managed object from a cache, the managed object populated with data retrieved from the relational database;

storing a log identifier associated with the log, the log identifier referencing a location of the log in a repository;

providing notification of the log identifier to a synchronizer that utilizes the log identifier to;

i) access the log, ii) identify the corresponding changes, and iii) notify a second process that utilizes the managed object of the changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object maintained in the cache; and

prior to storing the log identifier, receiving the log identifier from a database related process in response to the log storing information associated with the corresponding changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object; and

wherein the synchronizer is configured to;

i) keep track of which of the multiple processes accesses the managed object in the cache, ii) update the managed object in the cache in accordance with the changes to contents of the relational database based on use of the log as identified by the log identifier, iii) update the managed object in the cache by initiating population of the managed object with at least a portion of the changed contents of the relational database, and iv) notify processes that access the managed object of updates to the managed object in the cache.

8. A computer system as in claim 7, wherein storing the log identifier includes storing the log identifier in a respective object used by the synchronizer to access the log and update the managed object in the cache based on the changes to the contents of the relational database, the log indicating a set of changes associated with the contents of the relational database as a result of executing the set of database instructions;

and

wherein the input from the first process is a request to execute the set of database instructions to change the contents in the relational database.

9. A computer system as in claim 8 further supporting operations of:

generating a communication to the synchronizer indicating that the pending set of changes have been committed to change the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object, the communication prompting the synchronizer to identify and notify the second process of an occurrence of the changes to the contents in the relational database associated with the managed object.

10. A computer system as in claim 7 further supporting operations of:

instantiating a set of managed objects in the cache prior to receiving the request to modify the managed object, the set of managed objects having related object data stored in the relational database, each of multiple processes including the first process and the second process having access to the instantiated set of managed objects in memory; and

communicating a message to the synchronizer to indicate that changes have been made to the relational database with respect to the managed object, the message prompting the synchronizer to update the set of managed objects in memory based on the changes to the relational database associated with the managed object.

11. A computer system as in claim 7, wherein the set of database instructions is a pre-generated set of operational instructions that are generated based on an analysis of a relationship between an object type associated with the managed object and a corresponding structure for storing associated object data associated with the managed object in the relational database, the analysis being performed before receiving a respective command to initiate the set of database instructions and execution of the set of database instructions;

and

wherein initiating execution of the set of database instructions includes initiating execution of the pre-generated set of operational instructions with respect to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object.

12. A computer program product including a computer-storage medium having instructions stored thereon for processing data information, such that the instructions, when carried out by a processing device, enable the processing device to perform the steps of:

initiating execution of a set of database instructions to modify contents of the relational database associated with the managed object, execution of the set of database instructions prompting generation of a log of corresponding changes to contents of the relational database associated with the managed object;

storing a log identifier associated with the log, the log identifier being a pointer referencing a location of the log in a corresponding repository;

providing notification of the log identifier to a synchronizer that utilizes the log identifier to;

i) access the log, ii) identify the corresponding changes, and iii) notify at least one process that utilizes the managed object regarding the changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object; and

prior to storing the log identifier, receiving the log identifier from a database related process in response to the log storing information associated with the corresponding changes to the contents of the relational database associated with the managed object.