Retrieval of searchable and non-searchable attributes

• US 8,171,006 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Wei, Shu-Shang Sam, Kilday, Roger W., Spivak, Victor, Amiel, Meir, Chandrasekaran, Venkat, Li, Yik-Ping, Ma, Xiaofeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Jami, Hares
• Application Number:
  US12/005,140
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 707730-759, 707/999.1, 707/705, 707/706, 707/708, 707/769, 707/771, 707/999.3
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing

Abstract

Retrieving stored data is disclosed. A retrieval request is received for an object. A retrieval response is generated that includes: 1) a first set of searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the first set of attributes is stored in a database in a manner that enables a database query to be performed against the attribute of the first set of attributes; and 2) a second set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the second set of attributes is stored in the database in a manner that does not enable a database query to be performed against the attribute of the second set of attributes.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving stored data, comprising:

receiving a retrieval request for an object; and

generating a retrieval response that includes;

a set of searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of searchable attributes is stored in a database in a manner that enables a database query to be performed against the attribute of the set of searchable attributes; and

a set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in the database in a manner that does not enable a database query to be performed against the attribute of the set of a non-searchable attributes, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in one or more database cells of the database, wherein each database cell of the one or more database cells stores more than one attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes, and wherein each database cell comprises a cell that is not further divided into multiple rows or multiple columns of a table of the database, wherein the set of searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a first database table corresponding to the object and the set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a second database table, and wherein the first database table and the second database table are different, and wherein the second database table is accessed before the first database table.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the retrieval request for the object is based at least in part on the object being identified from a search.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein the object comprises a hierarchical class-based object.

4. The method as in claim 3, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a top-level database table of a hierarchy of database tables, wherein the hierarchy of database tables is based at least in part on a class hierarchy associated with the hierarchical class-based object.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a first database location that is accessible more rapidly than a second database location, wherein the second database location comprises a database cell associated with an object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is associated with the object and wherein the object is one of a plurality of objects of a complex hierarchical object.

6. The method as in claim 1, further comprising identifying any deleted attribute in the set of non-searchable attributes.

7. The method as in claim 6, further comprising removing the identified to be deleted attribute in the set of non-searchable attributes stored in the database.

8. A system for retrieving stored data, comprising:

an interface for receiving a retrieval request for an object; and

a processor for;

generating a retrieval response that includes;

a set of searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of searchable attributes is stored in a database in a manner that enables a database query to be performed against the attribute of the set of searchable attributes; and

a set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in the database in a manner that does not enable a database query to be performed against the attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in one or more database cells of the database, wherein each database cell of the one or more database cells stores more than one attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes, and wherein each database cell comprises a cell that is not further divided into multiple rows or multiple columns of a table of the database, and wherein the set of searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a first database table corresponding to the object and the set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a second database table, wherein the first database table and the second database table are different, and wherein the second database table is accessed before the first database table.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein the retrieval request for the object is based at least in part on the object being identified from a search.

10. The system as in claim 8, wherein the object comprises a hierarchical class-based object.

11. The system as in claim 10, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a top-level database table of a hierarchy of database tables, wherein the hierarchy of database tables is based at least in part on a class hierarchy associated with the hierarchical class-based object.

12. The system as in claim 8, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a first database location that is accessible more rapidly than a second database location, wherein the second database location comprises a database cell associated with an object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is associated with the object and wherein the object is one of a plurality of objects of a complex hierarchical object.

13. The computer program product for retrieving stored data, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a retrieval request for an object; and

generating a retrieval response that includes;

a set of searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of searchable attributes is stored in a database in a manner that enables a database query to be performed against the attribute of the set of searchable attributes; and

a set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in the database in a manner that does not enable a database query to be performed against the attributes of the set of non-searchable attributes, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in one or more database cells of the database, wherein each database cell of the one or more database cells stores more than one attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes, and wherein each database cell comprises a cell that is not further divided into multiple rows or multiple columns of a table of the database, and wherein the set of searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a first database table corresponding to the object and the set of non-searchable attributes associated with the object is stored in a second database table, and wherein the first database table and the second database table are different, and wherein the second database table is accessed before the first database table.

14. The computer program product recited in claim 13, wherein the retrieval request for the object is based at least in part on the object being identified from a search.

15. The computer program product recited in claim 13, wherein the object comprises a complex hierarchical object.

16. The computer program product recited in claim 15, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a top-level database table of a hierarchy of database tables, wherein the hierarchy of database tables is based at least in part on a class hierarchy associated with a hierarchical class-based object.

17. The computer program product recited in claim 13, wherein the set of non-searchable attributes is stored in a first database location that is accessible more rapidly than a second database location, wherein the second database location comprises a database cell associated with an object, wherein an attribute of the set of non-searchable attributes is associated with the object and wherein the object is one of a plurality of objects of a complex hierarchical object.