Method and system for database licensing

• US 9,547,708 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Wald, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Tsan-Yu J
• Application Number:
  US11/397,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,942 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level

Abstract

A licensing service for a data repository, including software instructions to perform: dividing a data store into a plurality of domains; assigning a license number to at least one of the plurality of domains; and checking a license of a user with the assigned license number. A method to expedite license checking by statistically sampling a subset of probes to check the license. A method for allowing a third party application to access a data store without a license, including: assigning a license management tool feature name to the third party application; adding the license management tool feature name to a program in the data store; starting a session of the third party application; having the third party application call an embedded licensing application program interface; and checking the license using the embedded licensing application program interface.

Claims

1. A method for managing access to a data store having a plurality of domains, comprising:

obtaining a data model defining an entity type;

generating, using a hardware processor, a plurality of meta-tables based on the data model and defining the data store;

generating, using the hardware processor, the data store having the plurality of domains based on the plurality of meta-tables, wherein the plurality of domains comprises a plurality of data items for the entity type;

receiving, from a user, a request to generate a view for the entity type, wherein generating the view requires accessing the plurality of data items in the plurality of domains;

obtaining, in response to the request, a package variable identifying a checked out license of the user;

obtaining a plurality of domain license numbers identifying the plurality of domains, wherein each of the plurality of domain license numbers is a power of two and identifies a domain of the plurality of domains;

determining, using the hardware processor, a single license value identifying all of the plurality of domains after receiving the request by summing the plurality of domain license numbers, wherein each of the plurality of domains is represented by a bit in the single license value;

generating a result by performing a bitwise AND operation between the single license value and the package variable identifying the checked out license of the user;

calculating, using the hardware processor, a missing license for the user by subtracting the result from the single license value;

acquiring, using the hardware processor, the missing license for the user; and

generating, for the user, the view for the entity type by accessing the plurality of domains after acquiring the missing license.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking a validity of the checked out license, wherein checking the validity comprises using a statistical sampling method.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein checking the validity further comprises:

comparing an input argument from the user with a first secret number generated by a licensing service;

if the input argument matches the first secret number, then executing a license check; and

if the license is valid, then returning a second secret number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the input argument from the user is generated using a first code possessed by the user, wherein the first secret number is generated using a second code in the licensing service.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first code and the second code share a common algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a license management tool feature name to a third party application;

adding the license management tool feature name to a code in the data store;

starting a user session of the third party application;

requesting the third party application to call an embedded licensing application program interface; and

checking the checked out license using the embedded licensing application program interface.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a bit in the package variable corresponding to the missing license after acquiring the missing license.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the missing license comprises forwarding the missing license to a license daemon.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium, having stored thereon, instructions that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a data model defining an entity type;

generating a plurality of meta-tables based on the data model and defining the data store;

generating the data store having the plurality of domains based on the plurality of meta-tables, wherein the plurality of domains comprises a plurality of data items for the entity type;

receiving, from a user, a request to generate a view for the entity type, wherein generating the view requires accessing the plurality of data items in the plurality of domains;

obtaining, in response to the request, a package variable identifying a checked out license of the user;

obtaining a plurality of domain license numbers identifying the plurality of domains, wherein each of the plurality of domain license numbers is a power of two and identifies a domain of the plurality of domains;

determining a single license value identifying all of the plurality of domains after receiving the request by summing the plurality of domain license numbers, wherein each of the plurality of domains is represented by a bit in the single license value;

generating a result by performing a bitwise AND operation between the single license value and the package variable identifying the checked out license of the user;

calculating a missing license for the user by subtracting the result from the single license value;

acquiring the missing license for the user; and

generating, for the user, the view for the entity type by accessing the plurality of domains after acquiring the missing license.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising checking the validity of the checked out license, wherein checking the validity comprises using a statistical sampling method.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein checking the validity further comprises:

compare an input argument from the user with a first secret number generated by a licensing service;

if the input argument matches the first secret number, then execute a license check; and

if the license is valid, then return a second secret number.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the input argument from the user is generated using a first code possessed by the user, and wherein the first secret number is generated using a second code in the licensing service.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first code and the second code share a common algorithm.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprises:

assigning a license management tool feature name to the third party application;

adding the license management tool feature name to a code in the data store;

starting a user session of the third party application;

requesting a third party application to call an embedded licensing application program interface; and

checking a license using the embedded licensing application program interface.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprises:

setting a bit in the package variable corresponding to the missing license after acquiring the missing license.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions for acquiring the missing license further comprise functionality to forward the missing license to a license daemon.

17. A system to manage access to a data store having a plurality of domains, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory storing instructions for executing on the hardware processor to perform the steps of;

obtaining a data model defining an entity type;

generating a plurality of meta-tables based on the data model and defining the data store;

generating the data store having the plurality of domains based on the plurality of meta-tables, wherein the plurality of domains comprises a plurality of data items for the entity type;

receiving, from a user, a request to generate a view for the entity type, wherein generating the view requires accessing the plurality of data items in the plurality of domains;

obtaining, in response to the request, a package variable identifying a checked out license of the user;

obtaining a plurality of domain license numbers identifying the plurality of domains, wherein each of the plurality of domain license numbers is a power of two and identifies a domain of the plurality of domains;

determining a single license value identifying all of the plurality of domains after receiving the request by summing the plurality of domain license numbers, wherein each of the plurality of domains is represented by a bit in the single license value;

generating a result by performing a bitwise AND operation between the single license value and the package variable identifying the checked out license of the user;

calculating a missing license for the user by subtracting the result from the single license value;

acquiring the missing license for the user; and

generating, for the user, the view for the entity type by accessing the plurality of domains after acquiring the missing license.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory stores further instructions for executing on the hardware processor to perform the step of checking the validity of the checked out license, wherein checking the validity comprises using a statistical sampling method.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions to perform the step of checking the validity further comprise:

comparing an input argument from the user with a first secret number generated by a licensing service;

if the input argument matches the first secret number, then executing a license check; and

if the license is valid, then returning a second secret number.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the input argument from the user is generated using a first code possessed by the user, wherein the first secret number is generated using a second code in the licensing service.