Database transfers using constraint free data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10019503-B2
Application number	US-97536710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2010
Priority date	Dec 22, 2010
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A database management tool may migrate a portion of a constrained database by transferring the portion to a constraint-free database from a first constrained database, then populating a second constrained database using the constraint-free data. The constraint-free data may be transformed prior to populating to update internal database identifiers. In some cases, the transformation may also update the data to a different schema of the target database. The database management tool may also include a load balancer that may monitor the loads on a distributed database and may separate portions of the database to different database instances to more effectively load balance the larger database.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for use at a computer system, the method comprising:
monitoring performance of a first database instance and a second database instance of a distributed database when data that spans a first table and a second table is accessed from the distributed database;
determining that operational load at the first database instance is adversely impacting access to the data based on the monitored performance;
offloading a data portion of the data from the first database instance to the second database instance, including:
determining that the data portion is to be moved out of the first database instance to a constraint free database for dispositioning into the second database instance based on the monitored performance, the data portion spanning the first table and the second table, parts of the data portion in the first table and parts of the data portion in the second table having defined constraints between them, the data portion having database identifiers assigned to and compatible with the first database instance;
transferring the data portion from the first table and the second table to the constraint free database, the constraint free database eliminating the defined constraints between the first table and the second table;
accessing database identifiers for the second database instance, the accessed identifiers assigned to and compatible with the second database instance;
applying at least one transformation to the data portion stored in the constraint free database to transform the data portion into a transformed data portion, transforming the data portion including formatting the data portion for storage in the second database instance by reassigning database identifiers within the data portion to the accessed database identifiers; and

transmitting the transformed data portion from the constraint free database for storage into the second database instance using the reassigned database identifiers, the transformed data portion spanning a first table and second table in the second database instance, the first table and second table in the second database instance having different constraints and corresponding to the first table and second table in the second database instance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying at least one transformation comprises applying a transform to the data portion to transform the data portion for compatibility with a new schema, the new schema defining new constraints between the first table and the second table; and
wherein transmitting the transformed data comprising transmitting the transformed data for storage within the first table and the second table in the second database instance in accordance with the defined new constraints.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying at least one transformation comprises applying a transformation to the data portion for compatibility with an upgrade to operation of the distributed database.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising performing at least one additional transformation on the data portion prior to transmitting the transformed data portion for storage into the second database instance.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first database instance is a relational database and the second database instance is a relational database.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
preventing access to the data portion in the first database instance after transferring the data portion to the constraint free database and prior to transmitting the transformed data portion for storage into the second database instance.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
allowing access to a second different data portion stored in the first database instance while preventing access to the data portion.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
removing the data portion from the first database instance after transmitting the transformed data portion for storage into the second database instance.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying at least one transformation comprising performing part of a multi stage update to the operation of the distributed database.

10. A system comprising:
one or more hardware processors;
system memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors;
the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:
monitor performance of a first database instance and a second database instance of a distributed database when data that spans a first table and a second table is accessed from the distributed database;
determine that operational load at the first database instance is adversely impacting access to the data based on the monitored performance;
offload a data portion of the data from the first database instance to the second database instance, including:
determine that the data portion is to be moved out of the first database instance to a constraint free database for dispositioning into the second database based on the monitored performance, the data portion spanning the first table and the second table, parts of the data portion in the first table and parts of the data portion in the second table having defined constraints between them, the data portion having database identifiers assigned to and compatible with the first database instance;
transfer the data portion from the first table and the second table to the constraint free database, the constraint free database eliminating the defined constraints between the first table and the second table;
access database identifiers for the second database instance, the accessed identifiers assigned to and compatible with the second database instance;
apply at least one transformation to the data portion in the constraint free database to transform the data portion into a transformed data portion, transforming the data portion including formatting the data portion for storage in the second database instance by reassigning database identifiers within the data portion to the accessed database identifiers; and
transfer the transformed data portion from the constraint free database for storage into the second database instance using the reassigned database identifiers, the transformed data portion spanning a first table and a second table in the second database instance, the first table and second table in the second database instance having different constraints and corresponding to the first table and second table in the second database instance.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:
subsequent to transferring the transformed data portion for storage into the second database instance, receive a request for the data portion;
determine that the transformed data portion is stored in the second database instance by referring to a database topology; and
route the request to the second database instance.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:
update a routing table to associate the data portion with the second database instance.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to apply at least one transformation to the data portion comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to apply a transformation to the data portion for compatibility with a new schema, the new schema defin

Assignees

• Bikkula Ravi
• Veeraswamy Karthik
• Zeghmi Tewfik
• Poonamalli Rajiv
• Shaji Ullattil
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Bikkula Ravi
• Veeraswamy Karthik
• Zeghmi Tewfik
• Poonamalli Rajiv
• Shaji Ullattil

Classifications

• G06F16/278 Primary

  Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning · CPC title

• G06F16/254

  Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses · CPC title

• G06F16/214

  Database migration support · CPC title

• G06F17/30563

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30584 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic