Method for storing data elements in a database

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10282349-B2
Application number	US-201514836042-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2015
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

In an approach to storing data elements in a database, a database management unit provides a table-mapping file for enabling access to a table of a plurality of tables in a storage medium, the table-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single table, a map record comprising information indicative of the table, a column of the table, a data section of the table, and a range of values of data elements included in the data section of the column. The unit receives a data element at the database via a communication interface, determines the table, column, and data section the data element is to be stored in, and stores the data element in the section file corresponding to the determined table, column and data section. The unit then updates the table-mapping file corresponding to the table, columns and data section the data element has been stored in.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A database system comprising at least one storage medium, a database management unit and at least one communication interface, the storage medium comprising a plurality of tables, the plurality of tables comprising a plurality of rows, the rows comprising a plurality of columns of data elements, the tables being divided into a plurality of data sections, each data section of the plurality of data sections comprising a subset of the plurality of rows and one or more data elements from a column of the plurality of columns, each data section being stored in an individual data section-file in the storage medium, the database system being adapted to:
provide at least one table-mapping file for enabling access to a table of the plurality of tables in the storage medium, the at least one table-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single table, a map record comprising information indicative of one or more of: a table from the plurality of tables, a column of the table, a data section of the table, and a range of values of the one or more data elements included in the data section of the column;
receive the first data element at the database via the at least one communication interface, wherein the database further comprises a plurality of column-mapping files stored in the storage medium for enabling access to a column from the plurality of columns, a column-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single column, the database further comprising mapping-policy information for the tables included in the database, the policy information being indicative of whether to use a table-mapping file or a column-mapping file for enabling access to the one or more data elements included in a table, wherein the database further comprises: at least one access-log file stored in the storage medium, the access-log file comprising information for the tables indicative of a number of operations for storing one or more data elements and a number of queries for one or more data elements of a table;
determine the table, column, and data section the first data element is to be stored in by the database management unit;
determine a ratio of queries to storing operations for a table using the information included in the access-log file by the database management unit;
compare the determined ratio to a predefined threshold ratio by the database management unit;
if the determined ratio exceeds the predefined threshold ratio, retrieve the plurality of map records from the table-mapping file and storing the plurality of map records in the column-mapping file of the column the plurality of map records correspond to by the database management unit;
store the first data element in a section file corresponding to the determined table, column and data section by the database management unit; and
update the at least one table-mapping file corresponding to the table, columns and data section the first data element has been stored in by the database management unit.

2. The database system of claim 1 , the system further adapted to:
receive a database query for at least one data element via the communication interface, the database query comprising an information indicative of a value or range of values of the queried at least one data element, a first table comprising the one or more data elements and a first column comprising the one or more data elements;
access the at least one table-mapping file comprising the plurality of map records of the first table by the database management unit;
determine a first set of data sections for which the value or range of values of the queried at least one data element is within a ranges of values included in the corresponding map records by the database management unit; and
scan one or more section-files corresponding to the determined first set of data sections for the queried at least one data element by the database management unit.

3. The database system of claim 1 , the system, when updating of the table-mapping file, being further adapted to:
determine by the database management unit whether a map record corresponding to the table, column and data section the first data element has been stored in already exists; and
responsive to determining the map record exists, update the map record by the database management unit.

4. The database system of claim 3 , the system being further adapted to:
responsive to determining no such map record exists, create a new map record for the table, column and data section the first data element has been stored in using a value of the first data element as a range of values by the database management unit.

5. The database system of claim 3 , the system, when updating the map record, being further adapted to:
determine the value of the first data element by the database management unit;
compare the value of the first data element with the range of values included in the map record by the database management unit; and
if the value of the first data element is not within the range of values, extend a range of values to the value of the first data element by the database management unit.

6. The database system of claim 1 , the database further comprising a plurality of column-mapping files stored in the storage medium for enabling access to a column from the plurality of columns, a column-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single column, the database further comprising mapping-policy information for the tables included in the database, the policy information being indicative of whether to use a table-mapping file or a column-mapping file for enabling access to the one or more data elements included in a table.

7. A computer program product for storing a first data element in a database comprising at least one storage medium, a database management unit and at least one communication interface, the database comprising a plurality of tables, the plurality of tables comprising a plurality of rows, the rows comprising a plurality of columns of data elements, the tables being divided into a plurality of data sections, each data section of the plurality of data sections comprising a subset of the plurality of rows and one or more data elements from a column of the plurality of columns, each data section being stored in an individual data section-file in the at least one storage medium, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions executable by a computer processor to cause the computer processor to perform a method comprising: providing, by a computer processor, at least one table-mapping file for enabling access to a table of the plurality of tables in the storage medium, the at least one table-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single table, a map record comprising information indicative of one or more of: a table from the plurality of tables, a column of the table, a data section of the table, and a range of values of the one or more data elements included in the data section of the column;
receive the first data element at the database via the at least one communication interface, wherein the database further comprises a plurality of column-mapping files stored in the storage medium for enabling access to a column from the plurality of columns, a column-mapping file comprising a plurality of map records of a single column, the database further comprising mapping-policy information for the tables included in the database, the policy information being indicative of whether to use a table-mapping file or a column-mapping file for enabling access to the one or more data elements included in a table,

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Booman Gordon A
• Finnie James L
• Koeth Oliver
• Sarin Sunil K

Classifications

• G06F16/2282

  Tablespace storage structures; Management thereof · CPC title

• G06F16/211 Primary

  Schema design and management · CPC title

• G06F16/221 Primary

  Column-oriented storage; Management thereof · CPC title

• G06F16/2372

  Updates performed during offline database operations · CPC title