Issue rank management in an issue tracking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10282685-B2
Application number	US-201514622784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2015
Priority date	Feb 13, 2015
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Described herein is a computer implemented method for maintaining a plurality of issues, each issue having an associated rank value, the rank values of the plurality of issues defining an order of the plurality of issues. The method comprises receiving a rank operation request to change the rank of a subject issue; determining relevant issues to the rank operation request; and attempting to acquire locks on each of the relevant issues. In response to successfully acquiring locks on each of the relevant issues a new rank value for the subject issue is calculated and saved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer implemented method for maintaining a plurality of computer database issue records assigned within an issue database, each database issue record having an associated rank value, the rank values of the plurality of issue records-defining an order of the plurality of issue record, the method comprising:
receiving, by a database server computer, a database rank operation request to change the rank of a subject issue record;
determining, by the server computer, issue records relevant to the database rank operation request;
acquiring, by the server computer using a single database record lock acquisition request, database record locks on each of the relevant issue records by writing a universally unique identifier to a record lock value field associated with each of the relevant issue records in a database table separate from any native database record locking functionality, wherein the universally unique identifier is associated with the database rank operation request; and
in response to acquiring database record locks on each of the relevant issue records:
calculating, by the database server computer, a new rank value for the subject issue record, the new rank value determined in accordance the database rank operation requested and wherein the rank value for the subject issue record is calculated so the new rank value has a length that is less than a maximum issue rank length;
saving, by the database server computer, the new rank value for the subject issue record;
wherein if the attempt to acquire record locks is not successful, the method further comprises implementing a delay and, following the delay, re-attempting the rank operation; and
wherein the method is performed by one or more computer devices.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the rank operation request is a reorder request, and wherein the relevant issue records are determined to comprise the subject issue record, a higher ranked neighbor issue record, and a lower ranked neighbor issue record.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the reorder request is selected from a group comprising: a rank first request being a request to rank the subject issue record as the first issue record in the rank order; a rank last request being a request to rank the subject issue record as the last issue in the rank order; a rank before request being a request to rank the subject issue record so it is ordered immediately before a specified issue record; a rank after request being a request to rank the subject issue record so it is ordered immediately after a specified issue record.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the rank operation request is a balance request and wherein the relevant issue records are determined to comprise the subject issue records and a neighbor issue.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the balance request is a balance down request and the neighbor issue record is a lower ranked neighbor issue record.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the balance request is a balance up request and the neighbor issue record is a higher ranked neighbor issue record.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the single lock acquisition request returns a value that indicates that lock data was written to each relevant issue record.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein after saving the new rank value for the subject issue record, the method further comprises releasing the successfully acquired locks.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein if the delay results in a maximum runtime being reached or exceeded, the method comprises terminating the rank operation in respect of the rank operation request.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein if the attempt to acquire locks is not successful, but in the attempt one or more of the relevant issues is locked, the method further comprises unlocking issue records that were locked in the unsuccessful lock acquisition attempt.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10 , wherein unlocking issue records that were locked in the unsuccessful lock acquisition attempt is performed by a single lock release request.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the record lock prevents rank operations from modifying rank values of issue records that are relevant to other database rank operation requests.

13. A system for maintaining a plurality of database issue records, each issue record having an associated rank value, the rank values of the plurality of issue records defining an order of the plurality of issue records, the system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive a database rank operation request to change the rank of a subject issue record of a computer database having a plurality of issue records;
determine issue records of the plurality of issue records relevant to the database rank operation request;
acquire, using a single database record lock acquisition request, locks on each of the relevant issue records by writing a universally unique identifier to a lock value field associated with each of the relevant issue record in a database table separate from any native database locking functionality, wherein the universally unique identifier is associated with the database rank operation request; and
in response to acquiring locks on each of the relevant issue records:
calculate a new rank value for the subject issue record, the new rank value determined in accordance the rank operation requested and wherein the new rank value for the subject issue record is calculated so the new rank value has a length that is less than a maximum issue record rank length;
wherein if the attempt to acquire locks is not successful, execution of the sequences of instructions cause the one or more processors to implement a delay and, following the delay, re-attempt the rank operation; and
save the new rank value for the subject issue record.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the rank operation request is a reorder request, and wherein the relevant issues are determined to comprise the subject issue record, a higher ranked neighbor issue record, and a lower ranked neighbor issue record.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reorder request is selected from a group comprising: a rank first request being a request to rank the subject issue record as the first issue record in the rank order; a rank last request being a request to rank the subject issue record as the last issue record in the rank order; a rank before request being a request to rank the subject issue record so it is ordered immediately before a specified issue record; a rank after request being a request to rank the subject issue record so it is ordered immediately after a specified issue record.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the rank operation request is a balance request and wherein the relevant issue records are determined to comprise the subject issue record and a neighbor issue record.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the balance request is a balance down request and the neighbor issue record is a lower ranked neighbor issue record.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the balance request is a balance up request and the neighbor issue record is a higher ranked neighbor issue record.

19.

Assignees

• Atlassian Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Lassau Mark
• Quail Matt
• Petrov Nikolay
• Bosticky Ivo
• Elias Michael

Classifications

• G06Q10/063116 Primary

  Schedule adjustment for a person or group · CPC title

• G06Q10/06315

  Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis · CPC title