Allowing updates to database objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9053143-B2
Application number	US-201313940701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2013
Priority date	Sep 17, 2008
Publication date	Jun 9, 2015
Grant date	Jun 9, 2015

Abstract

A system and method for allowing flexible and simultaneous updates to database objects from one or more users is disclosed. The system may receive a change request to the object from the first user and then from a second user. The system may determine if the object is locked and, if so, informing the first user. If an edit request is received from the second user, the second user may be provided with multiple options, such as incorporating changes made by first user and overwriting changes made by second user with changes made by first user, incorporating changes made by first user and overwriting changes made by first user with changes made by second user, and cancelling changes made by second user.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for making changes to a data object, the method comprising:
receiving one or more changes to the data object from a first user;
receiving a request from a second user for access to the data object;
determining if the data object is locked;
receiving a request to save a change to the data object from the second user, wherein the request to save the change to the data object from the second user is subsequent to the one or more changes to the data object from the first user; and
providing the second user with priority over the first user to resolve a conflict between the one or more changes to the data object from the first user and the change to the data object from the second user by providing the second user with final authority for all of the following operations: to overwrite the one or more changes to the data object from the first user, to maintain a set of changes from the one or more changes made by the first user when the change to the data object from the second user conflicts with the set of changes from the one or more changes, and to cancel the change to the data object by the first user without first identifying, to the second user, the one or more changes to the data object from the first user.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising receiving a request to change the data object according to the changes to the data object made by the second user.

3. The method as defined in claim 2 further comprising receiving a data object inquiry request from the first user, creating a data object lock, and registering the data object at the then current date/time in the name of the first user.

4. The method as defined in claim 3 further comprising receiving from the second user an inquiry request, providing the second user with the data object lock information, providing a warning message to the second user that the first user is editing the data object and sending a warning message to the first user that the second user is editing the data object.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 further comprising receiving a change to the data object from the first user, changing the data object, checking if the data object is registered, checking if a last change date/time of object lock is less than or equal to the first user registration date/time in the object and if the registration object update is inactive.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 further comprising activating the registration object lock update, allowing the update, changing the last change date/time of object lock to the current time, and changing the first user's data object lock time to the current time.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 further comprising deactivating the registration object update if the last change date/time of data object lock is less than or equal to the first user registration date/time in the object and the registration object update is active, or waiting until the update is done.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 further comprising:
receiving a change from the second user to the data object;
receiving an update request for the data object;
checking if the data object has been registered by one of: a user ID/terminal, ID/session or batch ID;
if the data object has not been registered by a user ID/terminal, ID/session or batch ID, then issuing an error message;
if the data object has been registered by a user ID/terminal, ID/session or batch ID, getting data object lock information by user ID/terminal, ID/session or batch ID; and
if the last change date/time of object lock is greater than the second user registration date/time in the object, then providing multiple update options to the second user.

9. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage device for operating in a system comprising at least one computer system having a network, a processing unit, and a memory, for implementing a method for allowing flexible changes by more than one user to objects in a database, the method comprising:
receiving one or more changes to the data object from a first user;
receiving a request from a second user for access to the data object;
determining if the data object is locked;
receiving a request to save a change to the data object from the second user, wherein the request to save the change to the data object from the second user is subsequent to the one or more changes to the data object from the first user; and
providing the second user with priority over the first user to resolve a conflict between the one or more changes to the data object from the first user and the change to the data object from the second user by providing the second user with final authority for all of the following operations: to overwrite the one or more changes to the data object from the first user, to maintain a set of changes from the one or more changes made by the first user when the change to the data object from the second user conflicts with the set of changes from the one or more changes, and to cancel the change to the data object by the first user without first identifying, to the second user, the one or more changes to the data object from the first user.

10. The computer program product as defined in claim 9 , the method further comprising receiving a request to change the data object according to the changes made by the second user.

11. The computer program product as defined in claim 9 , the method further comprising receiving an object inquiry request from the first user, creating an object lock, registering the object at the then current date/time in the name of the first user.

12. The computer program product as defined in claim 11 , the method further comprising receiving from the second user an inquiry request, providing the second user with the object lock information, providing a warning message that the first user is editing the object and sending a warning message to the first user that the second user is editing the same object.

13. A method for deploying a computing infrastructure comprising computer-readable code and a computing system, wherein the computer-readable code in combination with the computing system provides flexible and simultaneous updates to a data object, the computer-readable code comprising instructions for:
receiving one or more changes to the data object from a first user;
receiving a request from a second user for access to the data object;
determining if the data object is locked;
informing the first user of the received request;
receiving a request to save a change to the data object from the second user, wherein the request to save the change to the data object from the second user is subsequent to the one or more changes to the data object from the first user; and
providing the second user with priority over the first user to resolve a conflict between the one or more changes to the data object from the first user and the change to the data object from the second user by providing the second user with final authority for all of the following operations: to overwrite the one or more changes to the data object from the first user, to maintain a set of changes from the one or more changes made by the first user when the change to the data object from the second user conflicts with the set of changes from the one or more changes, and to cancel the change to the data object by the first user without first identifying, to the second user, the one or more changes to the data object from the first user.

14. The method according to claim 13 , the computer readable code further comprising instructions for receiving a request to change the dat

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Mantena Gouri
• Markham Tulasi J
• Pham Hoa
• Pham Tuan A
• Reilly William J
• Tan yi-wen
• Tran Mai T
• Waite Debra J

Classifications

• G06F17/30362

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30371 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30306

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/2343

  Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details · CPC title

• G06F16/2365 Primary

  Ensuring data consistency and integrity · CPC title