Patent · US Expired

Method for fault tolerant modification of data representation in a large database

US6792429B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
6References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 19, 2001
Grant dateSep 14, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 15, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99953
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for restructuring the physical storage of a table of a database. The records of the table are grouped into one or more partitions, each of which is stored in a file having a number of fixed sized blocks. Each of the blocks has a first format. Restructuring the physical storage of the table involves changing, to a second format, the format of the blocks of the file in which a partition of the table is stored. Additionally, control data that includes a catalog table and one or more file labels describing the partitions in which the records of the table are grouped, is altered to indicate that the blocks of a partition are enabled to be stored in the second format. Restructuring occurs in phases so as to minimize the inaccessibility of the table being restructured to updates.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.