International Business Machines Corporation

Hsin Pan

Michael S Meier

Yun Yu Wang

Michelle Mei-Chiou Jou

Brian Thinh-Vinh Tran

Gene Y C Fuh

Ping Li

Daniel Tsunfang Lee

You-Chin Gene Fuh

Shahrokh Talmoud

The present invention provides a method, system, and program for debugging external programs, such as user-defined functions, stored procedures, and triggers executed in relational database management systems (RDBMS), in a client-server, i.e., distributed, environment. In the present invention, a debugger is initiated from within a process running the external program by executing a special segment of code prior to the execution of the external program. In one embodiment of the invention, this debugging function is triggered by including a variation of this special segment of program code within the external program, itself. In another embodiment of the invention, this debugging triggering function is provided within an enhanced RDBMS with extensions to SQL to activate the debugging ability in the RDBMS. The invention can be implemented by using present day serial debuggers or parallel and/or distributed debuggers. One such parallel and distributed debugger utilized in a preferred embodiment is the Parallel and Distributed Dynamic Analyzer (PDDA) debugger. In addition, although the following invention is described with reference to a debugger, the invention can be applicable for any application development tool.

System, method and program for debugging external programs in client/server-based relational database management systems

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for run-time support for user-defined index ranges and index filters. A statement is executed in a database stored on a data storage device, which is connected to a computer. The database contains data. A search range is generated based on a user-defined range function associated with a user-defined index.

Run-time support for user-defined index ranges and index filters

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer-implemented model for user-defined search in Relational Database Management Systems. A statement is executed in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. Data that is qualified by user-defined functions is located based on a model that supports user-defined search.

User-defined search using index exploitation

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer-implemented multiple-stage evaluation of a user-defined predicate. A statement is executed in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. The statement is received containing a user-defined predicate with a user-defined function. Then, multiple-stage evaluation of the user-defined predicate is performed.

Multiple-stage evaluation of user-defined predicates

The present invention provides a dynamic connection for distributed applications that need to locate application development tools, including but not limited to debuggers, trace collection tools, compilers, etc.) which may be running on different machines, and to send the tools messages. The program requesting debugging service (i.e., a debugger client) sends, to a tool locator, criteria which specifies the properties of a desired debugger. The tool locator maintains a registry of all tools, e.g. debuggers, and their properties, which remain active within the network by receiving tool registration information from each tool as it is started on any machine within the network. When a message is received by the tool locator from a debugger client specifying the criteria of a desired debugger, the tool locator searches its registry and returns a list of debuggers matching the specified properties along with a communication endpoint address that can be used to establish a connection with a debugger meeting the criteria. The debugger client then sends a message, using the established connection, to the desired debugger requesting debugging services on behalf of the debugger client or another program. As a result, a dynamic connection is made, at run time, between an application program and a debugger having certain desired properties wherein the debugger may be active, if at all, at any time on any machine within the network.

Dynamic connection to a remote tool in a distributed processing system

A debugger client/server application comprising a front-end and one or more back-ends, including a Director component which handles most of the initialization and parallel execution control issues and a rp.sub.-- client component and rp.sub.-- server component which handles most of the distributed execution issues. The Director allows a Debug Engine to be unaware of most of the parallel and distributed aspects of the application. Thus, the Debug Engine can be created by re-using a serial debugger for presenting the state information about the various programs that make up the application.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Hsin Pan