International Business Machines Corporation

Jay A Yothers

Robert William Lyle

James Zu-Chia Teng

Curt Lee Cotner

Julie Ann Watts

Kalpana Shyam

Tammie Dang

Claire Willey McFeely

William James Franklin

Charles H Lin

John Richard Lyle

James Z Teng

James Willis Pickel

Yao-Ching Stephen Chen

Jerry Mukai

Craig Alan Friske

Karelle Lynne Cornwell

Regina J Liu

Binghui Zhong

Margaret Zagelow

Yumi Kimura Tsuji

Cherri M Vidmar

Frank Darl Bower

Saiyin Leung

Hui-An Lee

Baoqiu Cui

Joe Cheng-yu Huang

Josephine Miu Cheng

John Marland Garth

Christina Marie Lee

Jaime F Anaya

Brian Keith Howell

Li-Mey P Lee

San Yu Phoenix

Manogari Nogi Simanjuntak

Margaret Ann Bernal

Frances Hwa Villafuerte

Chunfeng Pei

Fung Lee

Georgia Carroll Fuller

Ding-Wei Chieh

Liyan Zhou

Julie Chen

Robert Thomas Miller

Roy J Comford

Frank Cullen Sherwin

John A Kistler

Jennifer W Ou

Nicholas V Nomm

Marion B Farber

Xiaoyu Yang

Roy James Cornford

Baoqui Cui

Yumi Kimara Tsuji

Joe Cheung-Yu c/oIBM Uk Ltd Ip Law Huang

Dropping of columns from a table with data availability, where the columns in the table are each associated with a column number, includes: executing a statement to drop a given column in the table and deferring an application of the statement until a reorganization of a current data set including the table. When the reorganization of the current data set is performed, the reorganization includes: updating column numbers for columns in each row of the table using a mapping data structure to remove the given column; loading the plurality of data rows with the updated column numbers into a shadow data set; applying to the shadow data set any changes to the table that are concurrent with the reorganization; updating a schema definition of the table with the updated column numbers; and switching the current data set to the shadow data set.

Dropping columns from a table with minimized unavailability

Provided is a method for online reorganization and increasing the page size of a DB2 object. A base table and related auxiliary table spaces are reorganized concurrently via a database utility, DB2 REORG utility. The database utility determines which auxiliary tables are related to the base table and automatically includes their respective auxiliary table in the same invocation of the utility. The reorganization is performed via allocated shadow data sets; page size of the allocated shadow data sets is dynamically updated during reorganization. The original data sets are switched with the newly built shadow data sets, and DB2 catalog values and control blocks are updated with new page size values.

Method of changing the page size of a DB2 table space while keeping the object available

A method and system for providing package resolution in a database system is disclosed. The method and system comprise providing a statement within a server which allows an application to identify a list of package collections. The method and system further includes executing the statement to obtain the appropriate package. A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides a new current package path value, which is set via a statement referred to as Set Current Package Path. The SET CURRENT PACKAGE PATH statement allows the application to supply a precedence list of qualified package collections during execution time, therefore the scheme for resolving packages can be changed at any point during execution. The SET CURRENT PACKAGE PATH statement improves application development by making the package resolution mechanism less error prone and less tedious for the application developer, while providing an optimal-performance solution in the client-server environment.

Package resolution mechanism for database systems

An SQL procedure deployment system deploys a query procedure comprising a procedural logic component and a database request component from a source system to a target system. At generation of the query procedure, the system generates a query procedure source code, a symbol table, and an encapsulated optimization results to regenerate run-time instructions for query statements of the database request component and make the query statements function with a deployed procedural logic component. The system maintains an association between the procedural logic component and the database request component during deployment. The system copies an internal representation of the procedural logic component to the target system without regeneration. The system regenerates the database request component to recreate the query procedure on the target system and to maintain a consistent interface between the procedural logic component and database request component.

System and method for deploying an SQL procedure

Techniques are provided for supporting versions of a routine. A first version of the routine is created. A second version of the routine is generated in response to receiving an alter statement including an add version clause. The second version of the routine is activated in response to receiving an alter statement including an activate version clause.

Supporting multiple versions of a routine

Provided is a method for online reorganization and increasing the page size of a DBobject. A base table and related auxiliary table spaces are reorganized concurrently via a database utility, DBREORG utility. The database utility determines which auxiliary tables are related to the base table and automatically includes their respective auxiliary table in the same invocation of the utility. The reorganization is performed via allocated shadow data sets; page size of the allocated shadow data sets is dynamically updated during reorganization. The original data sets are switched with the newly built shadow data sets, and DBcatalog values and control blocks are updated with new page size values.

A base table and related auxiliary table spaces are reorganized concurrently via a database utility. The database utility determines which auxiliary tables are related to the base table and automatically includes their respective auxiliary table in the same invocation of the utility. The reorganization is performed via allocated shadow data sets. The original data sets are switched with the newly built shadow data sets including the LOB shadows.

System and method for concurrently reorganizing logically related LOB table spaces

Traditional update semantics are provided when updates change the location of records in a database. The system detects that an update to a record will cause the record to change locations in a database from an original location to an updated location. The system selectively prevents activity in the database between the original location and update location until the updated record has changed locations in the database from the original location to the updated location.

Providing traditional update semantics when updates change the location of data records

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for identifying read claims in a database. In accordance with the present invention, the database is stored on at least one data storage device connected to a computer. A read identifier is stored for each reading transaction. The read identifier reflects a time at which the reading transaction first accesses an object stored in the database. The read identifiers are used to determine an age of an oldest active transaction.

Technique for determining the age of the oldest reading transaction with a database object

Database tables which are to be loaded with large data objects are defined with a special logging attribute that causes the associated database management system to suspend recovery logging for the databases so defined, but to continue with logging control information, such as space management changes. During a two-phase commit operation for a database transaction in a distributed system, at each database all modified data pages are written to disk before the end of the phase commit, if the pages have not been previously written. This and other write operations are monitored for errors. If any of the changed data pages cannot be written to disk successfully before the end the phase commit operation, then the transaction is rolled back at all databases.

Method and apparatus for insuring database data integrity without data recovery logging

Database tables which are to be loaded with large data objects (LOBs) are defined with a special logging attribute value. This attribute value causes the database management system to suspend recovery logging for the databases so defined, but to continue with the logging of control information, such as space management changes. Certain control information recovery log entries have a special status indicator. For LOBs, this status indicator is set to cause the associated LOB entry to be marked as invalid when the log entry is reapplied, for example, during a recovery operation from a media failure. Rather than invalidating the entire table, the database management system will only prevent access to the entries which have been invalidated during the recovery process.

Method and apparatus for efficiently recovering from a failure in a database that includes unlogged objects

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for accessing a row in a database. In accordance with the present invention, the database is stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. An identification number is generated for a region, wherein the identification number associated with the region reflects row movement in the region. The identification number is updated when there is row movement in the region. When accessing a row in the region, whether to perform a direct row access is determined based on the identification number.

Using an epoch number to optimize access with rowid columns and direct row access

The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for generating a row identification number within a computer. In accordance with the present invention, the row identification number is associated with a row in a database. The database is stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. A unique row identification number is created by using a computer-dependent timestamp. The unique row identification number is manipulated so that the row identification number is quasi-random.

Technique for creating a unique quasi-random row identifier

A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a computer implemented technique for deferring large object access with intermediate results. A query is executed in a database stored on a data storage device connected to a computer. A control structure representing an expression in the query is generated. An intermediate result is generated by retrieving data for the query that is not represented by the control structure. Then, a result table is built using the processed intermediate result and the control structure.

Efficient technique to defer large object access with intermediate results

Growing community of inventors

Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Jay A Yothers