Abstract: A method and apparatus for replicating data between heterogeneous databases is provided. Data is replicated between two heterogeneous databases with the use of a volatile storage queue, enabling the rapid replication of data across databases provided by different vendors or operating on different platforms. According to one embodiment, an in-memory queue is used to queue change operations to be performed on a target data repository. The change operations may be operations that were applied to a source data repository. An apply process retrieves the change operations from in-memory queue and commits the change operations to persistent storage. When the change operations have been committed, the apply process notifies the source platform that the particular change operation has been stored.

Abstract: A High-Performance, Scalable, Adaptive and Multi-dimensional Event Repository is described and utilized in a method for publishing an event in a database. The present method includes transparently intercepting a request to a database to publish an event. A messaging system operable with the database intercepts the request. The present method further includes examining an event repository for a template of the event. The event repository is operable with the database and the messaging system. The present method additionally includes retrieving the event template from the event repository. The present method also includes marshalling the event template to create the event. The present method also includes publishing the event in an event queue.

Abstract: Splitting and merging database object information sharing streams. Streams are also referred to herein as “propagations”. Splitting and merging information sharing streams can be used to improve performance in a information sharing environment when a failed or slow DBS impacts the performance. In one embodiment, an auto split process monitors the progress of applying changes at each node and detects the presence of a failed or a slow node. Once the failed or slow node is identified, the auto split process splits the propagation such that the offending node is sent through a separate propagation. Furthermore, an auto merge process can be started to monitor the newly created separate propagation. At a later point, the new propagation can be merged back into the original stream. For example, if the offending node catches up with other nodes, the auto merge process merges the newly created propagation back to the original propagation.

Abstract: Configuring an n-way multi-master information sharing topology. Adding a new node (e.g., database server) to the information sharing topology can be implemented as follows. Initially, the new node is added as a slave of a particular co-master in the information sharing topology. The objects to replicate are instantiated on the new node by propagating data from the particular co-master to the new node. Furthermore, a capture process is created on the particular co-master to send changes to the objects to the slave. Meanwhile, the co-masters continue to propagate changes to each other. To promote the slave to a master, changes to objects stored at the slave are propagated to each of the co-masters. Furthermore, changes at each of the masters are propagated to the promoted node.

Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an information sharing mechanism comprising a memory structure may be provided in a database system. In an embodiment, mined information transferred by a capture process to an associated apply process can be written into the memory structure without taking any latch. Similarly, the mined information can be read by the apply process from the memory structure without taking any latch. The capture and apply processes may work cooperatively to establish a safe point in log mining under various circumstances such as in an initial startup state, in a steady state, in a process restart scenario in the middle of information sharing. In some embodiments, the information sharing mechanism supports both checkpoint-free and checkpoint modes of log mining by the capture process. In addition, both the capture process and the apply process may employ an eager apply approach to increase processing capacity.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for replicating data between heterogeneous databases is provided. Data is replicated between two heterogeneous databases with the use of a volatile storage queue, enabling the rapid replication of data across databases provided by different vendors or operating on different platforms. According to one embodiment, an in-memory queue is used to queue change operations to be performed on a target data repository. The change operations may be operations that were applied to a source data repository. An apply process retrieves the change operations from in-memory queue and commits the change operations to persistent storage. When the change operations have been committed, the apply process notifies the source platform that the particular change operation has been stored.

Abstract: A High-Performance, Scalable, Adaptive and Multi-dimensional Event Repository is described and utilized in a method for publishing an event in a database. The present method includes transparently intercepting a request to a database to publish an event. A messaging system operable with the database intercepts the request. The present method further includes examining an event repository for a template of the event. The event repository is operable with the database and the messaging system. The present method additionally includes retrieving the event template from the event repository. The present method also includes marshalling the event template to create the event. The present method also includes publishing the event in an event queue.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a one-step API that executes a series of atomic transactions in a database system. In one implementation, each atomic transaction is associated with a forward block of code that effects changes, an undo block of code that reverses the changes made by the forward block, and a state block of code that mimics successful execution of the forward block by setting internal states. In the event of a failure, the forward blocks, undo blocks, and state blocks can be used to roll forward or roll back changes as a whole. In one implementation, a one-step API for replicating data in a database is provided.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for managing electronic items by storing, within a file group repository, metadata that identifies (a) a plurality of file groups, (b) for each file group, a set of one or more file group versions for the file group, and (c) for each file group version of each file group, a set of one or more items that belong to the version of the file group. Once the metadata has been established, queries may be executed against the metadata to request identification of items that belong to a particular version of a particular file group. This file group framework may be used in a variety of contexts, including the management of a centralized tablespace repository, and periodic purging of versions of file collections, where the files within the collections may be spread across multiple repositories.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently sharing Large Objects (LOBs) is disclosed. Historical records (e.g., redo logs) are kept in which a marker is placed prior to the LOB. The marker includes identifying information, such as the row-column intersection. Using the identifying information in the marker, the LOB may be shared with other systems without staging the LOB at a source database system, prior to transporting the LOB from the source database system to the destination database system. Additionally, using the identifying information, the LOB may be accessed and manipulated prior to being consumed at the destination system.

Abstract: Approaches described herein may be used for provisioning of databases that requires a bulk transfer of data within a distributed computing environment, such as a grid. The approaches do not require the manual intervention of a DBA to, for example, transfer a tablespace between the file systems of operating systems. Instead, the tablespaces may be provisioned automatically and dynamically by a grid computing system whenever it determines the need to dynamically provision a database. In addition, as copies of tablespaces are provisioned, synchronization mechanisms can also be automatically provisioned to keep the tablespaces and their copies in sync.