Abstract: Examples described herein generally relate to database operations including encoding, within a length field for a first value to be stored in a column of a database as a token that includes information for processing a large object, an indicator indicating that the first value is of a token type, and storing, in the column of the database, the first value with the length field including the indicator.

Abstract: Database systems handle queries represented in different character sets. A database system allows data stored in the same database column to be represented in different character sets. In response to a query, the database system returns query results in the same character set as the received query even though the data stored in the database column is in a different character set. The database system creates and maintains a metadata table that stores attributes of database columns. The attributes of database columns include, among others, a data type, and a collation attribute. By tracking the collation attributes for data stored in database columns, the database system determines whether to convert data stored in a database column when processing database queries.

Abstract: A system and method for usage metering software applications (or features or functions) by monitoring the data store underlying the software application. The data store function may be implemented in many ways, such as a Relational Database, Transactional Database, Network and Graph Database, Object-Oriented Database, Embedded Database, In-memory Database, Schema-less Database, Files and Directories, whether structured or unstructured, Configuration Registries, or Non-traditional Repositories. Business activities performed by the software application are tracked and are independent of hardware usage. Such usage data is valuable in a variety of contexts, including billing based on business activity.

Abstract: A database system identifies missing statistics that is not available for processing database queries and determines the missing statistics. The database system generates execution plans for database queries. The database system requests certain statistical information for generating a database query. If the database system determines that the requested statistical information is not available, the database system stores information describing the requested statistical information as missing statistics. The missing statistics may identify one or more columns associated with tables processed by the database query. The database system performs statistical analysis of database tables to generate the missing statistics so that the statistical information is available for generating execution plans for subsequent queries. The database system may rank the missing statistics based on the number of times the missing statistics was identified by the database system while processing database queries.

Abstract: Backups and restore operations of database are customized by performing partial backups and restores. The database maintains information describing database objects that are backed up by subsequent backup operations. The data set that is backed up by backup operations can be modified by executing alter backup commands. An alter backup command identifies one or more database objects and specifies whether the database object should be excluded or included from backup operations. The alter backup command can specify database objects that do not exist in the database. These objects are included or excluded in accordance with the alter backup command whenever they are created in the database. The alter backup command can associate a criteria with a database object in order for the database object to be included or excluded in accordance with the alter backup command.

Abstract: A database system optimizes database queries that comprise subqueries. The database system factors out computation from two or more subqueries to a reusable subquery. The reusable subquery returns a result set. The subqueries are rewritten to use the result set and the database query modified to use the rewritten subqueries. The modified database query performs efficiently since the result set is computed only once for each subquery that uses the reusable query. The database system also composes nested subqueries that compute aggregate values. The database system identifies an inner subquery nested within an outer subquery, each subquery computing an aggregate value. The database system determines a new aggregate function corresponding to a composition of aggregate functions of the inner and the outer queries. The database system determines a composed query using the inner query with the outer query. The composed query uses the new aggregate function.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the development, delivery and deployment of action-oriented business applications supported by a cloud based action server platform are provided. The cloud action platform enables the development, delivery and deployment of a new type of business application—Action Apps which are the opposite of traditional business applications which are large, expensive, viewed as an investment, hard to upgrade and oftentimes require training The Action Apps are light-weight consumer friendly micro-apps that enable the business user to take the right actions, at the right time to produce the right business outcome. The action may be as simple as approving a vacation request, or it may trigger a series of more complex actions such as automatically discounting stock based upon competitors pricing within a specific radius in a given timeframe.