Abstract: A database reorganization technique uses multiple-coordinated read, sort and write tasks to substantially reduce the overall time to reorganize a database object. Coordination between the different functional tasks (e.g., read, sort and write tasks) is facilitated through the logical partitioning of the key values associated with the object to be reorganized. Object key values are determined by interrogating the object's associated database prior to initiating reorganization processing.

Abstract: A two-phase method to perform root-cause analysis over an enterprise-specific fault model is described. In the first phase, an up-stream analysis is performed (beginning at a node generating an alarm event) to identify one or more nodes that may be in failure. In the second phase, a down-stream analysis is performed to identify those nodes in the enterprise whose operational condition are impacted by the prior determined failed nodes. Nodes identified as failed as a result of the up-stream analysis may be reported to a user as failed. Nodes identifies as impacted as a result of the down-stream analysis may be reported to a user as impacted and, beneficially, any failure alarms associated with those impacted nodes may be masked. Up-stream (phase 1) analysis is driven by inference policies associated with various nodes in the enterprise's fault model.

Abstract: A method and system for creating a series of online snapshots for recovery purposes. A series of concurrent, overlapping snapshots (e.g., file snapshots or database file snapshots) may be created over a user-specified time interval at a user-specified frequency. Monitoring for a recovery indication may occur during the user-specified time interval. Once it is established that a “recovery” is necessary, a snapback procedure may be implemented to iteratively restore one or more pre-update snapshot images. Between restore iterations, testing to determine if the problem still exists may occur. When the testing of the data results in a determination that the problem is resolved, no further restores are necessary.

Abstract: A system and method for monitoring resource usage in a software system such as a database system is described. The user selects an application to monitor through a user-interface. On selection, one or more first-level statement groups associated with the application are displayed and run-time data for at least one of the displayed first-level statement groups is displayed. Illustrative run-time data indicating resource usage include the amount of processor time used to execute a first-level statement group. The user may then select a first-level statement group so that at least one second-level statement group associated with the selected first-level statement group is displayed, including various run-time data. When the selected application is a database application, a user may review run-time information associated with the execution of database packages, sections and individual SQL statements, including dynamic SQL statements.

Abstract: A method and system for displaying database record organization characteristics of IMS databases. In one embodiment, the method involves receiving information associated with a plurality of database records from an IMS database (e.g., information associated with ranges of database records). The database information may comprise information concerning database record organization characteristics. A working storage array may be built to consolidate the information associated with the plurality of database records. A plurality of view envelopes may be constructed. The plurality of view envelopes, along with a legend, may be graphically displayed on a display. User input may be received to request “inspection”, “identification”, “inspection/identification”, or “detailed inspection” of a selected view envelope.

Abstract: Server-side techniques to selectively compress data for transmission to a client application are described. Characteristics such as the effective transmission rate between the server computer system and a client computer system requesting the data are used to determine if data compression is beneficial. In addition, characteristics of the server computer system such as its processor utilization, for example, may be used to determine if data compression is beneficial. Selective compression in accordance with these techniques provide improved user-responsiveness without the need to install, configure or maintain a client-side application. Accordingly, selective compression in accordance with the invention is particularly beneficial in large, distributed networks in which one or a few “server” computers provide data access service to a large number of “client” computer systems.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for determining an appropriate (e.g., best-fit) character encoding scheme including the steps of (i) generating a set of reference characters based on a reference character encoding scheme and a first set of bytes; (ii) generating a set of test characters based on a test character encoding scheme and said first set of bytes; (ii) generating a set of test bytes based on said test character encoding scheme and said set of test characters; (iv) generating a set of comparison characters based on said reference character encoding scheme and said set of test bytes; and (v) comparing said set of reference characters to said set of comparison characters. In one embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned steps are implemented as a JAVA based software program with Unicode (e.g., USC2) as the reference character encoding scheme.

Abstract: A system and method for estimating statistics concerning system metrics to provide for the accurate and efficient monitoring of one or more computer systems. The system preferably comprises a distributed computing environment, i.e., an enterprise, which comprises a plurality of interconnected computer systems. At least one of the computer systems is an agent computer system which includes agent software and/or system software for the collection of data relating to one or more metrics, i.e., measurements of system resources. Metric data is continually collected over the course of a measurement interval, regularly placed into a registry of metrics, and then periodically sampled from the registry indirectly. Sampling-related uncertainty and inaccuracy arise from two primary sources: the unsampled residual segments of seen (i.e., sampled and therefore known) events, and unseen (i.e., unsampled and therefore unknown) events.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for extending data Areas in a DEDB database while the database is online. Specifically, the IOVF and SDEP data portions can be increased or extended while the database is active to the control region. In one embodiment, the method includes (a) receiving a requested extension size; (b) acquiring additional storage from the operating system; (c) formatting the acquired additional storage as DEDB control intervals; and (d) updating a DEDB areas control list (DMAC) to reflect the increased size of the DEDB Areas. While these actions are performed, regions of the data areas currently holding data are not modified and remain available for normal DEDB activity. When block level sharing is enabled, the current IMS process notifies the other IMS processes engaged in block level sharing to prepare for the extension of the DEDB areas prior to the acquisition of additional storage from the operating system.

Abstract: The present invention reconstructs and illustrates incomplete change records by initially selecting an initial change record. The initial change record describes a change made to a target data object located at a target location in an electronic database. Next, a transaction log associated with the electronic database is searched for change records which modify the target data object. Eventually, a particular change record is located which contains a complete copy of the data object. Finally, the change records are applied to the complete copy of the data object, thereby bringing the complete copy of the target data object to a state as it existed before the change described by the initial change record was made to the target data object.

Abstract: Analytic tests are used to detect chaotic (power-tail) behavior in one or more computer system resources in a distributed computing environment. The analytic tests are used to determine if data (indicative of one or more parameters related to computer system resources) exhibit large deviations from a mean, a high variance and other properties consistent with large values in the tail portion of a power-tail distribution. The tests can be performed in any order, and fewer than three can be performed. If all three tests indicate the existence of power-tail behavior, chaotic behavior of the data is likely. If all three tests indicate the lack of power-tail behavior, chaotic behavior of the data is unlikely. If the results are mixed, then more data or analysis may be needed. The results may be used for modeling and/or altering the configuration of the distributed computing environment.

Abstract: Techniques to provide run-time access to a database image through a target database management system (DBMS) are described. An empty database in the target DBMS (the “target database”) is created having substantially the same schema as the database image. At run-time, queries directed to the target database are intercepted and redirected to the database image. Information returned in response to the redirected query is modified so that internal database identifiers retrieved from the database image are replaced with like database identifiers associated with the target database management system. Thus, run-time access to database image content is provided without the need to load the database image's data content into a target database.

Abstract: An improved method and system for analyzing a database for determining a recommended reorganization of a database. In one embodiment, the method involves receiving a list of database records to be analyzed. Each analyzed database record which meets certain criteria may be designated as “qualified”. Identifying information for each qualified database record may be added to a detail array. The qualified database record information may be aggregated based on information in the detail array. The process of aggregating the qualified database record information may include constructing additional arrays (e.g., a roll-up array and a results tracking array). A reorganization strategy may be recommended based on the aggregated qualified database record information. The recommended reorganization strategy may be for an amount (e.g., none, full, partial) of reorganization of the database and a method (e.g., off-line, concurrent, on-line) of reorganization of the database.

Abstract: A set of algorithms for detecting a renewal power-tall behavior which often relates to chaotic system activities in one or more computer system resources of a distributed computing environment, i.e., an enterprise. Analysis and/or prediction software receives a set of metric data points from agent software on one or more computer systems. The analysis and/or prediction software performs three analytic tests relating to distinctive properties of power tail distributions: a first test to determine whether the set of data points exhibits large deviations from the mean, a second test to determine whether the set of data points exhibits a high variance, and a third test to determine whether the set of the largest data points exhibits properties consistent with large values in a tall portion of a power-tall distribution. The tests can be performed in any order, and in other embodiments, fewer than three can be performed.

Abstract: The invention is an improved system and method for browsing and editing data residing in database tables. The method of the present invention includes the steps of providing a graphical user interface in communication with a database, receiving user input to the graphical user interface, retrieving data from the database, displaying the retrieved data in the graphical user interface, and navigating to one or more referenced database tables or views by user request entered on the graphical user interface. The purpose of referential integrity is to prevent database users or applications from entering inconsistent data into a database. The goal of referential integrity navigation is to allow the user, having retrieved one or more rows of data, to navigate easily to the data in other tables that either refers to or is referred to by that data.

Abstract: A method and system for intercepting file system writes. When intercept processing is enabled, a file write request may be passed to intercept write processing, prior to normal write processing. Intercept write processing may include: identifying the file, copying original file information, modifying the write pointer within the original file information, storing the intercepted write in a cache using the modified write pointer. The intercepted write may be allowed to complete normal processing after the intercepted writes are stored in the cache. The intercepted writes may then be retrieved from the cache (e.g., in first-in-first-out (FIFO) order, or in some other user-specified order).

Abstract: An improved method and system for on-line reorganization of an IMS database while allowing concurrent updates. In one embodiment, the method involves building and dynamically maintaining a map of free blocks in the IMS database. The user then provides a list of candidate database records to be analyzed. The physical characteristics of each database record on the list are then analyzed. Calculations are made to identify fragmented database records and the segments which contain fragmented boundary twin chains. A reorganization recommendation list is created for each database record on the list, including fragmented boundary twin chains. Each fragmented database record on the reorganization recommendation list is then reorganized.

Abstract: A set of algorithms for detecting a renewal power-tail behavior which often relates to chaotic system activities in one or more computer system resources of a distributed computing environment, i.e., an enterprise. Analysis and/or prediction software receives a set of metric data points from agent software on one or more computer systems. The analysis and/or prediction software performs three analytic tests relating to distinctive properties of power-tail distributions: a first test to determine whether the set of data points exhibits large deviations from the mean, a second test to determine whether the set of data points exhibits a high variance, and a third test to determine whether the set of the largest data points exhibits properties consistent with large values in a tail portion of a power-tail distribution. The tests can be performed in any order, and in other embodiments, fewer than three can be performed.

Abstract: A system and method for summarizing metric data in a semantically correct way. The system preferably comprises a distributed computing environment, i.e., an enterprise, which comprises a plurality of interconnected computer systems. At least one of the computer systems is an agent computer system which collects raw data relating to one or more metrics, i.e., measurements of system resources on the agent computer system. A Universal Data Repository (UEDR) receives a set of data points representing metric data from one or more agent computer systems. The UDR summarizes the set of data points into a more compact yet meaningful form. In summarization, the UDR determines a data type of the set of data points, applies a summarization rule according to the data type, and then creates a summarized data structure which corresponds to the set of data points. The summarization rule varies according to the semantics of the data type.

Abstract: Techniques to allocate storage space for database data sets based on the database's internal/logical boundaries is described. Metadata describing the structure and logical size requirements for various database sections are interrogated and used to guide the allocation of physical storage space on one or more storage devices. Data set extents allocated in symmetry with database internal boundaries can improve the physical database's input-output performance and storage device utilization.