Abstract: A system and methodology providing service invocation for occasionally connected computing devices is described. In one embodiment, for example, in an occasionally connected computing environment, a system of the present invention for providing deferred invocation of services for a mobile device is described that comprises: an application running on a mobile device; a device-side object providing mobile support for a particular service from a server, the device-side object intercepting any requests from the application for invocation of the particular service, thereby deferring actual invocation of the particular service at that time; and a server-side object residing on the server that passes the requests on to a service provider for actual invocation while the mobile device is connected, and returns any result from the actual invocation back to the mobile device for use by the application.

Abstract: A distributed database system providing data and space management methodology is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for detection of deadlocks in a distributed database system comprising a plurality of servers sharing access to data, the method comprises steps of: in response to a task at a first server waiting to obtain a lock regulating access to data, sending a search request including lock information to a second server holding the lock; at the second server, examining dependencies of the task holding the lock based on the lock information received with the search request and local lock information; if the task holding the lock is waiting to obtain a lock held by an additional server, forwarding the search request and local lock information to the additional server; repeating the examining and forwarding steps until all dependencies are examined; and responding to the search request indicating whether a deadlock was detected and providing lock information found.

Abstract: A database system providing methodology for execution of functions in queries requesting data from markup language documents is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for executing a function in a query requesting data from a markup language document stored in a database, the markup language document organized hierarchically into nodes, the method comprises steps of: receiving the query requesting data from the markup language document, the query including a function to be executed during execution of the query; determining nodes of the markup language document satisfying the query; deriving values of the nodes of the markup language document; and executing the function with the derived values and the nodes of the markup language document.

Abstract: A database system with methodology for parallel schedule generation in a query optimizer is described. In one embodiment, for example, in a database system, a method is described for parallel optimization of a query, the method comprises steps of: generating a plurality of parallel plans for obtaining data requested by the query, the parallel plans including parallel operators for executing portions of the query in parallel; adjusting parallel operators of each parallel plan if necessary based on resources available for executing the query; creating a schedule for each parallel plan indicating a sequence for execution of operators of each parallel plan; determining execution cost of each parallel plan based on its schedule; and selecting a particular parallel plan having lowest execution cost for obtaining data requested by the query.

Abstract: A database system providing SQL extensions for automated encryption and decryption of column data is described. In one embodiment, for example, in a database system, a method is described for providing automated encryption support for column data, the method comprises steps of: defining Structured Query Language (SQL) extensions for creating and managing column encryption keys, and for creating and managing database tables with encrypted column data; receiving an SQL statement specifying creation of a particular column encryption key; receiving an SQL statement specifying creation of a database table having particular column data encrypted with the particular column encryption key; and in response to a subsequent database operation that requires the particular column data that has been encrypted, automatically decrypting the particular column data for use by the database operation.

Abstract: A system providing methodology for replication subscription resolution is described. In one embodiment, for example, a system of the present invention for determining subscribers to which a published item of data should be replicated is described that comprises: an interface module for receiving user input of lists of a plurality of subscribers, each list specifying items of data to be replicated to a given subscriber; a build module for building an index based on the lists of the plurality of subscribers containing entries indicating subscribers for each item of data specified in the lists and a default list of subscribers for items of data not matching any of the entries; and a resolution module for receiving a published item of data and determining subscribers to which the published item should be replicated based on the index.

Abstract: A Boolean Network rule engine is described. In one embodiment, for example, a system for evaluation of a set of rules based on input data is described that comprises: a rules interface for receiving a set of rules, each rule having at least one condition; a network builder for building a Boolean Network representation of the set of rules, the Boolean Network representation including transducers linked by logic gates, each transducer generating a Boolean value based on evaluating an item of input data against a condition of a rule; and a runtime evaluation engine for receiving input data, detecting changed items of input data, activating links among transducers and logic gates of the Boolean Network representation based on the changed items of input data so as to utilize transducers and logic gates of the Boolean Network representation relevant to rule evaluation outcome, and evaluating rules based on the input data and active transducers and logic gates of the Boolean Network representation.

Abstract: A database system providing stored procedures as web services is described. In one embodiment, for example, in a database system, a method of the present invention is described for providing a stored procedure as a Web service, the method comprises steps of: predefining a stored procedure to be invoked upon receiving a client request for a particular Web service; receiving an incoming request from a particular client for the particular Web service; in response to the incoming request, identifying the stored procedure that is predefined for the particular Web service; executing the identified stored procedure for generating a result set; and returning the result set back to the particular client.

Abstract: A system providing methodology for consolidation of financial information is described.

Abstract: An attribute-based component programming system and methodology for object-oriented languages is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for dynamically generating program code adding behavior to a program based on attributes, the method comprises steps of: adding a component object to a program class of the program to create a component; defining at least one attribute specifying declaratively behavior to be added to the program; associating the at least one attribute with the component; and in response to instantiation of the component at runtime, generating a subclass based on the program class and the at least one attribute, the subclass including dynamically generated program code based on the at least one attribute.

Abstract: A database system with methodology for automated determination and selection of optimal indexes is described. In one embodiment, for example, in a database system, a method of the present invention is described for recommending database indexes to be created for optimizing system performance, the method comprises steps of: capturing a workload representative of database queries employed during system use; creating virtual indexes for optimizing system performance during execution of the database queries captured in the workload; computing cost benefits for different combinations of the virtual indexes; and recommending physical indexes to be created based on virtual indexes that have favorable cost benefits for the captured workload.

Abstract: A hierarchical entitlement system with integrated inheritance and limit checks is described.

Abstract: A database system providing methodology for extended memory support is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for extended memory support in a database system having a primary cache, the method comprises steps of: creating a secondary cache in memory available to the database system; mapping a virtual address range to at least a portion of the secondary cache; when the primary cache is full, replacing pages from the primary cache using the secondary cache; in response to a request for a particular page, searching for the particular page in the secondary cache if the particular page is not found in the primary cache; if the particular page is found in the secondary cache, determining a virtual address in the secondary cache where the particular page resides based on the mapping; and swapping the particular page found in the secondary cache with a page in the primary cache, so as to replace a page in the primary cache with the particular page from the secondary cache.

Abstract: A Database Development System is described that provides methodologies for creating a Java-based database control object (the “Java DataWindow”) for use in a Client/Server Database System. The methodology provided by the present invention maintains the DataWindow properties (e.g., SQL statement for data to retrieve, format specifications, and the like) at a server-side DataWindow component residing at an application server. A corresponding client-side DataWindow component, embedded for instance in a target HTML page, knows how to query the server-side DataWindow component for dynamically streaming the DataWindow's properties, so that they may be applied at run-time on the client side. After an end user has entered in the input desired, the changes are determined by the client-side DataWindow component and flushed back to the server-side DataWindow component at the application server. The server-side DataWindow component, in turn, can effect the changes to the back end database, as appropriate.

Abstract: A database system providing self-tuned parallel database recovery is described. In one embodiment, for example, in a database system, a method is described for performing recovery operations using an optimal number of recovery threads, the method comprises steps of: (a) spawning an initial recovery thread to perform recovery operations; (b) measuring I/O (input/output) performance with the initial recovery thread; (c) spawning a subsequent recovery thread to perform recovery operations; (d) measuring I/O performance with the subsequent recovery thread; and (e) as long as I/O performance does not degrade beyond a preselected percentage, repeating steps (c) and (d) for spawning a desired number of additional recovery threads. In another embodiment, the database system auto-tunes the cache during performance of database recovery operations to optimize the performance of recovery operations.

Abstract: A system and methodology for name searches is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for determining whether a particular name comprising one or more words matches any names on a list of names, the method comprises steps of: generating codes characterizing the particular name by generating a code for each word of the particular name that is based at least in part on phonetic sounds of the word and on whether characters of the word match a pattern occurring in a proper name in a given natural language; deriving an initial set of any matching names by comparing the codes of the particular name against corresponding codes for the list of names; and deriving a final set of any matching names by comparing words of the particular name against words of names in the initial set.

Abstract: An information messaging and collaboration system is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method is described for interactive content retrieval and display, the method comprises steps of: providing a plurality of portlets for retrieval of content for display in a user interface; mapping a message action to a first portlet to create a messaging portlet for sending a message in response to user interaction with the messaging portlet; creating a listener portlet by registering a second portlet to receive messages from the messaging portlet; and in response to user interaction with the messaging portlet, retrieving particular content for display in the user interface based on the message received by the listener portlet from the messaging portlet.

Abstract: A method for cloning of prepared statements for execution against a database is described. In one embodiment, for example, a method for executing a database statement comprises steps of: preparing at least one template for execution of a statement against a database; storing the at least one template in a shared cache available to a plurality of database connections; in response to a request to execute a particular statement on a given database connection, determining whether a template for the particular statement is available in the shared cache; if the template is available in the shared cache, creating a database statement based on the template for execution on the given database connection; and executing the database statement on the given database connection.

Abstract: An improved method for handling database queries including functional expressions against columns having enumerated storage is described. Upon receipt of a query including a predicate having at least one functional expression referencing at least one database column containing offsets to values in enumerated storage, a look-up table is created for storing results of evaluation of the predicate against the values in enumerated storage. Each functional expression of the predicate is evaluated against the values in enumerated storage and the results of evaluation are stored in the look-up table. Results stored in the look-up table may then be accessed through use of the offsets to values in enumerated storage. The method may also be utilized for projecting expressions against database columns having enumerated storage.

Abstract: A system providing methodology for cost-based enumeration of subqueries using a left-deep tree join enumeration algorithm is described.