Abstract: A system for providing continuous availability comprises a second computing site that is geographically remote from a first computing site. The second computing site comprises a storage unit configured to store units of work data and data synchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a group of workloads configured to process the units of work data asynchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a software replication module configured not to replicate any data while the first computing site is available.

Abstract: A system for providing continuous availability comprises a second computing site that is geographically remote from a first computing site. The second computing site comprises a storage unit configured to store units of work data and data synchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a group of workloads configured to process the units of work data asynchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a software replication module configured not to replicate any data while the first computing site is available.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for maintaining a set of indexes in a database management system (DBMS) having at least one table. A current, stale or deferred status is defined for at least a part of the indexes, resulting in at least a part of a set of current, stale, or deferred indexes in the DBMS. Current indexes are maintained by refreshing a current index synchronously with a table change relating to the current index. Stale indexes are maintained by refreshing a stale index continuously and asynchronously to table modifications of tables relating to the stale index based on log information relating to the modifications. Deferred indexes are maintained by building a deferred index in response to a query to a table relating to the deferred index, thereby bringing the deferred index in accordance with the current query time status to the table relating to the deferred index.

Abstract: Techniques for restoring point-in-time and transaction consistency across consistency groups between a first and a second independent database management system (DBMS) for a disaster recovery. Several consistency groups (CGs) are defined for replication. For each CG in the first DBMS data changes are transmitted to a second DBMS. A timestamp representing a most recently received commit log record or a heartbeat during periods of inactivity for a CG is stored in a database table at regular intervals. At regular intervals, the timestamp is compared with timestamps for other CGs to identify a common time at which data to be applied to the CGs in the second DBMS have been received into a recoverable data store. The received data is applied to the CGs in the second DBMS up to the common time.

Abstract: Techniques for restoring point-in-time and transaction consistency across consistency groups between a first and a second independent database management system (DBMS) for a disaster recovery. Several consistency groups (CGs) are defined for replication. For each CG in the first DBMS data changes are transmitted to a second DBMS. A timestamp representing a most recently received commit log record or a heartbeat during periods of inactivity for a CG is stored in a database table at regular intervals. At regular intervals, the timestamp is compared with timestamps for other CGs to identify a common time at which data to be applied to the CGs in the second DBMS have been received into a recoverable data store. The received data is applied to the CGs in the second DBMS up to the common time.

Abstract: Recovering data to a point in time before pending definition changes are materialized in a relational database management system. One or more definition changes to a database schema are received. Original data base schema attributes are saved and maintained as point in time metadata in a catalog table until the one or more definition changes have been materialized. During recovery processing, it is determined for each object being recovered whether the object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized. In response to determining that an object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized, the saved point in time metadata is used for the object in the recovery process.

Abstract: Recovering data to a point in time before pending definition changes are materialized in a relational database management system. One or more definition changes to a database schema are received. Original data base schema attributes are saved as point in time metadata in a catalog table until the one or more definition changes have been materialized. During recovery processing, it is determined for each object being recovered whether the object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized. In response to determining that an object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized, the saved point in time metadata is used for the object in the recovery process.

Abstract: A system for providing continuous availability comprises a second computing site that is geographically remote from a first computing site. The second computing site comprises a storage unit configured to store units of work data and data synchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a group of workloads configured to process the units of work data asynchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a software replication module configured not to replicate any data while the first computing site is available.

Abstract: A system for providing continuous availability comprises a second computing site that is geographically remote from a first computing site. The second computing site comprises a storage unit configured to store units of work data and data synchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a group of workloads configured to process the units of work data asynchronously replicated from the first computing site. The second computing site further comprises a software replication module configured not to replicate any data while the first computing site is available.

Abstract: Recovering data to a point in time before pending definition changes are materialized in a relational database management system. One or more definition changes to a database schema are received. Original data base schema attributes are saved as point in time metadata in a catalog table until the one or more definition changes have been materialized. During recovery processing, it is determined for each object being recovered whether the object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized. In response to determining that an object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized, the saved point in time metadata is used for the object in the recovery process.

Abstract: Recovering data to a point in time before pending definition changes are materialized in a relational database management system. One or more definition changes to a database schema are received. Original data base schema attributes are saved and maintained as point in time metadata in a catalog table until the one or more definition changes have been materialized. During recovery processing, it is determined for each object being recovered whether the object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized. In response to determining that an object is being recovered to a point in time prior to which the one or more definition changes were materialized, the saved point in time metadata is used for the object in the recovery process.

Abstract: Techniques for restoring point-in-time and transaction consistency across consistency groups between a first and a second independent database management system (DBMS) for a disaster recovery. Several consistency groups (CGs) are defined for replication. For each CG in the first DBMS data changes are transmitted to a second DBMS. A timestamp representing a most recently received commit log record or a heartbeat during periods of inactivity for a CG is stored in a database table at regular intervals. At regular intervals, the timestamp is compared with timestamps for other CGs to identify a common time at which data to be applied to the CGs in the second DBMS have been received into a recoverable data store. The received data is applied to the CGs in the second DBMS up to the common time.

Abstract: Techniques for restoring point-in-time and transaction consistency across consistency groups between a first and a second independent database management system (DBMS) for a disaster recovery. Several consistency groups (CGs) are defined for replication. For each CG in the first DBMS data changes are transmitted to a second DBMS. A timestamp representing a most recently received commit log record or a heartbeat during periods of inactivity for a CG is stored in a database table at regular intervals. At regular intervals, the timestamp is compared with timestamps for other CGs to identify a common time at which data to be applied to the CGs in the second DBMS have been received into a recoverable data store. The received data is applied to the CGs in the second DBMS up to the common time.

Abstract: Prefetching data using a piecemeal list prefetching method. This is achieved by various means, including building a plurality of data pages, sorting the plurality of data pages into sequential data pages and a list of non-sequential pages, prefetching the sequential data pages using a first prefetching technique, and prefetching the non-sequential list of data pages using a second prefetching technique.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for maintaining a set of indexes in a database management system (DBMS) having at least one table. A current, stale or deferred status is defined for at least a part of the indexes, resulting in at least a part of a set of current, stale, or deferred indexes in the DBMS. Current indexes are maintained by refreshing a current index synchronously with a table change relating to the current index. Stale indexes are maintained by refreshing a stale index continuously and asynchronously to table modifications of tables relating to the stale index based on log information relating to the modifications. Deferred indexes are maintained by building a deferred index in response to a query to a table relating to the deferred index, thereby bringing the deferred index in accordance with the current query time status to the table relating to the deferred index.

Abstract: Prefetching data using a piecemeal list prefetching method. This is achieved by various means, including building a plurality of data pages, sorting the plurality of data pages into sequential data pages and a list of non-sequential pages, prefetching the sequential data pages using a first prefetching technique, and prefetching the non-sequential list of data pages using a second prefetching technique.

Abstract: A system for controlling concurrency of access to data in a database system is provided. The system includes receiving a lock request for access to data in the database system, in which the lock request is a request for a page lock or a row lock for a corresponding row or page in the database system containing the data. The method further includes identifying a partition in the database system that contains the row or the page in the database system containing the data; associating the lock request with a partition lock on the partition that contains the row or the page in the database system containing the data; and accessing the data using the partition lock.

Abstract: A computer system and a relational database management system (RDMS) computer program product are described for interfacing a number of concurrently running database sessions with a large database in which a plurality of local temporary object database descriptors are used in lieu of a single global temporary object database descriptor where the global and each of the local temporary object database descriptors include identifiers for temporary objects, each of the local temporary object database descriptors is associated with a single database session and each of the global database descriptors is shared among multiple database sessions.

Abstract: A computer system and a relational database management system (RDMS) computer program product are described for interfacing a number of concurrently running database sessions with a large database in which a plurality of local temporary object database descriptors are used in lieu of a single global temporary object database descriptor where the global and each of the local temporary object database descriptors include identifiers for temporary objects, each of the local temporary object database descriptors is associated with a single database session and each of the global database descriptors is shared among multiple database sessions.

Abstract: A system for ensuring referential integrity in a concurrent transaction database environment is disclosed. The system determines when an update to a dependent object requires special processing, and if special processing is required, locating and locking parent objects of the dependent object in share mode prior to committing the update to the dependent object.