Abstract: Provisioning, managing and tracking of services provided by a cloud infrastructure system are described. A subscription request from a customer for one or more services provided by the cloud infrastructure system is received. The request includes a specification of services with different service levels for different time periods. A phased deployment of a customer's subscription order based on the service levels and time periods specified by the customer in the subscription order is then determined.

Abstract: A synchronization infrastructure that synchronizes data stored between components in a cloud infrastructure system is described. A first component in the cloud infrastructure system may store subscription information related to a subscription order which may in turn be utilized by a second component in the cloud infrastructure system to orchestrate the provisioning of services and resources for the order placed by the customer. The synchronization architecture utilizes transactionally consistent checkpoints that describe the state of the data stored in the components to synchronize the data between these components.

Abstract: A framework for handling a secure interaction between components in a cloud infrastructure system that wish to transfer information between each other during processing of a customer's subscription order is described. The framework orders the security zones of components based on security levels and protects the transfer of information between components in security zones with different security levels. The assignment of a component to a security zone is based upon the sensitivity of the data handled by the components, the sensitivity of functions performed by the component, and the like.

Abstract: Provisioning, managing and tracking of services provided by a cloud infrastructure system are described. A subscription order request from a customer for services provided by the cloud infrastructure system is received. A separation of roles performed by different customer entities in a customer's organization when the customer subscribes to services in the cloud infrastructure system is determined. The roles relate to providing information about different portions of the subscription order by the customer entities. Upon completion of the assigned roles by the relevant customer entities, the subscription order is provisioned to the customer.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with executable templates are described. One example method includes generating an executable template from a set of template data. When an executable template is executed, the executable template creates one or more instantiated entities. These instantiated entities may then be combined with entities created from portions of the original template that were not compilable into the executable format.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that maintain an association graph made up of association tuples. Each of the association tuples belongs to an access-control-policy scope that imposes an access control policy. On receipt of a client reference and a supplier reference a scope-defining entity is identified from the client reference. The scope-defining entity has an explicit access control policy. An effective supplier reference is retrieved from a set of the association tuples matching the scope-defining entity and is presented.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with template based entity transformation are described. One example method includes generating a difference set that describes differences between an existing data entity and a template. The example method may also include applying the template to the existing data entity based on the difference set and conflict resolution choices.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with artifact type neutral change management are described. One example method includes maintaining an access table for each artifact in a collaborative software environment that records a most recent access of an artifact on a per user basis. An artifact type registration table is also maintained that maps each artifact type to the access table that records access information for artifacts of the given type and to a data store that stores artifacts of that type. For a given user, artifact pair, queries on the type registration table, access table, and data store are generated to return the last modification time for the artifact and the user's last access time for the artifact. This information is used to determine a change status of the artifact for the given user. This common framework can be used for artifacts of any type that are registered in the type registration table.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with template based entity transformation are described. One example method includes generating a difference set that describes differences between an existing data entity and a template. The example method may also include applying the template to the existing data entity based on the difference set and conflict resolution choices.

Abstract: A versioned relational database system (VRDBS) in which versions of data contained in a relational database system are accessed by means of workspaces. Metadata in the VRDBS permits a workspace to have multiple parents. The multi-parented VRDBS performs operations including specifying that a workspace be made an additional parent of another workspace or that an additional parent be removed as a parent of the other workspace. The fact that a workspace may have multiple parents affects the manner in which merge and refresh operations are performed and the manner in which system-enforced constraints such as primary key constraints, unique key constraints, and referential integrity constraints are handled. The metadata for the VRDBMS includes a multi-parent graph for each workspace that has multiple parents. The multi-parent graph is used in the performance of the merge and refresh operations and in determining constraint violations.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with an artifact type neutral container are described. This artifact type neutral container is achieved through an artifact type neutral architecture that is managed using a central type neutral registration mechanism. Queries are executed on type neutral registration tables to return data stores that store the artifacts found within a given artifact type neutral container. The data stores are queried to return the artifacts in the artifact type neutral container. The artifact type neutral container can be used in systems in which the artifact type neutral container and artifact data are stored in the same database as well as in systems in which the artifact type neutral container and artifact data are stored in different databases.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with artifact type neutral change management are described. One example method includes maintaining an access table for each artifact in a collaborative software environment that records a most recent access of an artifact on a per user basis. An artifact type registration table is also maintained that maps each artifact type to the access table that records access information for artifacts of the given type and to a data store that stores artifacts of that type. For a given user, artifact pair, queries on the type registration table, access table, and data store are generated to return the last modification time for the artifact and the user's last access time for the artifact. This information is used to determine a change status of the artifact for the given user. This common framework can be used for artifacts of any type that are registered in the type registration table.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with executable templates are described. One example method includes generating an executable template from a set of template data. When an executable template is executed, the executable template creates one or more instantiated entities. These instantiated entities may then be combined with entities created from portions of the original template that were not compilable into the executable format.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that maintain an association graph made up of association tuples. Each of the association tuples belongs to an access-control-policy scope that imposes an access control policy. On receipt of a client reference and a supplier reference a scope-defining entity is identified from the client reference. The scope-defining entity has an explicit access control policy. An effective supplier reference is retrieved from a set of the association tuples matching the scope-defining entity and is presented.

Abstract: Techniques for redefining a group of related objects in a relational database system by redefining a table belonging to the group of related objects and then redefining the other related objects in the group so that they are in conformity with the redefined table. The techniques permit DDL to be used to redefine a view and are also useful in a versioned relational database system for redefining the table from which the versions are generated. In the versioned relational database system which employs the technique, the versions are generated from a view. To redefine the view, the technique is employed as follows: the view's definition in the relational database system is used to make a base table that has a form which is substantially similar to that of the view. DDL is then applied to the base table to redefine it.

Abstract: A fault processor in a collaboration server models collaborative operations as a state machine. The fault processor divides collaboration operations into discrete segments, in which each segment corresponds to a repository update. A state definition defines the progression of states between the segments, and defines transitions to recovery states in the event of unexpected interruption. A state log maintains the completion status of each segment in the operation, and recovery logic employs the state log to perform recovery of an abnormally terminated operation. The recovery logic computes the segments to be performed in a recovery. Compatibility logic selectively prohibits operations which may affect or be affected by inconsistencies presented prior to successful recovery.

Abstract: A workspace template is operative to store a collaboration workspace for successive reuse. A template script processor creates a parameterized metadata definition of a workspace. The metadata definition is written as an XML file to a storage repository. A template script processor parses the metadata XML representation to reinstantiate the workspace in the server. The workspace provides services via applications, and includes references to application objects in the applications. The server is operable to retrieve data in the application objects, modify data via the workspace, and store the modified data in the referenced application object. The workspace need not store data, since the server maps the references in the workspace to the respective services. The reused portions may encompass particular expertise gained or residing in the group, thus generally capturing and reusing the best practices of frequently used patterns, such as propagating a knowledge base of corporate practices and procedures.

Abstract: Techniques for redefining a group of related objects in a relational database system by redefining a table belonging to the group of related objects and then redefining the other related objects in the group so that they are in conformity with the redefined table. The techniques permit DDL to be used to redefine a view and are also useful in a versioned relational database system for redefining the table from which the versions are generated. In the versioned relational database system which employs the technique, the versions are generated from a view. To redefine the view, the technique is employed as follows: the view's definition in the relational database system is used to make a base table that has a form which is substantially similar to that of the view. DDL is then applied to the base table to redefine it.

Abstract: Techniques for redefining a group of related objects in a relational database system by redefining a table belonging to the group of related objects and then redefining the other related objects in the group so that they are in conformity with the redefined table. The techniques permit DDL to be used to redefine a view and are also useful in a versioned relational database system for redefining the table from which the versions are generated. In the versioned relational database system which employs the technique, the versions are generated from a view. To redefine the view, the technique is employed as follows: the view's definition in the relational database system is used to make a base table that has a form which is substantially similar to that of the view. DDL is then applied to the base table to redefine it.

Abstract: Techniques for doing optimistic constraint checking in a versioned relational database system. The techniques find a subset of the versions of a table that contain all of the rows that need be checked for violation of a constraint when a given version is modified. When the versions of a table are organized into a directed acyclic graph (DAG), the subset for a given version is the ancestry of the given version, that is, the given version plus the ancestors of the given version in the DAG. Within the ancestry, the set of rows that must be checked is termed the version view. A row that belongs to the set has a primary key that is the latest version of the primary key in the given version's ancestry. The technique may be used for constraints including the referential integrity constraint and the unique key constraint. The metadata used to compute the version view is disclosed, as well as the manner in which the constraint checking techniques interact with the workspaces that provide access to the versions.