Abstract: Techniques to create physically and transactionally consistent copies of one or more database objects without impacting the availability of the target database objects are described. In one technique, a consistent copy is created as of the time a copy utility is executed. In another technique, a consistent copy is created as of an arbitrary specified time. This approach modifies a prior copy to bring it “up-to-date.” In yet another technique, a consistent copy is created by starting with a current snapshot of the target database objects and selectively removing updates from it back to a user specified arbitrary point-in-time. Each of the described techniques generate consistent copies of the target database objects without blocking users from accessing the target objects during the copy operation.

Abstract: A copy utility creates a copy of source database objects that is transactionally consistent to a consistent point-in-time, and a recovery utility apples log records to the consistent copy to make a resulting image that is updated as of an identified point-in-time (i.e., the current time or a point-in-time after the copy was made). To effectively recover and apply the logs so that no previously in-flight transactions are lost, the copy utility registers a starting point indicating a point-in-time for logs to be applied to the copy and also registers a smallest lock size used to block access to target data when the copy was made. The recovery utility bases its recovery operations using the registered starting point and the smallest lock size when applying log records to the copy so as not to lose any previously in-flight transactions.

Abstract: Techniques to create physically and transactionally consistent copies of one or more database objects without impacting the availability of the target database objects are described. In one technique, a consistent copy is created as of the time a copy utility is executed. In another technique, a consistent copy is created as of an arbitrary specified time. This approach modifies a prior copy to bring it “up-to-date.” In yet another technique, a consistent copy is created by starting with a current snapshot of the target database objects and selectively removing updates from it back to a user specified arbitrary point-in-time. Each of the described techniques generate consistent copies of the target database objects without blocking users from accessing the target objects during the copy operation.

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: 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: The present invention provides a new, high-performance system and method for updating databases or other data compilations with changes entered in a source database or data compilation. Updates are preprocessed to reduce system update demands while increasing update flexibility for remote processing sites. Data update records are captured or collected and extracted into one or more channel or other criterion-specific batches. Transaction boundaries within a batch are collapsed, and the records coalesced into a package comprising a sequence of updates that reflect the cumulated impact of the extracted records. In a preferred embodiment, the batched records are sorted by extracted sort key entries and the package is converted to the physical format of respective targets. The created update package is, therefore, organized and physically formatted in correspondence with the target database.