Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for avoiding target database constraint violations in a database replication system. The database replication system includes a source database and a target database, wherein target database transactions automatically abort due to constraint violations. Each database has one or more tables and at least one of the target database tables has one or more constraints. The database replication system replicates source database transactions. For each target database transaction corresponding to a replicated source database transaction, changes made at the source database are replicated to the target database. When it is detected that a replicated change causes a constraint violation as a result of one or more of the target database tables having one or more constraints, the applying of the database change to the target database of the database change is deferred and the database change is posted to an electronic list.

Abstract: An automated method is provided for use when replacing a currently operating data replication engine in a first system with a new data replication engine in the first system in a bidirectional data replication environment. The currently operating data replication engine in the first system and the new data replication engine in the first system replicates first database transactions from an audit trail of a first database in the first system to a second database in a second system. The new data replication engine in the first system generating a list of active database transactions in the first system, and sends the list of active database transactions to the new data replication engine in the second system as a first token.

Abstract: Source database precommitted transactions are resolved in a target database of a database replication system when selected source database precommitted transactions are subsequently aborted in the source database.

Abstract: An automated method is provided for replacing a currently operating data replication engine with a new data replication engine. The currently operating data replication engine replicates source database transactions including any new source database transactions committed in an audit trail of the source database before the currently operating data replication engine stops replicating. All new source database transactions that the currently operating data replication engine has not completed replicating are joined. The currently operating data replication engine is stopped when all of the source database transactions that were not joined have completed replicating. All joined transactions are then voted to be committed and are replicated. The new data replication engine replicates all new source database transactions started after the currently operating data replication engine stops.

Abstract: Target database constraint violations are potentially resolved in a database replication system by replacing, converting, or removing deferred database changes.

Abstract: A system is provided for notifying a merchant after completion of a previous transaction by the merchant when a payment instrument used for the previous transaction has been identified as being suspect as a result of suspect activity regarding the payment instrument that is unrelated to the previous transaction. The notification is in the form of an electronically issued dispute or deactivation notification regarding any suspect payment instrument indicia that matches payment instrument indicia used for a transaction previously completed by the merchant.

Abstract: An automated method is provided for replacing a currently operating data replication engine with a new data replication engine. The currently operating data replication engine replicates source database transactions including any new source database transactions committed in an audit trail of the source database before the currently operating data replication engine stops replicating. A list of active database transactions is generated and recorded as a first token in the audit trail. The currently operating data replication engine is stopped when all of the database transactions in the first token have completed. The new data replication engine is started and positioned to begin processing source database transactions in the audit trail of the source database at a beginning position that is located at or prior to the position of the first token in the audit trail.

Abstract: A system and method of backing up an online database to a storage device is provided wherein the online database is actively changed by one or more applications. The backed up online database is then subsequently restored. The online database is backed up by copying the online database to the storage device, and during the copying of the online database, writing changes that are made to the online database to a change log for the portion of the online database that has already been copied to the storage device, and not writing changes that are made to the online database to the change log for the portion of the online database that has not yet been copied to the storage device. The changes in the change log are applied to the storage device by rolling the change log backwards, and applying only the most recent change contained in the change log for each data item in the storage device.

Abstract: A system and method of backing up an online database to a storage device is provided wherein the online database is actively changed by one or more applications. The backed up online database is then subsequently restored. The online database is backed up by copying the online database to the storage device, and during the copying of the online database, writing changes that are made to the online database to a change log for the portion of the online database that has already been copied to the storage device, and not writing changes that are made to the online database to the change log for the portion of the online database that has not yet been copied to the storage device. The online database is then restored by loading the backed up online database to a target database, and applying the changes in the change log to the target database by rolling the change log backwards, and applying only the most recent change contained in the change log for each data item in the target database.

Abstract: An extractor and an applier of a database replication system are configured to perform the functions of resolving target database constraint violations for replicated database transactions. The extractor replicates changes made at the source database to the target database. An applier immediately applies the changes to the target database that do not cause a constraint violation. The applier also performs the remaining functions, including detecting database changes that cause constraint violations, subsequent processing of these detected database changes, and performing a commit for the database transaction when the constraint violations are resolved.

Abstract: A system and method of backing up an online database to a storage device is provided wherein the online database is actively changed by one or more applications. The backed up online database is then subsequently restored. The online database is backed up by copying the online database to the storage device, and during the copying of the online database, writing changes that are made to the online database to a change log for the portion of the online database that has already been copied to the storage device, and not writing changes that are made to the online database to the change log for the portion of the online database that has not yet been copied to the storage device. The online database is then restored by loading the backed up online database to a restore database, and applying the changes in the change log to the restore database.

Abstract: A system is configured to ensure transactional integrity thereof. The system includes a first subsystem and a second subsystem. Each of the subsystems receive the same request to process a transaction. An indicia engine at each subsystem computes indicia of the outcome of the processing of the same request. The computed indicia from each of the subsystems is compared. An action is completed at one of the subsystems when the computed indicia does not match. The action completed at one of the subsystems is one or more of issuing a database rollback on one of the subsystems, executing self-diagnostics on one of the subsystems, shutting down one of the subsystems, taking one of the subsystems offline, aborting the transaction executing on one of the subsystems, and generating an error indication for one of the subsystems.

Abstract: An automated method and computer program product are provided for synchronizing a column-oriented target database with a row-oriented source database. Change data are replicated from a change log of the row-oriented source database via a staging database to the column-oriented target database. The change data including inserts and deletes. Change data of the change log is read into the staging database and is consolidated and grouped into a consolidated grouping of inserts, and a consolidated grouping of deletes. The consolidated grouping of inserts from the staging database are applied to the target database in a batched manner, and the consolidated grouping of deletes from the staging database are applied to the target database in a batched manner.

Abstract: An automated method is provided for replacing a currently operating data replication engine with a new data replication engine. A currently operating data replication engine reports its audit trail position upon stopping. The new data replication engine starts and is positioned at an audit trail position which is prior to the reported stopped audit trail position by an amount of the audit trail which corresponds to time that is equal to or greater than a source database transaction abort timer. The position of the new data replication engine to the stopped audit trail position defines a position window. Audit trail transactions are processed in the position window by the new data replication engine by ignoring transactions which committed or aborted in the position window, and replicating remaining transactions in the position window from the source database to the target database. The new data replication engine replicates all transactions that are started after the stopped audit trail position.

Abstract: A method is provided for ensuring transactional integrity of a system that includes a first subsystem and a second subsystem. Each of the subsystems receive the same request to process a transaction. An indicia engine at each subsystem computes indicia of the outcome of the processing of the same request. The computed indicia from each of the subsystems is compared. An action is completed at one of the subsystems when the computed indicia does not match. The action completed at one of the subsystems is one or more of issuing a database rollback on one of the subsystems, executing self-diagnostics on one of the subsystems, shutting down one of the subsystems, taking one of the subsystems offline, aborting the transaction executing on one of the subsystems, and generating an error indication for one of the subsystems.

Abstract: A method is provided for ensuring transactional integrity of a system that includes a first subsystem and a second subsystem. The first subsystem receives a request to process a transaction. The first subsystem sends to the second subsystem the request to process a transaction. Each of the subsystems process the identical request. An indicia engine at each subsystem computes indicia of the outcome of the processing of the identical request. The indicia engine at the second subsystem sends its computed indicia to the first subsystem, and the indicia engine at the first subsystem compares its computed indicia with the indicia received from the second subsystem, and sends a transaction abort directive to the second subsystem when the comparison indicates that the computed indicia of the second subsystem does not match the computed indicia of the first subsystem, thereby indicating a lack of transactional integrity in one or both of the first and second subsystems.

Abstract: An automated method is provided for replacing a currently operating data replication engine with a new data replication engine. A currently operating data replication engine reports its audit trail position upon stopping. The new data replication engine starts and is positioned at an audit trail position which is prior to the reported stopped audit trail position by an amount of the audit trail which corresponds to a source database transaction abort timer. The position of the new data replication engine to the stopped audit trail position defines a position window. Audit trail transactions are processed in the position window by the new data replication engine by ignoring transactions which committed or aborted in the position window, and replicating remaining transactions in the position window from the source database to the target database. The new data replication engine replicates all transactions that are started after the stopped audit trail position.

Abstract: A method is provided for controlling whether transactions applied against a database go forward or are aborted on a transaction processing system. A tracking engine identifies an uncompleted transaction to be joined, joins the uncompleted transaction, and collects selected attributes of the joined uncompleted transaction. The collected attributes of the joined uncompleted transaction are compared against rules in a rules engine to determine whether the joined uncompleted transaction goes forward or is aborted. Alternatively, the joined uncompleted transaction is automatically modified so that the collected attributes are in compliance with the rules in the rules engine, thereby allowing the joined uncompleted transaction to go forward and be applied against the database of the transaction processing system.

Abstract: An extractor and an applier of a database replication system are configured to perform the functions of resolving constraint violations for replicated database transactions. The extractor replicates changes made at the source database to the target database. An applier immediately applies the changes to the target database that do not cause a constraint violation. The applier also performs the remaining functions, including detecting database changes that cause constraint violations, subsequent processing of these detected database changes, and performing a commit for the database transaction when the constraint violations are resolved.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to log changes to a database on a transaction processing system. A tracking engine identifies an uncompleted transaction to be joined, joins the uncompleted transaction, and collects non-durable attributes of the joined uncompleted transaction. A logging engine makes durable the non-durable attributes by logging the non-durable attributes.