Abstract: A database of personal information is built and controlled by the individual users creating it. This database can then be used to enhance the functionality and user experience associated with multi-participant online communities. By collecting information from users themselves, and by allowing users to maintain such data, the data can have significant added value both to the users and to any commercial services that wish to use it. Appropriate precautions are taken to ensure that users maintain control over the data they choose to share. Data is owned by the user that provided it, and any application or release of such data is only performed at user direction and under user control. The users are also given incentives to provide such data, in the form of promised rewards. These mechanisms improve the amount and quality of collected data, so that comprehensive databases describing users can be built more easily and effectively.

Abstract: Transactions are replicated from a source database to a target database in a data replication system. The system includes a first memory location that persistently stores statement text associated with transactions to be replicated. Transactions to be replicated are cached by separating the transactions into statement text and statement data. A determination is made as to whether the statement text has been previously stored in the first memory location. If not, then the statement text is persistently stored to the first memory location. A similar scheme is provided for replicating I/O operations.

Abstract: During replication of transaction data from a source database to a target database via a change queue associated with the source database, one or more multiple paths are provided between the change queue and the target database. The one or more multiple paths cause at least some of the transaction data to become unserialized. At least some of the unserialized data is reserialized prior to or upon applying the originally unserialized transaction data to the target database. If the current transaction load is close or equal to the maximum transaction load capacity of a path between the change queue and the target database, another path is provided. If the maximum transaction threshold limit of an applier associated with the target database has been reached, open transactions may be prematurely committed.