Abstract: A method and apparatus for selecting a subset of advertisements complying with an advertisement request from a set of advertisements is disclosed. Advertisements rules are specified according to a logical semantic simplifying search combinatorials yet allowing for flexible specification of advertising rules, and permitting significant precomputation of advertising rules to permit rapid identification of advertisements complying with advertisement requests. In one embodiment, advertisement rules and requests are represented as easily manipulable and computable bit arrays.

Abstract: Database objects, having interdependent relationships, are transferred for replication from a publisher to a subscriber in the order of a topological sort using a depth first search algorithm. When the depth first search algorithm attempts to enumerate all outgoing edges (dependencies) of a given node (database object), a request is made to begin an atomic transaction and then a temporary copy (e.g., via a T-SQL command) of the node/database object is created under a different name. The temporary copy is used to store dependency information that could otherwise be impaired by the replication process. Dependencies amongst database objects are thus preserved during the replication process through use of the temporary copy, as well as by transferring the database objects according to the topological sort order.