Blockchain Data Storage with Cloud Metadata Indexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and blockchain systems face inefficiencies in storing and validating data and metadata, as they store data in a fixed, immutable manner lacking context, leading to difficulties in data retrieval and scalability issues due to the need to rewrite entire records upon updates, resulting in unsustainable data volume growth.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses a cloud-based computing environment to efficiently store and validate data and metadata within a blockchain by employing a blockchain interface, smart contracts for validation, and an indexing scheme like Merkle Trees to enable efficient data location and retrieval, allowing only updated values to be written to the blockchain and using smart contracts to enforce data validation and format consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored in a fixed, immutable manner in the blockchain, then data integrity is maintained, but data retrieval efficiency deteriorates due to lack of context and metadata
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data storage into two parts: immutable data stored on the blockchain and mutable metadata stored in a cloud-based database. This segmentation allows the blockchain to maintain data integrity while the external database provides efficient retrieval with context information, resolving the contradiction between reliability and retrieval efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cloud-based database as an intermediary between the blockchain and users. This intermediary stores metadata and context information that accelerates data retrieval without compromising the immutability and integrity of the blockchain-stored data, thus resolving the time loss issue.
2Reliability
If entire records are rewritten to the blockchain upon updates, then data consistency is maintained, but storage volume grows unsustainably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts mutable portions of data (metadata) from the blockchain and stores them in an external cloud database. Only essential immutable data remains on the blockchain, while updates are handled externally. This extraction prevents unsustainable storage growth while maintaining data consistency through selective updating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic storage by allowing metadata to be updated in the cloud database without rewriting entire records on the blockchain. This dynamic approach enables efficient updates while maintaining consistency, resolving the contradiction between reliability and storage volume.
3Quantity of substance
If data is stored without context and metadata, then storage efficiency is improved, but data usability deteriorates due to lack of information for business objectives
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to data storage by separating immutable data (on blockchain) from contextual metadata (in cloud database). This dimensional separation allows efficient storage of core data while providing rich contextual information for data usability, resolving the contradiction between storage efficiency and adaptability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the blockchain processes every transaction in real time, then decentralization is achieved, but computational capacity requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a cloud-based database as an intermediary to handle computationally intensive operations like metadata storage and retrieval. This allows the blockchain to maintain decentralization for critical functions while offloading heavy computational tasks to the external database, reducing the power requirements for blockchain nodes.
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary systems, methods, and apparatuses implement efficient storage and validation of data and metadata within a blockchain using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in conjunction with a cloud based computing environment. Such a system, having at least a processor and a memory therein and executing within a host organization, in which such a system includes: means for operating a blockchain interface to a blockchain on behalf of a plurality of tenants of the host organization, in which each one of the plurality of tenants operate as a participating node with access to the blockchain; receiving a transaction for the blockchain requesting the host organization to update a data record persistently stored on the blockchain, the transaction specifying updated values for one or more of a plurality of data elements of the data record; executing a smart contract to validate the updated values specified by the transaction before permitting the transaction to be added to the blockchain to update the data record on the blockchain with the updated values; and writing the updated values for the data record to the blockchain by adding the transaction to a new block on the blockchain pursuant to successful validation of the updated data values by the smart contract.