Client Tier XML Single-Scope Indexing for XPath Performance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

XML operations performed in the client tier suffer from performance degradation due to inefficient execution compared to database servers enhanced for XML operations.

Innovation Solution

The client tier generates a logical index, referred to as a single-scope index, which indexes the nodes of an XML document, allowing efficient performance of XML operations by mirroring structures maintained by database servers, and using pathids and hierarchy-order key values to facilitate fast lookup and retrieval of nodes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If XML operations are performed in the client tier without indexing structures, then the system maintains simplicity and ease of operation, but performance degradation occurs due to inefficient execution

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveXML operation execution efficiencyVSAvoidclient tier structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a copy of the database server's indexing structures (path table and B-tree indexes) and maintains them in the client tier. This allows the client tier to perform XML operations with the same efficiency as the database server, resolving the performance degradation issue while keeping the complexity management manageable through structured copying of proven data structures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The indexing structure is divided into two separate components: a path table that stores hierarchical path information and B-tree indexes that store sorted key-value pairs. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and processed efficiently, improving overall XML operation performance in the client tier

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the client tier materializes the entire XML document for processing, then complete data access is enabled, but processing overhead and memory consumption increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveXML data access capabilityVSAvoidprocessing overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential indexing information (paths and sorted keys) from the full XML document structure and maintains these extracted components in the client tier. This allows efficient data access through the indexes without needing to materialize or process the entire XML document, significantly reducing processing overhead and memory consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS8762410B2Document level indexes for efficient processing in multiple tiers of a computer system

Publication Date: 2014.06.24 ORACLE INT CORP

AI summary

To improve performance of performing XML operations on an XML document in by a client tier, the client generates an index that indexes the nodes of an XML document. The index may be generated, for example, by and during parsing of the XML document. The index contains similar structures to those maintained by a database server to perform XML operations on collections of XML documents. In lieu of parsing XML document to generate an index, the client may generate indexes based on data retrieved from the indexes at the database server.