Entity-Level Data Synchronization via Virtual Structures
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current data synchronization methods across multiple instances of business systems are cumbersome and require significant customization, often relying on tedious table-level replication, which can lead to inaccuracies due to differences in configuration across instances.
Innovation Solution
A central data storage system that receives entities and their schemas from multiple instances, identifies changes, and synchronizes them while detecting and resolving conflicts, operating on an entity level rather than a physical table level, making the process more efficient and easier to manage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If table-level replication is used to synchronize data across instances, then data synchronization is achieved, but the process becomes tedious and requires significant customization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data synchronization from physical table replication by introducing virtual data structures (views, materialized views, virtual tables) that abstract the underlying physical storage. This allows logical data organization independent of physical table structures, reducing customization complexity while maintaining synchronization accuracy across distributed instances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer (virtual data structure layer) between the physical database tables and the application logic. This intermediary handles the complexity of data synchronization, conflict resolution, and instance-specific customizations, thereby simplifying the overall process while ensuring reliable data consistency across instances.
2Reliability
If table-level replication is used to synchronize data across instances, then data synchronization is achieved, but inaccuracies occur due to configuration differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables each database instance to have instance-specific configurations (local quality) through virtual data structures that can be customized per instance while maintaining a consistent logical data model. This allows different instances to have different physical configurations, access permissions, or local optimizations without compromising data synchronization accuracy, as the virtual layer abstracts these differences.
3Device complexity
If entity-level synchronization is implemented instead of table-level replication, then synchronization complexity is reduced, but new conflict identification mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses materialized views as copies of underlying table data, organized according to virtual data structures. These materialized views provide pre-computed, consistent snapshots of data that can be synchronized across instances without requiring complex real-time conflict detection mechanisms. The copy-based approach simplifies synchronization while maintaining data consistency.
4Adaptability or versatility
If virtual data structures are introduced to abstract physical tables, then data access flexibility is improved, but additional data management layers are added
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates universal virtual data structure templates that can serve multiple functions: data organization, access control, synchronization coordination, and conflict resolution. These multi-functional virtual structures reduce the need for separate management mechanisms, thereby improving data access flexibility without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Multiple instances of a computer system subscribe to a central data storage system. The central data storage system receives a set of entities that the instances wish to synchronize with one another, along with a schema representing those entities, from each instance. The central data storage system receives changes to the identified entities from the various instances, identifies conflicts, and synchronizes changes from a given instance to the other subscribing instances.