Lineage Metadata In-Memory Structures for Faster Data Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data processing systems face inefficiencies in processing and retrieving lineage metadata, leading to prolonged processing times and resource utilization due to the need to access and process metadata from various sources, including disk storage, which introduces latency and additional processing overhead.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a specialized lineage server that stores lineage metadata in a special-purpose data structure optimized for speed and efficiency, utilizing random access memory to minimize storage space and processing time, allowing for faster retrieval and display of lineage diagrams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If lineage metadata is stored in conventional storage systems (e.g., disk storage), then comprehensive lineage metadata can be maintained, but processing time and retrieval speed are significantly slowed due to access latency and processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts lineage metadata from conventional storage systems and loads it into memory structures (hash tables, arrays) that reside in RAM. This separation allows the system to access frequently queried lineage information from fast memory rather than slow disk storage, achieving up to 500x faster retrieval times while maintaining comprehensive metadata availability
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-loading and pre-processing lineage metadata into optimized in-memory data structures before queries are executed. The metadata is organized in advance with direct access paths (hash tables for node lookup, arrays for edge storage), eliminating the need for complex queries and disk access during actual lineage operations
2Productivity
If lineage metadata is accessed from conventional storage sources, then complete metadata information is available, but resource utilization increases due to additional processing overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical disk access system with an in-memory computational system. Instead of physical disk read/write operations that consume significant energy and time, the system uses memory-based data structures with O(1) access complexity, dramatically improving processing efficiency and reducing resource consumption
Data Source
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AI summary
Among other things, we describe a method of receiving a portion of metadata from a data source, the portion of metadata describing nodes and edges; generating instances of a data structure representing the portion of metadata, at least one instance of the data structure including an identification value that identifies a corresponding node, one or more property values representing respective properties of the corresponding node, and one or more pointers to respective identification values, each pointer representing an edge associated with a node identified by the corresponding respective identification value; storing the instances of the data structure in random access memory; receiving a query that includes an identification of at least one particular element of data; and using at least one instance of the data structure to cause a display of a computer system to display a representation of lineage of the particular element of data.