Object Copying via Segmented Atomic Transactions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Enterprise engineering systems face challenges in copying large numbers of objects and relationships due to memory constraints and the risk of database inconsistency during atomic copy operations, which can lead to significant user and computer time wastage if the copy operation abnormally terminates.
Innovation Solution
The system partitions objects into ordered groups and performs atomic database transactions for each group, ensuring that predecessor objects are copied before their successors, allowing for consistent database state maintenance and efficient resumption of copy operations even if the process is interrupted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single atomic copy operation is used to copy all objects and relationships, then database consistency is maintained, but memory constraints are exceeded and operation time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the copy operation into multiple atomic transactions, each handling a subset of objects and relationships. This segmentation allows the system to copy large numbers of objects without loading them all into memory simultaneously, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining database consistency and managing memory capacity.
2Reliability
If a single atomic copy operation is used to copy all objects and relationships, then database consistency is maintained, but operation time increases significantly due to abnormal termination risks
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the copy operation into smaller atomic transactions, the patent reduces the risk of abnormal termination affecting the entire operation. If one segment fails, only that segment needs to be redone, significantly reducing time loss compared to a single atomic operation that would require complete re-execution upon failure.
3Productivity
If objects are copied in arbitrary order, then copying speed increases, but database consistency is compromised due to missing predecessor objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary actions by identifying and copying predecessor objects before their successor objects. This ordering ensures that when an object is copied, all its predecessor objects are already present in the database, maintaining consistency while allowing efficient parallel processing of independent object groups.
Data Source
AI summary
A large number of objects, such as objects representing beams and columns in an object-oriented enterprise engineering system, may be copied in a model database by partitioning the objects according to certain criteria into a number of ordered small copy groups and copying the objects in each group as an atomic operation. Objects that are to be copied are organized into the ordered groups, and the groups are copied in order, such that all predecessors of a given object are copied into the database before, or in the same small operation as, the given object. If a large copy operation abnormally terminates before all the small copy operations have been completed, the model database is, nevertheless, left in a consistent state, and the copy operation may be resumed from the point of interruption. Furthermore, the number of objects that may be copied is not constrained by the amount of memory available in the system.