Remote Container Database Segmentation for Backup Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional relational databases face inefficiencies in incremental backup processes due to large multimedia data files being marked as 'dirty' even when only minor changes occur in other data fields, leading to unnecessary backups.
Innovation Solution
Implementing remote container techniques that store multimedia data in separate database files with associated metadata, allowing access restrictions to be applied using encryption, enabling efficient incremental backup and secure access management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multimedia data is stored together with other data fields in the same database file, then data integrity and access control are simplified, but incremental backup efficiency deteriorates because any change marks the entire file as dirty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the database file structure by introducing separate container files for storing large multimedia data, distinct from the main database file. This segmentation allows the main database file to remain small and only mark as dirty when actual data changes occur, while container files can be independently tracked for backup purposes, thereby improving incremental backup efficiency without compromising data integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts large multimedia data from the main database file and stores it in separate container files. This extraction eliminates the problem where any minor change in the main database file causes the entire file (including large unchanged multimedia data) to be marked as dirty. The container files are referenced by the main database through container data fields, maintaining data relationships while preventing unnecessary backup operations.
2Productivity
If remote container files are used to store multimedia data separately, then backup efficiency improves by avoiding unnecessary backups, but access control and security management become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal access control mechanisms that work across both the main database file and remote container files. The container data field stores references to container files and inherits access control properties from the parent table and field definitions. This allows a single access control framework to manage permissions for distributed data storage, simplifying security management despite the physical separation of data files.
Solution Approach 2:
The container data field acts as an intermediary between the main database file and remote container files. It stores references to container files and mediates access control by inheriting permissions from the parent table structure. This intermediary mechanism enables the database system to enforce access restrictions on remote files without requiring separate complex permission management systems, thus maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If large multimedia files are stored in the database, then data integrity is maintained, but incremental backup is forced to backup large amounts of unchanged data due to dirty file marking
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting storage into main database files and separate container files, the system maintains data integrity through structured relationships while enabling efficient backup tracking. The container files are referenced by container data fields in the main database, allowing the system to track changes at the container level rather than forcing backup of entire large files whenever any minor change occurs in the main database structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of file marking from binary (dirty/clean) at the file level to a more granular level where container files can be independently tracked. This parameter change allows the system to distinguish between actual data changes and structural metadata changes, enabling incremental backup to skip unchanged container files even when the main database file is marked as dirty, thereby reducing backup time while maintaining data integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, program products, and systems implementing remote container techniques are disclosed. A relational database can include a container data field, which can be a data field for storing multimedia data. In one aspect, when the multimedia data are inserted into the container field, the multimedia data can be stored in one or more remote database files. The remote database files can be located separately from other data of the relational database and remotely from a client computer accessing the relational database. Corresponding data structures, or remote containers, can be configured to store metadata of the database files. References to the remote containers can be stored as values of the container data field. Using various encryption techniques, the remote database files can be given same access restrictions as access restrictions of the container data field, even when the remote database files are stored as flat files.