Multi-Tenant Data Sharding With Tagged Cross-Data-Center Sharing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current cloud platform architectures face challenges in data accessibility, security, and data sharing across data centers, limiting the wider implementation of cloud-based industrial solutions.

Innovation Solution

A multi-tenant Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) manufacturing platform that executes industrial manufacturing execution systems on a cloud platform, collects and stores industrial data in multiple data silos, tags data with metadata indicating shareability, and distributes tagged data based on metadata to authorized entities, using a service mesh to manage data routing and security.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is stored in multiple data silos across geographically distributed data centers, then data accessibility and security are improved, but data sharing and coordination between entities become difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoiddata sharing
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data into different data silos stored across geographically distributed data centers, with each silo containing data for specific entities. This segmentation improves security by isolating data while enabling controlled sharing through the tagging mechanism that identifies shareable data across silos.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary tagging mechanism that mediates between data storage in silos and data sharing requirements. Tags attached to data items indicate shareability, allowing the system to facilitate controlled data exchange between entities while maintaining the security benefits of siloed storage architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If cloud-based multi-tenant architecture is implemented to serve multiple enterprises, then system versatility and scalability are improved, but architectural complexity and data management challenges increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-tenant capabilityVSAvoidsystem architecture
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal multi-tenant architecture where a single cloud-based platform serves multiple enterprises through shared infrastructure and common data management mechanisms. The tagging system provides a universal solution for handling data sharing permissions across different tenants, reducing the need for tenant-specific implementations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses parameter changes by introducing metadata tags that modify the state of data items from private to shareable. This parameter change approach allows flexible data sharing control without changing the underlying multi-tenant architecture, simplifying management while maintaining versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If data is distributed across multiple data centers for security and scalability, then system reliability is improved, but data accessibility and coordination between facilities deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoiddata accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-tagging data items with shareability metadata at the time of data creation or ingestion. This preliminary tagging enables rapid data retrieval and sharing across distributed data centers without requiring complex real-time permission checks, thus improving data accessibility while maintaining distributed storage benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12488017B2Multi-tenant database replication and sharding
Publication Date: 2025.12.02 ROCKWELL AUTOMATION TECH INC
  • US12488017B2 patent drawing
  • US12488017B2 patent drawing
  • US12488017B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A multi-tenant, cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) manufacturing platform offers a variety of industrial applications to end customers—including but not limited to MES, ERP, quality management, supply chain management, and customer relationship management (CRM)—and implements associated architectural features that address a number of issues relating to data sharing, security, scalability, and other concerns.