Transmission Format Cache for Database Read Latency

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Modern database systems face inefficiencies in processing data stored in formats optimized for storage, as they need to be reformatted for transmission to clients, which can lead to performance issues due to the need to collect attributes from different storage areas and handle various data formats, especially when accessed through interfaces like APIs or RESTful services.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a transmission format cache in database nodes that converts data items from storage format to transmission format, enabling efficient data retrieval by caching formatted data items and using APIs to manage cache entries, thereby optimizing read operations and adapting to performance requirements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If data is stored in optimized storage format with attributes grouped in different areas, then storage efficiency is improved, but data retrieval and reformatting complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage efficiencyVSAvoiddata retrieval and reformatting complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-formats data items into transmission format and stores them in a cache structure alongside the storage format data. This preliminary action of creating transmission format copies in advance eliminates the need for complex reformatting operations during data retrieval, as the formatted data is already prepared and readily available for immediate transmission to clients.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a transmission format cache as an intermediary layer between the storage format data and the client transmission process. This cache stores pre-formatted data items and serves as a mediator that provides directly usable transmission format data without requiring complex real-time reformatting operations, thereby simplifying the data retrieval process while maintaining storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If data reformatting is performed for each access request, then data transmission accuracy is improved, but processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata transmission accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs the data reformatting operation in advance and stores the formatted data in a cache. By preparing the transmission format data beforehand, the system eliminates the need to perform time-consuming reformatting operations during each access request, thereby significantly reducing processing time while ensuring data transmission accuracy through the use of pre-validated formatted data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates copy versions of data items in transmission format and stores them in the cache alongside the original storage format data. These copies are generated once and reused for multiple access requests, eliminating the need to repeatedly perform reformatting operations. This copying approach maintains data transmission accuracy while dramatically reducing the processing time required for each subsequent data retrieval operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If transmission format cache is implemented, then data retrieval performance is improved, but memory usage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata retrieval performanceVSAvoidmemory usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a transmission format cache that stores pre-formatted data items in memory, creating a localized high-performance storage area for frequently accessed data. This local quality approach provides fast data retrieval performance for the cached data while allowing the system to maintain standard storage formats for less frequently accessed data, thereby optimizing the balance between retrieval performance and memory usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by caching only the transmission format versions of data items that are frequently accessed, rather than formatting and caching all data. This selective caching approach improves data retrieval performance for the most critical data while limiting memory usage by avoiding the storage of transmission format copies for all data items in the database.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11556540B1Transmission format cache for database reads
Publication Date: 2023.01.17 AMAZON TECH INC
  • US11556540B1 patent drawing
  • US11556540B1 patent drawing
  • US11556540B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A transmission format cache may be implemented at a database storage node. Versions of data items stored in a database at the database storage node may be processed according to anticipated access requests to generate an anticipated access responses. The anticipated access responses are then stored in a transmission format cache to provide low latency reads of the data items. The versions of the data items may be processed as a result of updates to the database items. The database storage node may be one of a plurality of database storage nodes implementing a distributed database system with the transmission format cache implementing a portion of a distributed response cache providing low latency, eventually consistent or consistent reads of data items in a distributed database.