Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-02
2004-06-01
Mizrahi, Diane D. (Department: 2175)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06745175
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer software, and more particularly to a high speed method of logging and trending data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Logger application programs (e.g., LabVIEW, a National Instruments product) may be configured to repeatedly read data from an input device (for example, 100 times per second e.g., by reading the latest 10 milliseconds' worth of data from a data acquisition (DAQ) device) and subsequently write the data to an output device (e.g., a database).
Trender application programs (e.g., the Historical Viewer in Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), a National Instruments product) may be configured to repeatedly read data from a stored location (e.g., a database) and subsequently display the data on a display device.
Users of currently available logging and trending application programs typically experience a delay between the logging of data by a logging application and the availability of the logged data for retrieval and display by a trending application. Existing logging and trending application programs typically utilize a file-based system or a traditional relational database. The trender application program must wait to read the logged data at least the length of time required for the logger application program to write the data to an output device, e.g., a file-based system; a traditional relational database; or early versions of a Citadel database (a National Instruments product).
It is desirable to provide real-time access to logged data, so that users of the logged data may evaluate and/or respond to the logged data more quickly than currently possible. As used herein, “real-time” indicates a response to stimuli within some relatively small upper limit of response time (e.g., milliseconds or seconds or minutes). “Real-time” may also refer to a response substantially as the user is watching.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a system and method for high speed logging and trending of data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides various embodiments of a system, method, and medium for high speed logging and trending of data.
In one embodiment, data desired to be written or logged to the database may be received, wherein the database may be stored on a non-volatile memory. The received data may be initially stored in a shared memory location coupled to the database wherein the shared memory location may be in a volatile memory. A dynamic link library (DLL) associated with the database may store the data in the shared memory location. The dynamic link library associated with the database may also store (in the shared memory location) and/or update an index to the data. The data and an index to the data may each be stored in the shared memory location. The received data may also include a stream of data comprising a plurality of entries. Thus, storing an index to the received data may include storing an index for each of the plurality of entries as the entries are received and stored.
A requestor may submit a query for requested data residing in the database (e.g., at least a subset of the data in the database). This query may be processed by the database system. This request for data may be referred to as trending. The processing may include: receiving the query from the requestor for the requested data residing in the database; determining the location of the requested data in the shared memory using the index of the requested data; accessing the requested data from the shared memory; and providing or displaying the requested data to the requestor.
The received data may be live data acquired from a data acquisition device. Additionally, the received data may be one of any number of types of data (e.g., waveform data, single-point data, alarm data, event data). The received data may be any type of measurement data acquired from a measurement device.
The rate or frequency at which the received data is received may be at a first user configurable frequency. Similarly, the rate or frequency at which the received data is stored may be at a second user configurable frequency. The first user configurable frequency for receiving and the second user configurable frequency for storing may be an identical value. For example, the user may enter one value (i.e., either the first user configurable frequency for receiving or the second user configurable frequency for storing), and, by default, the unspecified frequency (i.e., the second user configurable frequency for storing if the first user configurable frequency for receiving is specified, or the first user configurable frequency for receiving if the second user configurable frequency for storing is specified) may be assigned the value entered for the specified frequency. The rate or frequency at which the requested data is provided or displayed may be at a third user configurable frequency.
The logging and trending may be performed substantially concurrently. Additionally, the logging and trending may be implemented using one or more shared memory templates.
The database may reside on a first computer system, and the logging and trending may be performed on the first computer system. Alternatively, the database may reside on a first computer system, and the logging and trending may be performed on a second computer system coupled to the first computer system via a network. The database, the logging application program, and the trending application program, may each reside on either of the first computer system or the second computer system, in any combination, as the network allows for communication between the computer systems.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5546455 (1996-08-01), Joyce et al.
patent: 5893097 (1999-04-01), Hayata et al.
patent: 5918229 (1999-06-01), Davis et al.
patent: 6599250 (2003-07-01), Webb et al.
Pierce David Mark
Roach Anthony George
Tomashevsky Maxim Mark
Hood Jeffrey C.
Meyertons Hood Kivlin Kowert & Goetzel P.C.
Mizrahi Diane D.
Mofiz Apu M
National Instruments Corporation
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