Apparatus and Method for Autonomic Index Creation, Modification and Deletion

Abstract

An index advice record engine generates and stores index advice records. An index advice policy mechanism allows a user to define an index advice policy that specifies criteria for autonomic index creation, modification and deletion. An autonomic index mechanism reads the index advice records, compares this information with the criteria in the user-defined index advice policies, and determines whether an index should be created, modified or deleted based on the information in the index advice records and the index advice policies. By automating the process of creating, modifying and deleting indexes according to user-defined policies, the preferred embodiments alleviate human users from most of the work of manually creating, modifying and deleting indexes.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 at least one processor;   a memory coupled to the at least one processor;   a database residing in the memory;   a user-defined index policy residing in the memory, the user-defined index policy specifying criteria for deletion of an index for the database; and   an index mechanism that receives monitored activity of the database and autonomically deletes the index when the criteria specified in the user-defined index policy is satisfied by the monitored activity.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an index advice record engine residing in the memory, the index advice record engine generating a plurality of index advice records that comprise the monitored activity of the database;   wherein the index mechanism reads the plurality of index advice records and determines whether information in the plurality of index advice records satisfies the criteria for deletion of the index in the user-defined index policy, and if so, the index mechanism deletes the index.   
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising an index advice policy engine comprising a graphical user interface for receiving from a user the criteria for deletion of the index. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for modifying an existing index, wherein the index mechanism autonomically modifies the existing index when the criteria for modifying an existing index is satisfied by the monitored activity and when modifying the existing index is preferred to creating a new index. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the index mechanism comprises a policy manager that allows a user to define criteria for using the user-defined index policy. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for creation of a selected index in the database, the index mechanism determining whether the selected index was autonomically created in the past, and if so, the index mechanism determines whether the selected index was beneficial in the past, and if not, the index mechanism does not create the selected index. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the index mechanism deletes at least one index advice record that advised creation of the selected index if the selected index was not beneficial in the past. 
   
   
       8 . A computer-implemented method for autonomically deleting an index for a database, the method comprising the steps of:
 generating a user-defined index policy that specifies criteria for deletion of the index;   receiving monitored activity of the database; and   autonomically deleting the index when the criteria specified in the user-defined index policy is satisfied by the monitored activity of the database.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the steps of:
 generating a plurality of index advice records that comprise the monitored activity of the database;   reading the plurality of index advice records; and   determining whether information in the plurality of index advice records satisfies the criteria for deletion of the index in the user-defined index policy, and if so, deleting the index.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for modifying an existing index, the method further comprising the step of autonomically modifying the existing index when the criteria for modifying an existing index is satisfied by the monitored activity and when modifying the existing index is preferred to creating a new index. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 8  further comprising the step of allowing a user to define criteria for using the user-defined index policy. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 8  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for creation of a selected index in the database, the method further comprising the steps of determining whether the selected index was autonomically created in the past, and if so, determining whether the selected index was beneficial in the past, and if not, not creating the selected index. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12  further comprising the step of deleting at least one index advice record that advised creation of the selected index if the selected index was not beneficial in the past. 
   
   
       14 . A computer-readable program product comprising:
 an index mechanism that receives monitored activity of a database and autonomically deletes an index when criteria specified in a user-defined index policy is satisfied by the monitored activity; and   recordable media bearing the index mechanism.   
   
   
       15 . The program product of  claim 14  further comprising:
 an index advice record engine residing in the memory, the index advice record engine generating a plurality of index advice records that comprise the monitored activity of the database;   wherein the index mechanism reads the plurality of index advice records and determines whether information in the plurality of index advice records satisfies the criteria for deletion of the index in the user-defined index policy, and if so, the index mechanism deletes the index.   
   
   
       16 . The program product of  claim 14  further comprising an index advice policy engine comprising a graphical user interface for receiving from a user the criteria for deletion of the index. 
   
   
       17 . The program product of  claim 14  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for modifying an existing index, wherein the index mechanism autonomically modifies the existing index when the criteria for modifying an existing index is satisfied by the monitored activity and when modifying the existing index is preferred to creating a new index. 
   
   
       18 . The program product of  claim 14  wherein the index mechanism comprises a policy manager that allows a user to define criteria for using the user-defined index policy. 
   
   
       19 . The program product of  claim 14  wherein the user-defined index policy further specifies criteria for creation of a selected index in the database, the index mechanism determining whether the selected index was autonomically created in the past, and if so, the index mechanism determines whether the selected index was beneficial in the past, and if not, the index mechanism does not create the selected index. 
   
   
       20 . The program product of  claim 19  wherein the index mechanism deletes at least one index advice record that advised creation of the selected index if the selected index was not beneficial in the past.