System and Method for Time Parameter Based Database Restoration

Abstract

A system and method are provided for the recovery and restoration of software records of a database server to record iterations previous to the current state of the selected records. This action may be taken in order to overcome the consequences of database corruption. An event-time may be designated which is applied to select some or all of the earlier but most recent versions of each selected record. The system and method presented include a local target database for the purpose of recording software records to an archive, and may include a remote source database, from which records may be transmitted to the local target database. A restore command may be detected by the database server as sent from the remote source server, as received in an electronic message, as received via an electronics communications network, or as directly input. The local target database may have access to multiple iterations or versions of a software record including the original record version as stored in an archive, and may, upon instruction or command, revert to a previous iteration of a software record stored in the archive if corruption of later iterations is suspected. Alternatively or additionally, the local target database may not be restored with earlier versions of records but the remote source database may be restored with the selected record versions. The software records may optionally be updated in a batch method, or may alternatively be updated in real time, as the software records are created.

1 . A method comprising:
 a. in a target database management system, maintaining the most recent versions of a plurality of records in a target database;   b. archiving outdated versions of the plurality of records in an archive;   c. receiving a command to select archived record versions as stored in the archive in relation to a specified restore time point, wherein each selected archived record version of each record has an associated version time point that is earlier than the restore time point and closest to the restore time point of all archived record versions of a same record; and   d. applying the selected archived record versions to restore a restore database.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the restore database is the target database. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the target database is bi-directionally communicatively coupled with the archive by the database management system. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the restore database is a source database that is substantively located externally to the database management system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the source database is bi-directionally communicatively coupled with the database management system by means of an electronic communications system. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the previously stored versions of the selected archived record versions are deleted from the restore database in the restore action. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the previously stored version of the selected archived record versions are overwritten in the restore database in the restore action. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the restore database is the target database, and further comprising communicating the selected archived record versions to a remote server. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising communicating the selected archived record versions to the remote server via an electronic communications database. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising applying the selected archived record versions to restore a source database accessible to the remote server. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the command to select the archived record versions is input directly to a computer, and the computer at least partially comprises the database management system. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the target database is substantively comprised within the computer. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the archive is substantively comprised within the computer. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the command to select the archived record versions is provided via an electronics communications network to the database management system. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target database is a relational database. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target database is a NoSQL oriented database. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target database is an object oriented database. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 a. in a target database management system, maintaining the most recent versions of a plurality of records in a target database;   b. archiving earlier versions of the plurality of records in an archive;   c. specifying a restore time point;   d. selecting from all records versions of a same record stored in the archive the record version that is associated with a time date stamp indicating a version time earlier than and closest to, in comparison with all other record versions of the same record, the restore time point; and   e. writing the record version (“the selected record version”) into a second database, wherein the second database is external from the target database.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising writing the selected record version into the target database. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising deleting the most recently stored previous record version from the second database the target database. 
     
     
         21 . A method comprising:
 a. in a target database management system, maintaining the most recent versions of a plurality of records in a target database;   b. archiving earlier versions of the plurality of records in an archive;   c. specifying a restore time point;   d. selecting from all records versions of a same record stored in the archive the record version that is associated with a time date stamp indicating a version time earlier than and closest to, in comparison with all other record versions of the same record, the restore time point; and   e. writing the record version (“the selected record version”) into the target database.