Patent ID: 11860835
Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Computer technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 4:
5. A method, comprising:
receiving a drop column request to remove a same named attribute from a table stored in a first data store of a non-relational database system as if the same named attribute were stored in a column of the table, wherein the table comprises a plurality of items that respectively comprise a plurality of attributes, wherein at least two of the plurality of items in the table respectively include the same named attribute, wherein at least a different one of the plurality of items does not include the same named attribute, and wherein the non-relational database system does not enforce a strict schema that requires values for every column in the table; and
responsive to receiving the request:
causing, at the first data store for the table, filtering of the same named attribute from responses to client read requests to the table that read from the at least two items;
causing creation of a backup of the table in a second data store that is separate from the first data store, the backup comprising respective copies of the plurality of items including the at least two items of the plurality of items that include the same named attribute and the different one of the plurality of items that does not include the same named attribute;
sending one or more requests to the second data store to evaluate the respective copies of the plurality of items in the backup to identify the at least two items that include the same named attribute column, limiting interference with client requests that access the table; and
sending one or more delete requests to the first data store, wherein the one or more delete requests specify the identified at least two items to delete the same named attribute from the at least two items in the table in the first data store.