Patent Publication Number: US-9892151-B2

Title: Database system and method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/464,610, filed on May 4, 2012, entitled “Database System and Method”, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/482,836, filed on May 5, 2011, entitled “Database System and Method,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to database management systems and methods, and more particularly, to database management systems and methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A database is a collection of organized data. One type of database includes a distributed database in which storage devices are not all attached to a common CPU. The data may be stored in multiple computers located in the same physical location or may be dispersed over a network of interconnected computers. A distributed database with multiple computers or storage devices may provide more storage. In some instances, having multiple computers or storage devices may negatively impact retrieval time of data from the various computers or storage devices. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes a computing device generating metadata associated with data stored in a non-relational database, the metadata based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. The computing device stores the metadata in a data structure in memory. The computing device receives a query for data stored in the non-relational database. The computing device executes the query using the generated metadata to generate a metadata result set. The computing device generates a result set including data in the non-relational database using the generated metadata result set. 
     One or more of the following features may be included. Generating the result set including data in the non-relational database may include retrieving the data in the non-relational database from one or more devices using the metadata result set. The generated metadata may be inspected for updates. The data stored in the non-relational database may be updated based upon, at least in part, the updates of the generated metadata. The generated metadata may include one or more full text indexes of the data stored in the non-relational database. The query may be received over a switched fabric communication link. The data may be transferred to a shard of the non-relational database on a second computing device. Metadata of the transferred data may be generated. A database schema associated with a first instance of the non-relational database may be stored to a file. A second instance of the non-relational database may be generated based upon the database schema. 
     In one implementation, a computer program product residing on a computer readable medium has a plurality of instructions stored on it. When executed by a processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to perform operations including generating metadata associated with data stored in a non-relational database, the metadata based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. The metadata is stored in a data structure in memory. A query for data stored in the non-relational database is received. The query is executed using the generated metadata to generate a metadata result set. A results set including data in the non-relational database is generated using the generated metadata result set. 
     One or more of the following features may be included. Generating the result set including data in the non-relational database may include retrieving the data in the non-relational database from one or more devices using the metadata result set. The generated metadata may be inspected for updates. The data stored in the non-relational database may be updated based upon, at least in part, the updates of the generated metadata. The generated metadata may include one or more full text indexes of the data stored in the non-relational database. The query may be received over a switched fabric communication link. The data may be transferred to a shard of the non-relational database on a second computing device. Metadata of the transferred data may be generated. A database schema associated with a first instance of the non-relational database may be stored to a file. A second instance of the non-relational database may be generated based upon the database schema. 
     In one implementation, a computing system including a processor and memory configured to perform operations includes generating metadata associated with data stored in a non-relational database, the metadata based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. The metadata is stored in a data structure in memory. A query for data stored in the non-relational database is received. The query is executed using the generated metadata to generate a metadata result set. A results set including data in the non-relational database is generated using the generated metadata result set. 
     One or more of the following features may be included. Generating the result set including data in the non-relational database may include retrieving the data in the non-relational database from one or more devices using the metadata result set. The generated metadata may be inspected for updates. The data stored in the non-relational database may be updated based upon, at least in part, the updates of the generated metadata. The generated metadata may include one or more full text indexes of the data stored in the non-relational database. The query may be received over a switched fabric communication link. The data may be transferred to a shard of the non-relational database on a second computing device. Metadata of the transferred data may be generated. A database schema associated with a first instance of the non-relational database may be stored to a file. A second instance of the non-relational database may be generated based upon the database schema. 
     In one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes a computing device generating metadata associated with data stored in a database, the metadata based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. The computing device stores the metadata in a data structure. The computing device receives a query for data stored in the database. The computing device executes the query using the generated metadata to generate a metadata result set. The computing device generates a result set including data in the database using the generated metadata result set. 
     The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic view of a DB process coupled to a distributed computing network; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of distributed data centers; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a data center; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a front end; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of a management engine; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of the DB process of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program code embodied in the medium. 
     Any suitable computer usable or computer readable medium may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer-usable, or computer-readable, storage medium (including a storage device associated with a computing device or client electronic device) may be, for example, but s not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device. In the context of this document, a computer-usable, or computer-readable, storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program coded embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in an object oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     The present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown DB process  10  that may reside on and may be executed by server computer  12 , which may be connected to network  14  (e.g., the Internet or a local area network). Examples of server computer  12  may include, but are not limited to: a personal computer, a server computer, a series of server computers, a mini computer, and a mainframe computer. Server computer  12  may be a web server (or a series of servers) running a network operating system, examples of which may include but are not limited to: Microsoft® Windows® Server; Novell® NetWare®; or Red Hat® Linux®, for example. (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries or both; Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries or both; Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countries or both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries or both.) Additionally/alternatively, the DB process  10  may reside on and be executed, in whole or in part, by a client electronic device, such as a personal computer, notebook computer, personal digital assistant, or the like. 
     As will be discussed below in greater detail, DB process  10  may generate metadata associated with data stored in a non-relational database. The metadata may be based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. DB process  10  may store the metadata in a data structure in memory. DB process  10  may receive a query for data stored in the non-relational database. DB process  10  may execute the query using the generated metadata to generate a metadata result set. DB process  10  may generate a result set including data in the non-relational database using the generated metadata result set. 
     The instruction sets and subroutines of DB process  10 , which may include one or more software modules, and which may be stored on storage device  16  coupled to server computer  12 , may be executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown) incorporated into server computer  12 . Storage device  16  may include but is not limited to: a hard disk drive; a solid state drive, a tape drive; an optical drive; a RAID array; a random access memory (RAM); and a read-only memory (ROM). 
     Server computer  12  may execute a web server application, examples of which may include but are not limited to: Microsoft IIS, Novell Webserver, or Apache® Webserver, that allows for HTTP (i.e., HyperText Transfer Protocol) access to server computer  12  via network  14  (Webserver is a trademark of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and Apache is a registered trademark of Apache Software Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both). Network  14  may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g., network  18 ), examples of which may include but are not limited to: a local area network; a wide area network; or an intranet, for example. 
     Server computer  12  may execute a data store application (e.g., data store application  20 ), examples of which may include, but is not limited to e.g., a non-relational database. Data store application  20  may include/maintain data that may be requested by a client web browser application (e.g., web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ) via a query. Examples of web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28  may include, but are not limited to, e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer®, Apple® Safari®, etc. (Internet Explorer is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both, and Apple and Safari are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the United States, other countries, or both). 
     DB process  10  may be a standalone application, or may be an applet/application/script that may interact with and/or be executed within data store application  20 . In addition/as an alternative to being a server-side process, DB process  10  may include a client-side process (described below) that may reside on a client electronic device (described below) and may interact with a web browser (e.g., one or more of web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ). Further, DB process  10  may be a hybrid server-side/client-side process that may interact with data store application  20  and a web browser (e.g., one or more of web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ). As such, DB process  10  may reside, in whole, or in part, on server computer  12  and/or one or more client electronic devices. 
     The instruction sets and subroutines of data store application  20 , which may be stored on storage device  16  coupled to server computer  12  may be executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown) incorporated into server computer  12 . 
     The instruction sets and subroutines of web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 , which may be stored on storage devices  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36  (respectively) coupled to client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  (respectively), may be executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown) incorporated into client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  (respectively). Storage devices  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36  may include but are not limited to: hard disk drives; solid state drives, tape drives; optical drives; RAID arrays; random access memories (RAM); read-only memories (ROM), compact flash (CF) storage devices, secure digital (SD) storage devices, and a memory stick storage devices. Examples of client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  may include, but are not limited to, personal computer  38 , laptop computer  40 , mobile computing device  42  (such as a smart phone, net book, or the like), notebook computer  44 , for example. Using web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 , users  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52  may access web content (e.g., web pages, web applications, and the like) via one or more of networks  14 ,  18 . Additionally, using web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 , users  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52  may request data included in/maintained by data store application  20  by transmitting one or more queries to DB process  10 . 
     As mentioned above, DB process  10  may reside, in whole or in part, on a client electronic device (e.g., client electronic device  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 ). For example, client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  may respectively execute a client-side DB process (e.g., DB processes  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60 ). DB processes  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60  may each include a standalone application, or may be an applet/application/script that may interact with and/or be executed within web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 . The instruction sets and subroutines of DB processes  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60 , which may be stored on storage devices  30 ,  32 ,  34 ,  36  (respectively) coupled to client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  (respectively), may be executed by one or more processors (not shown) and one or more memory modules (not shown) incorporated into client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  (respectively). 
     As will be discussed in greater detail below, the client-side DB process (e.g., DB processes  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60 ), alone or in conjunction with a web browser, may generate and transmit a query for retrieval of data from the database. The query for data may be transmitted to a data store (e.g., data store  20 ) via a network. A result set may be generated using metadata generated by DB process  10  for quick retrieval of data. 
     Users  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52  may access data store application  20  directly through the device on which the web browser (e.g., web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 ) is executed, namely client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44 , for example. Users  46 ,  48 ,  50 ,  52  may access data store application  20  directly through network  14  or through secondary network  18 . Further, server computer  12  (i.e., the computer that executes scheduling application  20 ) may be connected to network  14  through secondary network  18 , as illustrated with phantom link line  62 . 
     The various client electronic devices may be directly or indirectly coupled to network  14  (or network  18 ). For example, personal computer  38  is shown directly coupled to network  14  via a hardwired network connection. Further, notebook computer  44  is shown directly coupled to network  18  via a hardwired network connection. Laptop computer  40  is shown wirelessly coupled to network  14  via wireless communication channel  64  established between laptop computer  40  and wireless access point (i.e., WAP)  66 , which is shown directly coupled to network  14 . WAP  66  may be, for example, an IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Wi-Fi, EDGE, 3G, Wi-MAX and/or Bluetooth device that is capable of establishing wireless communication channel  64  between laptop computer  40  and WAP  66 . Mobile computing device  42  is shown wirelessly coupled to network  14  via wireless communication channel  68  established between mobile computing device  42  and cellular network/bridge  70 , which is shown directly coupled to network  14 . 
     As is known in the art, all of the IEEE 802.11x specifications may use Ethernet protocol and carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (i.e., CSMA/CA) for path sharing. The various 802.11x specifications may use phase-shift keying (i.e., PSK) modulation or complementary code keying (i.e., CCK) modulation, for example. As is known in the art, Bluetooth is a telecommunications industry specification that allows e.g., mobile phones, computers, and personal digital assistants to be interconnected using a short-range wireless connection. 
     Client electronic devices  38 ,  40 ,  42 ,  44  may each execute an operating system, examples of which may include but are not limited to Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows CE®, Red Hat Linux, or other suitable operating system. (Windows CE is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.) 
     For the purpose of the following description, web browser  22  and DB application  54  may be discussed. However, this is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as a limitation of the present disclosure, as other web browsers (e.g., web browsers  24 ,  26 ,  28 ) and other DB processes (e.g., DB processes  56 ,  58 ,  60 ) may be equally utilized. 
     As discussed above and referring also to  FIGS. 2-3 , DB process  10  may generate metadata of data stored in a non-relational database to be used to query the data, wherein the metadata is based upon, at least in part, at least one of a location of the data, a state of data, and the data. DB process  10  may store the metadata in memory. DB process  10  may receive a query for data stored in the non-relational database. DB process  10  may execute the query using the generated metadata stored in the memory. DB process  10  may generate a result set chosen from the data in the non-relational database using the executed query. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of distributed data centers  200  is depicted. In some embodiments, the distributed data centers  200   a ,  200   b ,  200   c ,  200   d ,  200   e  (collectively  200 ) may be located in different geographic regions and communicate with individuals located in the geographic region. For example, European Data Center  200   b  may be located in Europe and may be accessed by users in and around Europe. Although users may access their regional data centers  200 , the data stored and available to the users may be stored in other geographic locations. Each data center  200  may be associated with one or more storage devices. In some embodiments, collections of data may be distributed across multiple physical devices. The multiple physical devices may be located in a single geographic area or may be distributed in multiple physical locations. The distributed data centers  200  may reside on network servers on the Internet, on corporate intranets or extranets, or on other company networks. In some embodiments, to ensure proper back up, data centers may include replications or duplications of data. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 3 , one embodiment of data center  200  is depicted. In brief overview, the data center  200  may include front end  302 , back end management services  304 , back up storage  306 , and relational servers  308   a ,  308   b  (collectively referred to as  308 ). In some embodiments, data center  200  may be multiple physical devices. In some embodiments, data center  200  may be a single device. In some embodiments, devices associated with or in the data center may be in different physical locations. 
     Front End  302  may be a server or other computing device. Front End  302  may track the location and paths to data. In some embodiments, Front End  302  may identify and/or track which devices include database shards in which the data resides. A database shard may be a horizontal partition in a database. In some embodiments, database shards are derived from a database architecture in which rows of a database table are help separately. Each horizontal partition in a database may be located on a separate database server, data center  200 , or physical location. 
     Back End Management Services  304  may be a database engine with storage. In some embodiments, Back End Management Services  304  may be a high performance server that manages data blocks, extracting data from raw disk space. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may reside in and/or be associated with Back End Management Services  304 . Back End Management Services  304  may be a server that manages data. In some embodiments, data management may include extracting data from database shards, disk space, or other storage mechanism used by the database. In some embodiments, Back End Management Services  304  may read/write/merge data. Back End Management Services  304  may implement decisions regarding data storage initiated by Front End  302 . Decisions regarding data storage initiated by Front End  302  may include determining where to store data imported from other databases or other organization means, load-balancing of the data, wherein database shards may be transferred or moved from one physical device or location to another. DB process  10 , in association with Back End Management Services  304 , may use algorithms or other tools to determine the most efficient retrieval paths for data and transmit the information to Front End  302 . 
     Backup Storage  306  may include one or more computing devices. Backup Storage  306  may be located in a single physical location or may be located in a different physical location. In some embodiments, Backup Storage  306  may be connected to Data Center  200  over a network  14 . In some embodiments, Backup Storage  306  may initiate duplication of data associated with the Data Center  200 . In some embodiments, Backup Storage  306  may initiate duplication of data from one or more other Data Centers  200 . In some embodiments, data backups and/or duplication of data may be initiated at set time intervals. In some embodiments, the time intervals may be determined by an administrator of the system. In some embodiments, data duplication and/or data backup may occur in real-time or near real-time as updates made to the data in the database. For instance, in some embodiments, when a change is made in the database, updates may be made to the data stored in Backup Storage  306 . 
     In some embodiments, Data Center  200  may include Relational Servers  308   a ,  308   b  (collectively  308 ). Relational Servers  308  may be one or more computing devices. Relations Servers  308  may be sources for import and/or export of data to a different known database type. In some embodiments, it may be used to use a referential data set to bring the data into a relational database, such as a SQL database. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 4 , one embodiment of front end  302  may comprise multiple blades  402 . Each blade  402  may include front end agent  404 , cache  406 , local file system  408 , metadata  410 , and backend agent  412 . 
     In some embodiments, front end agent  404  may provide access to the data in the database system. Front end agent  404  may be used to authenticate and verify user access. In some embodiments, front end agent  404  may be used to determine which users have access to different types of data or particular devices that may store the date. 
     In some embodiments, cache  406  may be used for additional acceleration to access. For example, if users are requesting the same records of data multiple times, the data may be locally stored in the cache  406  on the blade  402 . This may increase efficiency as the database system may not need to be accessed each time the data was requested. In some embodiments, the data stored in the cache  406  may be updated periodically to ensure the data available to users is the most current version of the data. 
     In some embodiments, local file system  408  may be local storage used to store information on the blade. In some embodiments, local file system  408  may be an existing format type. For example, the local file system  408  may be Fusion IO. In some embodiments, blades  402  may have different local file system  408  formats. 
     In some embodiments, metadata  410  may be indexes. In some embodiments, metadata may be simple indexes such as hash values indicating location of information on a particular blade. In some embodiments, metadata may include ordered lists of date and/or time stamps, file names, and domain names that may be used to find data in the database. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored in the front end  302 . In some embodiments, metadata may be stored in memory. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored in the database. In some embodiments, the metadata may be stored partially in memory and partially in the database. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored on a storage device. 
     In some embodiments, backend agent  412  may manage other non-retrieval processes. For example, backend agent  412  may handle operations such as replication of data, coordination of replication jobs between blades  402  or other servers, import/export of data. One function of backend agent  412  may be to support for the database system and handling organizational and coordination tasks. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 5 , one embodiment of management engine  500  is depicted. Management engine  500  may include database synchronization engine  502 , indexing engine  504 , backup engine  506 , GUI dashboard  508 , DB interpreter  510 , system management  512 , data import  514 , data export  516 , import/export synchronization engine  518 , replication manager  520 , replication storage  522 , log management  524 , log storage  526 , Oracle adapter  528 , MSFT SQL adapter  530 , and postgres adapter  532 . 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may manage record and/or metadata updates by enabling a single writer/multiple reader approach which enables queued updates on metadata. In some embodiments, pre-computed query indexes or metadata are updated for created/modified/deleted records by queuing such requests on a designated engine or component of the non-relational database management system. 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include database synchronization engine  502 . A database synchronization engine  502  may synchronize different parts of internal system and data chunks. For example, database synchronization engine  502  may update data stored in local cache  406  when data in the database has been modified or updated by a user. 
     In some embodiments, indexing engine  504  and/or DB process  10  may generate and organize metadata. Metadata may include indexes as well as location and path to data and may be stored on blades at  410 . In some embodiments, indexing engine  504  may be easily distributable. Indexing engine  504  may have a low memory footprint in working sets. In some embodiments, indexing engine  504  may provide query pre-computation close to the hardware level instead of computation on the higher software architecture levels. In some embodiments, metadata generated by indexing engine  504  may combine metadata or indexes by means of low level bitwise operations. In some embodiments, combining metadata or indexes may be responsive to a receive query and/or query execution. In some embodiments, indexing engine  504  may support various logical operators for multiple sets of metadata (e.g., AND, OR, XOR). 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include backup engine  506 . Backup engine  506  may include similar elements of database synchronization engine  502 , but may be used to generate stateful replicas of data. The stateful replicas of data may be stored in backup storage  306  or other storage device. In some embodiments, stateful replicas of data may be transferred to different physical devices or other data centers  200 . 
     In some embodiments, GUI dashboard  508  may be a web interface. In other embodiments, GUI dashboard  508  may be a part of a stand-alone application. GUI dashboard  508  may provide the ability to monitor the behavior and performance of the non-relational database system. Some metrics that may be provided to GUI dashboard  508  may include number of queries, types of queries, users requesting data, throughput to and from one or more physical devices. 
     In some embodiments, DB interpreter  510  may be a SQL interpreter. In some embodiments, DB interpreter  510  may provide the ability to receive SQL queries or commands and translate them into queries that may be compatible with a non-relational or noSQL database. 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include system management  512 . System management  512  may provide the ability of the non-relational database management system to rebalance data within the non-relational database. In some embodiments, system management  512  may provide GUI dashboard  508  data to be displayed. System management  512  monitors and maintains activities within and associated with the non-relational database, include access of the non-relational database by users, number of queries executed, throughput of the physical devices of the system, and other metrics of the non-relational database. 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include data import  514  and data export  516  that may be imported and/or exported in the non-relational database. Import/export synchronization engine  518  may drive the data import and data export. In some embodiments, import/export synchronization engine  518  may perform integrity checks of the data as it is being imported into and/or exported out of the non-relational database. Import/export synchronization engine  518  may ensure that relevant events have been captured and may replicate data being imported/exported to different a different database. 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include a replication manager  520 . The replication manager  520  may utilize replication techniques to replicate a portion, section or the entire database. In some embodiments, the replication may be stored to replication storage  522 . 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include log management  524 . Log management  524  may track data, states of data, relocation of data, and other actions that may be associated with data. In some embodiments, log management  524  may track access of the non-relational database by users, frequency of access, location of access and the like. Log management  524  may generate logs of the information tracked and may stored them to log storage  526 . 
     In some embodiments, management engine  500  may include Oracle adapter  528 , MSFT SQL adapter  530 , or postgres adapter  532 . In some embodiments, adapters for other non-relational database management systems. The adapters may permit data that has been created, managed, stored, and manipulated by other database management systems and convert them into a format that is recognized by the non-relational database of the data center  200 . Data may be imported from an external database of a different format. An adapter (e.g., Oracle adapter, MSFT SQL adapter, postgres adapter) may be used to convert the data in the external database to one that is compatible with the non-relational database associated with the data center  200 . 
     Now referring to  FIG. 6 , DB process  10  may access  600  data stored in a non-relational database. DB process  10  may generate  602  metadata of data stored in non-relational database. DB process  10  may store  604  the metadata in memory. DB process  10  may receive  606  a query for data from the non-relational database. DB process  10  may execute  608  the query using the metadata to generate a metadata result set. DB process  10  may generate  610  a result set using the metadata result set. 
     DB process  10  may access  600  data stored in a non-relational database. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may access  600  data stored in one or more data stores associated with the non-relational database. The data stores may reside on a single device or across multiple devices. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may shard one or more tables storing the data across multiple instances of a database schema. In some embodiments, sharding may include horizontally partitioning a database. In some embodiments, sharding may include storing the multiple resulting shards or database partitions across multiple servers or computing devices. The multiple instances of the database schema may reside on one or more computing devices. 
     DB process  10  may generate  602  metadata associated with data stored in the non-relational database. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may generate metadata of the data stored in the non-relational database. In some embodiments, the indexing engine  504  may generate the metadata of the data. In some embodiments, the metadata generated from the data may mimic columnar database aspects. Metadata may be generated based upon, at least in part, a location and state of data. In some embodiments, metadata may be generated based upon, at least in part, the data. In some embodiments, the metadata generated may be indexes of and/or to the data. A database index may be a data structure that may be used for rapid random lookups and efficient access of ordered records. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may generate metadata that is represented in numeric form. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may generate metadata that is in full text or string form. 
     The full text metadata may be partially stored in memory, partially stored in the database, and/or partially stored on one or more physical devices. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored in memory. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored in the database. In some embodiments, the metadata may be stored partially in memory and partially in the database. In some embodiments, metadata may be stored on a storage device. In some embodiments, DP process  10  may use a 64-bit token and/or document identification system. In some embodiments, the full text metadata may be stored in the distributed non-relational database. In some embodiments, storing the full text metadata may enable the physical device on which it resides the ability to do its own processing which may increase throughput of the non-relational database. In some embodiments, full text integration for generating full text metadata may utilize the non-relational database for storage of the metadata or indexes. The full text integration may be integrated with a relational database engine, which may use the non-relational database as storage. In some embodiment, all the data (metadata and data in the database) may be available from a single source. In some embodiments, data may be written on unused space on disk and the readers of the data may be locked out only to update the meta-data stored in memory. 
     In some embodiments, DB process  10  and/or indexing engine  504  may continuously generate indexes. In some embodiments, DB process  10  and/or indexing engine  504  may, in real-time or near real-time, generate and/or regenerate the metadata. In some embodiments, the generation may be in response to any change or updates made to the data stored in the database. DB process  10  may inspect the generated metadata for updates. DB process  10  may update the data stored in the non-relational database based upon, at least in part, the updates of the generated metadata. 
     In some embodiments, using a metadata for ad-hoc queries may result in high concurrency for reads/writes to the non-relational database. Regardless of the query complexity, DB process  10  may provide efficient and constant retrieval rates regardless of the size of the non-relational database. 
     DB process  10  may store  604  the metadata in a data structure in memory. In some embodiments, the data structure may be a table, array, list, tree, hash, or other means of storing data. In some embodiments, DB process  10  and/or indexing engine  504  may store the generated metadata in front end  302 . In some embodiments, the metadata may be stored to cache  406  of a blade of front end  302 . In some embodiments, the metadata may be stored to metadata storage  410 . By storing the metadata to memory, either in cache  406  or in metadata storage  410  in the front end  302 , DB process  10  may rapidly retrieve data without searching the entire non-relational database, which in some embodiments, may include multiple servers on which the non-relational database may reside. 
     DB process  10  may receive  606  a query for data from the non-relational database. In some embodiments, a query may be generated by DB process  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60 . In some embodiments, the query may be generated by DB process  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60  via web browsers  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  28 . The query generated may be a query string. In some embodiments, the query generated may be a data structure. Client side DB process  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  60  may transmit the query to DB process  10 . In some embodiments, the query may be received over a switched fabric communication link. An example of a switched fabric communication link may include, but is not limited to, Infiniband. 
     DB process  10  may execute  608  the query using the metadata to generate a metadata result set. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may convert a received query string into a query. DB process  10  may execute the query using the stored metadata to generate  608  a result set. The metadata may include information regarding the location and path of the identified data. In some embodiments, DB process  10  executes the query using only the metadata of the data stored in the non-relational database. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may generate a metadata result set responsive to executing the query. The metadata result set may include metadata indicating the data relevant to the query, location of the data in the non-relational database, and/or a path to the identified data in the non-relational database. 
     DB process  10  may generate  610  a result set using the metadata result set. DB process  10  may use the metadata result set to retrieve the identified data from the location and using the path indicated in the metadata. Generating  610  the result set of data from the non-relational database may include retrieving the data in the non-relational database from one or more devices. In some embodiments, the data may be retrieved from one or more shards of the non-relational database. In some embodiments, the data may be retrieved from one or more computing devices. 
     DB process  10  may transmit the result set. In some embodiments, DB process  10  may transmit a preliminary result set to the requesting client. In some embodiments, the result set may comprise links to the data stored in the data base. In some embodiments, the result set may include copies of the identified data. In some embodiments, the result set may be transmitted over a switched fabric communication link. An example of a switched fabric communication link may include, but is not limited to, Infiniband. 
     DB process  10  may store a database schema in a first instance of the non-relational database to a file. DB process  10  may replicate the database schema in a second instance of the non-relational database using the file. A database schema of a database system may refer to the organization of data to create a blueprint of how a database should be constructed. In some embodiments, data may replicate database schemas between instances of the non-relational database by storing the binary data (of the communication between client devices and the non-relation database) to a file which can be replayed on another instance. 
     In some embodiments, the non-relational database management system may include a full text index implementation. The full text index implementation may use a 64-bit token or document ID system for scalability. In some embodiments, the full text index implementation may use the non-relational database to store data which may enable computers to do its own processing which may increase throughput. 
     Although this disclosure describes non-relational databases, the methods and systems described herein may also be applied to relational databases, SQL databases, and/or any type or architecture of database. In some embodiments, the methods and systems described herein may be applied to one or more databases of different types, sizes, architectures, and the like. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosure in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 
     Having thus described the disclosure of the present application in detail and by reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the disclosure defined in the appended claims.