Patent ID: 8239389

Claim:
A method comprising: maintaining information at a database, wherein the database includes: a first data table configured to store data in a database format, the first data table having at least a first portion, a staging table, and an index data table configured to store index data, wherein the index data is based on an index of the first portion of the first data table, the index maintained externally to the database by an index manager; generating, at a database manager of the database, a data update in response to a transaction performed on the first data table, the data update corresponding to the transaction; storing, at the staging table, the data update generated in response to the transaction being performed; communicating the data update from the staging table to the index manager in response to a triggering event, wherein the index manager modifies the index based on the data update; receiving index update data from the index manager after the index manager modifies the index, wherein the index update data represents a modification to the index as a result of the data update; maintaining the data update at the staging table at least until the index update data resulting from the data update is received from the index manager; and updating the index data table based on the index update data received from the index manager.