Patent ID: 7640278

Claim:
A processor-executable method of implementing a partial-blocking consistency point in a database system, comprising: identifying a plurality of transaction updates with a consistency point ID associated with a consistency point sequence number; recording a plurality of consistency point data that identify a location of the partial-blocking consistency point associated with the consistency point sequence number; incrementing the consistency point sequence number; flushing, to a non-volatile storage, the transaction updates identified with the consistency point sequence number, without blocking transaction activity; while flushing the transaction updates identified with the consistency point sequence number: receiving at least a first transaction update, wherein the first transaction update modifies a fist page not modified prior to the record of the consistency point data of the partial-blocking consistency point, stamping the first page with the incremented consistency point sequence number, receiving at least a second transaction update, wherein the second transaction update modifies a second page previously modified prior to the recording of the consistency point data of the partial-blocking consistency point, flagging the second page to be flushed as part of flushing the transaction updates identified with the consistency point sequence number, and stamping the second page with the incremented consistency point sequence number; and hardening, to the non-volatile storage, the recorded partial-blocking consistency point so that a plurality of data associated with the recorded partial-blocking consistency point can be recovered.