Patent ID: 7200625

Claim:
A method of enhancing an online updateable relational database system to reduce user interruption associated with said database maintenance comprising the steps of: a) providing an online database having a plurality of authoritative data stored there within; b) running the online database in an archive log mode for storing a plurality of archival data capable of restoring to an off-line database all online database activity since running the online database in the archive log mode; c) creating said off-line database by copying the plurality of authoritative data stored within the online database to the off-line database; d) performing a maintenance operation on the off-line database; e) taking the online database offline upon completion of the performance of the maintenance operation on the off-line database; f) copying the plurality of archival data from the online database to the off-line database when the online database is taken off-line; g) recovering the offline database by applying the copied plurality of archival data copied from the online database to the off-line database; and h) converting the off-line database to an online database.