Patent ID: 8375193

Claim:
A method of facilitating data storage in a database system that includes one or more processing nodes operable to process data stored in a database, comprising: evaluating, by the one or more processing nodes, each of a plurality of contiguous storage zones of a storage medium for a respective access speed indicative of speed by which the continuous storage zone can be accessed; assigning, based on the evaluating, a respective speed quality rating to each of the plurality of zones, wherein the speed quality ratings are indicative of quantifiable differentials of the access speeds of the plurality of contiguous storage zones; receiving a data set to be stored on the storage medium, wherein the data set has an associated access frequency quantifier associated therewith; identifying, at least partly based on the quantifiable differentials, at least one zone of the plurality of zones to be associated with the access frequency quantifier for storing the data set; storing the data set on the at least one zone having the speed quality rating associated with the access frequency quantifier; and identifying a first data set associated with a first access frequency quantifier associated therewith that is stored on a first contiguous storage zone of the storage medium, wherein the first contiguous storage zone has a first speed quality rating assigned thereto and wherein the first access frequency quantifier is not associated with the first speed quality rating; determining that the storage medium does not have any contiguous storage zone with an assigned speed quality rating that is associated with the first access frequency quantifier; identifying a second speed quality rating that is associated with the first access frequency quantifier; identifying a second contiguous storage zone that has a third speed quality rating assigned thereto that differs from the second speed quality rating by a lesser number of discrete quality ratings than the first speed quality rating; and migrating the first data set from the first contiguous storage zone to the second contiguous storage zone.