Self-archiving database

1. A self-archiving database system, comprising:

a storage memory storing a transaction database; and

a processor cooperatively operable with the storage memory, and configured to

provide, in the database system, archive table data that specifies (i) archive parameters which indicate both a pre-defined archive time period and a transaction table value or foreign key reference based on which a periodic archive procedure is performed to archive transaction records from the transaction database into an archive database, and (ii) purge parameters which indicate both a pre-defined purge time period and a transaction table value or foreign key reference based on which a periodic purge procedure is performed to purge transaction records from the archive database, the archive table data supporting global configuration for both archive and purge;

in response to the archive parameters indicating that a next time period for archive is reached, in the database system:

create, in the transaction database, a new partition which is used as a live partition into which the database system stores transaction records which are new to and reside in the transaction database;

move, using a database partition feature, from the transaction database to the archive database, a transaction database partition which is determined to be expired, wherein the transaction records residing in the expired transaction database partition become members of a newest archive database partition of and reside in the archive database; and

based on the purge parameters indicating that a next time period for purging is reached, in the database system:

remove, using the database partition feature, from the archive database, an archive database partition which is determined to be expired, wherein data residing in the archive database partition is deleted as a whole from the archive database based on the archive database partition being removed.

2. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , wherein the purge parameters or archive parameters further indicate a partition range or partition interval.

3. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to create a global configuration table that has details on table level archive and purge parameters which can be configured at a schema level for tables in the transaction database, and which can be customized as table level parameters.

4. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , further comprising a structured query language (SQL) statement that specifies the archive parameters for a time based archive.

5. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , further comprising an SQL statement that specifies the archive parameters based on a reference approach.

6. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , further comprising a structured query language (SQL) statement that specifies the purge parameters for a time based purge.

7. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , further comprising an SQL statement that specifies the purge parameters based on a reference approach.

8. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , further comprising a purge-archive column type specific to archiving or purging, which causes the processor to automatically archive a transaction table which is determined to include the purge-archive column.

9. The self-archiving database system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to create the archive table based on archive parameters defined in a transaction table of the transaction database.

10. A computer-implemented method for a self-archiving database, in a database system, wherein a storage memory stores the transaction database, comprising:

providing, in the storage memory, archive table data that specifies, for a transaction database, archive parameters which indicate both a pre-defined archive time period and a transaction table value or foreign key reference based on which a periodic archive procedure is performed to archive transaction records from the transaction database into an archive database and purge parameters which indicate both a pre-defined purge time period and a transaction table value or foreign key reference based on which a periodic purge procedure is performed to purge transaction records from the archive database, the archive table data supporting global configuration for both archive and purge;

in response to the archive parameters indicating that a next time period for archive is reached, by the database system:

creating, in the transaction database, by the database system using a database partition feature, a new partition which is used as a live partition into which the database system stores transaction records which are new to and reside in the transaction database;

performing, by the database system, a partition move, using the database partition feature, from the transaction database to the archive database, a transaction database partition which is determined to be expired, wherein the transaction records residing in the expired transaction database partition become members of and reside in a newest archive database partition of the archive database; and

based on the purge parameters indicating that a next time period for purging is reached, by the database system:

removing, by the database system, using the database partition feature, from the archive database, an archive database partition which is determined to be expired, wherein data residing in the archive database partition is deleted as a whole from the archive database based on the archive database partition being removed.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the purge parameters or archive parameters further indicate a partition range or partition interval.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating a global configuration table that has details on table level archive and purge parameters which can be configured at a schema level for tables in the transaction database, and which can be customized as table level parameters.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a structured query language (SQL) statement that specifies the archive parameters for a time based archive.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising an SQL statement that specifies the archive parameters based on a reference approach.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a structured query language (SQL) statement that specifies the purge parameters for a time based purge, or an SQL statement that specifies the purge parameters based on a reference approach.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising a purge-archive column type specific to archiving or purging, which causes the processor to automatically archive a transaction table which is determined to include the purge-archive column.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising creating the archive table based on archive parameters defined in a transaction table of the transaction database.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for execution by a computer, wherein the instructions implement the method of claim 10 .