System and method for assigning data to columnar storage in an online transactional system

A computer implemented apparatus for assigning data to columnar storage, comprising:

• one or more computers;
• and
• one or more processes performed by the one or more computers, the processes configured to:
• analyze, on one or more computers, a database stored in a storage system accessible from the one or more computers;
• assign, on one or more computers, one or more database elements from the database to a format comprising a columnar or row storage in the database based on an optimizer's determination of access statistics of a workload of an incoming query of the one or more database elements, wherein the one or more database elements can be toggled between the columnar and row storage in the database, wherein the access statistics is one of a read, a write, or a rewrite of a corresponding one of the one or more database elements, the optimizer's determination being indicative of a comparison between a first frequency of the database element being read relative to a second frequency of the database element being written and rewritten, the first frequency being greater than the second frequency being indicative of writing the one or more database elements to the columnar storage, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency being indicative of writing the one or more database elements to the row storage;
• and
• write, on one or more computers, the one or more database elements to the columnar or row storage in the database as assigned.

A non-transitory computer program product for assigning data to columnar storage, said computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored/encoded thereon:
• first program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to analyze, on one or more computers, a database stored in a storage system accessible from the one or more computers;
• second program instructions executable by the computer to cause the computer to assign, on one or more computers, one or more database elements from the database to a format comprising a columnar or row storage in the database based on an optimizer's determination of access statistics of a workload of an incoming query of the one or more database elements, wherein the one or more database elements can be toggled between the columnar and row storage in the database, wherein the access statistics is one of a read, a write, or a rewrite of a corresponding one of the one or more database elements, the optimizer's determination being indicative of a comparison between a first frequency of the database element being read relative to a second frequency of the database element being written and rewritten, the first frequency being greater than the second frequency being indicative of writing the one or more database elements to the columnar storage, the second frequency being greater than the first frequency being indicative of writing the one or more database elements to the row storage;
• and
• third program instructions executable by the computer to cause the computer to write, on one or more computers, the one or more database elements to the columnar or row storage in the database as assigned.