The goal of this document is to investigate about the PostgreSQL capability to handle Json documents.

Introduction

PostgreSQL offers two types for storing JSON data: json and jsonb. The json data type stores an exact copy of the input text, which processing functions must reparse on each execution; while jsonb data is stored in a decomposed binary format that makes it slightly slower to input due to added conversion overhead, but significantly faster to process, since no reparsing is needed. jsonb also supports indexing, which can be a significant advantage.

Because the json type stores an exact copy of the input text, it will preserve semantically-insignificant white space between tokens, as well as the order of keys within JSON objects. Also, if a JSON object within the value contains the same key more than once, all the key/value pairs are kept. (The processing functions consider the last value as the operative one.) By contrast, jsonb does not preserve white space, does not preserve the order of object keys, and does not keep duplicate object keys. If duplicate keys are specified in the input, only the last value is kept.

Note

Using PostgreSQL special type as "json" or "jsonb" rather than "text", all applications will lose any compatibility with H2 and MariaDB. They will be mentioned in this document but not recommended.

Requirements

• Policy types/Policies/Node Types/Node Templates are first order items
• Data Types have a scope of a first order item, so a data type definition only applies in the scope of a policy type or node type definition
• We should keep our current APIs, all changes should be internal
• We must provide an upgrade path to the new data structure and a rollback to the current structure

ORM Layer using Document Storage

ORM layer using document storage (PostgreSQL or MongoDB) could be organized in two layer:

• Document layer (Domain Model to be converted in Json) - implementation has no dependency from DB
• Persistence layer - (Domain Model depend of the DB used): Entities for PostgreSQL, Documents for MongoDB

An implementation on the Document layer could be found here: https://gerrit.nordix.org/c/onap/policy/models/+/13633

Example

In the example below DocToscaServiceTemplate should be serialized to Json.

@Data
@EqualsAndHashCode(callSuper = true)
public class DocToscaServiceTemplate extends DocToscaEntity<ToscaServiceTemplate> {

    @SerializedName("data_types")
    private Map<String, @Valid DocToscaDataType> dataTypes;

    -------

   public DocToscaServiceTemplate(ToscaServiceTemplate authorativeConcept) {
        this.fromAuthorative(authorativeConcept);
    }

    @Override
    public ToscaServiceTemplate toAuthorative() {
        final var toscaServiceTemplate = new ToscaServiceTemplate();
        super.setToscaEntity(toscaServiceTemplate);
        super.toAuthorative();

        if (dataTypes != null) {
            toscaServiceTemplate.setDataTypes(DocUtil.docMapMap(dataTypes, DocToscaDataType::toAuthorative));
        }
     -------
 
        return toscaServiceTemplate;
    }

    @Override
    public void fromAuthorative(ToscaServiceTemplate toscaServiceTemplate) {
        super.fromAuthorative(toscaServiceTemplate);
 
        if (toscaServiceTemplate.getDataTypes() != null) {
            dataTypes = DocUtil.mapDocMap(toscaServiceTemplate.getDataTypes(), DocToscaDataType::new);
        }
 
        ------- 
    }
}

In the example below the implementation of JpaToscaServiceTemplate for PostgreSQL/MariaDB (full implementation could be found here: https://gerrit.nordix.org/c/onap/policy/clamp/+/13642)

@Entity
@Table(name = "ToscaServiceTemplate")
@Inheritance(strategy = InheritanceType.TABLE_PER_CLASS)
@Data
@EqualsAndHashCode(callSuper = false)
public class JpaToscaServiceTemplate extends PfConcept implements PfAuthorative<ToscaServiceTemplate> {

    @EmbeddedId
    @VerifyKey
    @NotNull
    private PfConceptKey key;

    @Lob
    @Convert(converter = StringToServiceTemplateConverter.class)
    @NotNull
    @Valid
    private DocToscaServiceTemplate serviceTemplate;

     ------- 
 
    @Override
    public ToscaServiceTemplate toAuthorative() {
        return serviceTemplate.toAuthorative();
    }

    @Override
    public void fromAuthorative(ToscaServiceTemplate authorativeConcept) {
        serviceTemplate = new DocToscaServiceTemplate(authorativeConcept);
        setKey(serviceTemplate.getKey().asIdentifier().asConceptKey());
    }
         ------- 
 }

In the example below the implementation of JpaToscaServiceTemplate for MongoDB (full implementation could be found here: https://gerrit.nordix.org/c/onap/policy/clamp/+/13615)

@Document(collection = "ToscaServiceTemplate")
@Inheritance(strategy = InheritanceType.TABLE_PER_CLASS)
@Data
@EqualsAndHashCode(callSuper = false)
public class JpaToscaServiceTemplate extends PfConcept implements PfAuthorative<ToscaServiceTemplate> {

    @Id
    @VerifyKey
    @NonNull
    private PfConceptKey key;

    @NonNull
    @Valid
    private DocToscaServiceTemplate serviceTemplate;

     ------- 
 
    @Override
    public ToscaServiceTemplate toAuthorative() {
        return serviceTemplate.toAuthorative();
    }

    @Override
    public void fromAuthorative(ToscaServiceTemplate authorativeConcept) {
        serviceTemplate = new DocToscaServiceTemplate(authorativeConcept);
        setKey(serviceTemplate.getKey().asIdentifier().asConceptKey());
    }
         ------- 
 }

Converters

Jakarta and Spring do no support json Type, but we can use Converters to convert DocToscaServiceTemplate  to a Json String.

@Converter(autoApply = true)
public class StringToServiceTemplateConverter implements AttributeConverter<DocToscaServiceTemplate, String> {

    private static final Coder coder = new StandardCoder();

    @Override
    public String convertToDatabaseColumn(DocToscaServiceTemplate serviceTemplate) {
        try {
            return serviceTemplate == null ? null : coder.encode(serviceTemplate);
        } catch (CoderException e) {
            throw new PfModelRuntimeException(Response.Status.BAD_REQUEST, e.getMessage(), e);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public DocToscaServiceTemplate convertToEntityAttribute(String dbData) {
        if (dbData == null) {
            return new DocToscaServiceTemplate();
        }
        try {
            return coder.decode(dbData, DocToscaServiceTemplate.class);
        } catch (CoderException e) {
            throw new PfModelRuntimeException(Response.Status.BAD_REQUEST, e.getMessage(), e);
        }
    }
}

Note: Serialization and deserialization in Json is already used in policy-model (Un example could be found here [JpaToscaPolicy.java]). @Converter is just an elegant way to do the same thing.

ToscaServiceTemplate Table

clampacm=# \d ToscaServiceTemplate
                    Table "public.toscaservicetemplate"
     Column      |          Type          | Collation | Nullable | Default
-----------------+------------------------+-----------+----------+---------
 name            | character varying(120) |           | not null |
 version         | character varying(20)  |           | not null |
 servicetemplate | text                   |           |          |
Indexes:
    "toscaservicetemplate_pkey" PRIMARY KEY, btree (name, version)


clampacm=# select * from public.ToscaServiceTemplate;
        name        | version | servicetemplate
--------------------+---------+-----------------
 PMSH_Test_Instance | 1.0.0   | 16505
(1 row)


clampacm=# select convert_from(lo_get(servicetemplate::oid), 'UTF8') from toscaservicetemplate;
 {"tosca_definitions_version":"tosca_simple_yaml_1_3", ...

Proposals

The new ORM level should be additional and optional to the existence one. My propose options are shown below:

1. Save ToscaServiceTemplace as Json String in a single Entity:
   • ToscaServiceTemplace saved in a Text field as Json
   • It is compatible with H2, MariaDB and PostgreSQL
   • It is an additional code for policy-models and a medium impact for all applications that are using it
   • That solution is compatible with not Spring Applications
2. MongoDB/Cassandra
   • Document oriented approach full supported by SpringBoot (not needs Converters)
   • Compatible only with MongoDB/Cassandra (MongoDB and Cassandra are not compatible to each other)
   • It is an additional code for policy-models and a huge impact for all applications that are using it (all repositories and persistence classes have to change to a Document oriented classes)
   • Unit tests need an Embedded Server (example for cassandra: EmbeddedCassandraServerHelper or CassandraContainer)
   • Spring Boot has own annotations for Documents. Eventually for application not in Spring Boot, it needs additional dao style implementation

Note

• Using document storage, it involves only the ORM layer, it does not change the functionality of the application
• Business logic could be optimized reducing the number of access to DB: read one time a service template and using it during the elaboration rather then fetch data from data from DB for each single search (load a property, load a list of ToscaNodeTemplate ecc..)
• After migration to document storage,  it will possible to adjust flexibility of Tosca Service Template Handling (POLICY-3236); as new feature it will impact the business logic of the application

Benchmark Performance of runtime-acm

In order to generate the benchmark I have used (into a laptop) a Virtual Machine whit the follow configuration:

• 8192 Mb
• 2 CPU

For the tests:

• Jmeter to generate requests (same used by performance tests)
• Prometheus for monitoring
• DMaap simulator
• Participant simulator
• MariaDB/PostgreSQL/MongoDB

The existing system

Hibernate/Mariadb. Tosca Service template is saved as a schema entity relation.

Using Json in MariaDB

Hibernate/Mariadb. Tosca Service Template is saved into a longtext as Json.

Using Json in Postgres

Hibernate/PostgreSQL. Tosca Service Template is saved into a text type as Json.

MongoDB

MongoDB. Tosca Service Template and all other entities (Participants and AutomationComposition) are saved as MongoDB Document.

id cannot have dot '.' in MongoDB : solved with minimal configuration

Discussion

• Each Service Template is stored as a JSON "LOB"
• Each service template has a unique name space
• When a TOSCA entity is referred to by another TOSCA entity, the following rules apply
  1. The entity is referred to using
     1. name
     2. version (optional if there is only one version in the name space)
     3. namespace (optional)
  2. The version is optional if the name of the referred entity is unique in the specified name space, if there are more than one entities with a given name in a name space, version MUST be specified
  3. Namespace lookup is as follows
     1. If a name space is specified, the Service Template referred to by that namespace is used to look up the TOSCA entity
     2. If an name space is not specified, then the following precedence is used
        1. The current service template is checked for the referred TOSCA entity, if it's not found...
        2. The default service template is checked for the referred TOSCA entity
• Update and delete of service templates is tricky because we need to make sure that no external references are disrupted.

ServiceTemplate001
  tosca_definitions_version: tosca_simple_yaml_1_1_0
  node_types:
    org.onap.nodeTypeA:
      derived_from: tosca.nodetypes.Root

    org.onap.nodeTypeB:
      derived_from: org.onap.nodeTypeA
      version: 1.2.3

    topology_template:
      node_templates:
        nodeTemplate01:
          version: 4.5.6
          type: org.onap.nodeTypeB
          type_version: 1.2.3

ServiceTemplate002
  tosca_definitions_version: tosca_simple_yaml_1_1_0
  namespace: http://onap.org/service/namespace/ServiceTemplate002
  version: 10.0.1

  imports:
    - repository: DefaultServiceTemplate
      namespace_prefix: defaultST

  node_types:
    org.onap.nodeTypeC:
      derived_from: defaultST:org.onap.nodeTypeA
      version: 2.3.4

    topology_template:
      node_templates:
        nodeTemplate02:
          version: 5.6.7
          type: defaultST:org.onap.nodeTypeB
          type_version: 1.2.3

        nodeTemplate03:
          version: 6.7.8
          type: defaultST:org.onap.nodeTypeB:1.2.3

        nodeTemplate04:
          version: 7.8.9
          type: org.onap.nodeTypeC
          type_version: 2.3.4

        nodeTemplate05:
          version: 8.9.10
          type: org.onap.nodeTypeC:2.3.4

ServiceTemplate003
  tosca_definitions_version: tosca_simple_yaml_1_1_0
  namespace: http://onap.org/service/namespace/ServiceTemplate003

  imports:
    - repository: DefaultServiceTemplate
      namespace_prefix: defaultST
    - repository: ServiceTemplate002:10.0.1
      namespace_prefix: st02

  node_types:
    org.onap.nodeTypeZ:
      derived_from: defaultST:org.onap.nodeTypeA
      version: 9.3.4

    org.onap.nodeTypeY:
      derived_from: st02:org.onap.nodeTypeA
      version: 9.3.4

    topology_template:
      node_templates:
        nodeTemplate10:
          version: 9.6.7
          type: defaultST:org.onap.nodeTypeB:1.2.3

        nodeTemplate11:
          version: 9.8.9
          type: org.onap.nodeTypeZ:2.3.4
  

Discussion Upgraded

When a TOSCA entity is referred to by another TOSCA entity, the following rules apply

• backward compatibility still valid (type and type_version)
• type_version will be deprecated, type will be used as formatted string {namespace}:{type}:{type_version}
• TOSCA language could be found here: https://docs.oasis-open.org/tosca/TOSCA-Simple-Profile-YAML/v1.3/os/TOSCA-Simple-Profile-YAML-v1.3-os.pdf
  • A yaml file contains only one service template
  • A service template could import other service templates
  • TOSCA Service Templates MUST always have, as the first line of YAML, the keyword “tosca_definitions_version” with an associated TOSCA Namespace Alias value.
  • Specifically, a Service Template's namespace declaration's URI would be used to form a unique, fully qualified Type name when combined with the locally defined, unqualified name of any Type in the same Service Template. The resultant, fully qualified Type name would be used by TOSCA Orchestrators, Processors and tooling when that Service Template was imported into another Service Template to avoid Type name collision.

Note

in TOSCA language namespace is supposed to be a URI and namespace_prefix is a simplification because of that.

Name and version of service template,  are not defined in TOSCA language, not used in yaml files, and not present in all examples neither Unit Tests, but they are used as primary key of the ToscaServiceTemplate table and they are used in REST endpoints as id of a resource.

• namespace as URI could be an issue if used as id of a resource
• name could be extracted from the prefix of the namespace, and version could be extracted from the postfix of the namespace. A pattern could be like a http://{name}/service/namespace/{x.y.z}. As example "http://tosca/service/namespace/0.0.1" we can extract name: "tosca" and version: "0.0.1"
• name and version will be not present into the yaml file (service template) as now, but we can continue to use them as id of a resource

Validation

Validation in current ORM layer

"type_version" is optional and "0.0.0" is the default value. The "Key" is used for the validation to find if the ToscaEntity exists. 

Examples:

"derivedFrom" is referenced to a ToscaEntity of the same type and placed in same collection.

Validation in new ORM layer

"type_version" is optional and "0.0.0" is the default value, "namespace" is optional and "DefaultNameSpace" is the default value, type could be used as formatted string: {namespace}:{name}:{version}. The "Key" is used for the validation to find if the ToscaEntity exists in same ServiceTemplate or in other one.

Examples:

"derivedFrom" should have same logic as before and it could be used as formatted string: {namespace}:{name}:{version}.

Update

There are two kind of update:

• values (example "description", "metadata", ...)
• data structure (example Create or Delete of a ToscaEntity, or Update a reference as "type", "type_version" or "namespace")

Open questions about participants

• Case scenario: we have two custom service template, a common service template and two automation composition. participant-policy creates and deletes policies and policy types connecting to policy-api.
  • Could we have that scenario?
  • Should participant-policy receive a full service template (custom and common service template)?
  • Should participant policy collect all policies and policy types by GET policy-api, to know if them are already created?
  • How participant policy know if can delete a policy and policy type if it could be used to other automation composition?
• Case scenario: we have two custom service template. A participant is defined in only one of them.
  • Could we have that scenario?
  • Should participant receive only the custom service template related? (A table to save relations between service templates and participants)

Proposals

• We could consider Service templates references to each other as a DAG ( directed acyclic graph), where Service templates are nodes, and a references as edges. Cyclic references are not allowed.
• Should be available a functionality to load a full version of the service template that contains own tosca entities and also all tosca entities referenced from other service templates (this functionality in for validation or business logic purpose and will be not visible to the end user)
• A service template cannot be deleted if there are references to it
• Any Tosca Entity in a common service template cannot be deleted if there are references to that service template
• Any Tosca Entity in a common service template cannot change "namespace", "type" and "type_version" if there are references to that service template
• Any Tosca Entity in a common service template cannot change values if there are automation compositions referenced to that service template (and references to that service template?)
• A Tosca Entity cannot be add in a common service template if there are automation compositions referenced to that service template
• Functionality as create, update and delete of a ToscaEntity in a service template should be validated and restricted to the service template itself. (Example: update property values of a service template should never update property values from other service templates referenced)
• To reduce the complexity, could be useful to save additional information about the service template:
  • A full version of the service template that contains own tosca entities and also all tosca entities referenced from other service templates. it will be used in read-only for business logic purpose
  • A table to save relations between service templates
  • A table to save relations between service templates and automation compositions (with all service templates referenced)

Current ORM layer for ToscaServiceTemplate

ORM layer for ToscaServiceTemplate Proposed

Tosca Service Template Handling

https://gerrit.nordix.org/c/onap/policy/clamp/+/13755

Conclusion

• Work in progress