Reducing lookups for invariant checking

Abstract

This paper helps reduce the cost of invariant checking in cases where access to data is expensive. Assume that a set of variables satisfy a given invariant and a request is received to update a subset of them. We reduce the set of variables to inspect, in order to verify that the invariant is still satisfied. We present a formal model of this scenario, based on a simple query language for the expression of invariants that covers the core of a realistic query language. We present an algorithm which simplifies a representation of the invariant, along with a mechanically verified proof of correctness. We also investigate the underlying invariant checking problem in general and show that it is co-NP hard, i.e., that solutions must be approximations to remain tractable. We have seen a factor of thirty performance improvement using this algorithm in a case study. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.