corda/docs/source/key-concepts-vault.rst
josecoll 8c3b9ac589 Vault Query API design (#522)
* Added queryBy(QueryCriteria) Vault API and Junit tests.

* Minor fix following rebase.

* Spit out Vault Query tests into separate source file.

* WIP

* Enable composition of QueryCriteria specifications.
Additional JUnit test cases to validate API.

* Added Deprecating annotations.
Added QueryCriteria for set of contractStateTypes

* Minor tweaks and additional JUnit test cases (chain of linear id)

* Added Java Junit tests and QueryCriteria builder support.

* Added API documentation (including coding snippets and examples).

* Added @JvmOverloads to QueryCriteria classes for easy of use from Java.

* Refactored QueryCriteria API to use composition via sealed data classes.

* Enable infix notation.

* Fixed typo.

* Clarified future work to enforce DB level permissioning.

* Moved PageSpec and Order from QueryCriteria to become parameters of Query itself.

* Moved PageSpec and Order from QueryCriteria to become parameters of Query itself.

* TokenType now specified as set of <Class> (was non extensible enum).

* Exposed new Vault Query API functions via RPC.

* Fixed compiler error in java test.

* Addressed a couple of minor PR review scomments from MH.

* Major updates following PR discussion and recommendations.

* All pagination and sorting arguments are optional (and constructed with sensible defaults).
Added Java helper functions for queryBy and trackBy interfaces.
Added Java trackBy unit tests.
Miscellaneous cleanup.

* Added Generic Index schema mapping and query support.

* Query criteria referencing Party now references a String (until Identity framework built out).
Added participants attribute to general query criteria.

* Fleshed our IndexCriteria including PR recommendation to define column aliases for index mappings.

* Removed all directly exposed API dependencies on requery.

* Updated documentation.

* Provide sensible defaults for all Query arguments.
Add RPC Java helpers and increase range of Vault Service helpers.

* Further improvements (upgrading notes) and updates to documentation.

* RST documentation updates.

* Updates to address RP latest set of review comments.

* Updates to address MH latest set of review comments.

* Updated to highlight use of VaultIndexQueryCriteria to directly reference a JPA-annotated entity (versus the indirect, explicitly mapped attribute to GenericIndexSchema approach)

* Aesthetic updates requested by MH

* Reverted Indexing approach: removed all references to VaultIndexedQueryCriteria and GenericVaultIndexSchemaV1 scheme.

* Final clean-up and minor updates prior to merge.

* Fixed compiler warnings (except deprecation warnings)

* Reverted all changes to Vault Schemas (except simple illustrative VaultLinearState used in VaultQueryTests)

* Reverted all changes to Vault Schemas (except simple illustrative VaultLinearState used in VaultQueryTests)

* Commented out @Deprecated annotations (as a hedge against us releasing M12 with the work half-done)

* Renamed RPC JavaHelper functions as RPCDispatcher does not allow more than one method with same name.
2017-05-05 15:14:43 +01:00

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Vault
=====
The vault contains data extracted from the ledger that is considered relevant to the nodes owner, stored in a relational model
that can be easily queried and worked with.
The vault keeps track of both unconsumed and consumed states:
* Unconsumed (or unspent) states represent fungible states available for spending (including spend-to-self transactions)
and linear states available for evolution (eg. in response to a lifecycle event on a deal) or transfer to another party.
* Consumed (or spent) states represent ledger immutable state for the purpose of transaction reporting, audit and archival, including the ability to perform joins with app-private data (like customer notes)
By fungible we refer to assets of measurable quantity (eg. a cash currency, units of stock) which can be combined
together to represent a single ledger state.
Like with a cryptocurrency wallet, the Corda vault can create transactions that send value (eg. transfer of state) to
someone else by combining fungible states and possibly adding a change output that makes the values balance (this
process is usually referred to as coin selection). Vault spending ensures that transactions respect the fungibility
rules in order to ensure that the issuer and reference data is preserved as the assets pass from hand to hand.
A feature called **soft locking** provides the ability to automatically or explicitly reserve states to prevent
multiple transactions within the same node from trying to use the same output simultaneously. Whilst this scenario would
ultimately be detected by a notary, *soft locking* provides a mechanism of early detection for such unwarranted and
invalid scenarios. :doc:`soft-locking` describes this feature in detail.
.. note:: Basic 'coin selection' is currently implemented. Future work includes fungible state optimisation (splitting and
merging of states in the background), and 'state re-issuance' (sending of states back to the
issuer for re-issuance, thus pruning long transaction chains and improving privacy).
There is also a facility for attaching descriptive textual notes against any transaction stored in the vault.
The vault supports the management of data in both authoritative ("on-ledger") form and, where appropriate, shadow ("off-ledger") form:
* "On-ledger" data refers to distributed ledger state (cash, deals, trades) to which a firm is participant.
* "Off-ledger" data refers to a firm's internal reference, static and systems data.
The following diagram illustrates the breakdown of the vault into sub-system components:
.. image:: resources/vault.png
Note the following:
* the vault "On Ledger" store tracks unconsumed state and is updated internally by the node upon recording of a transaction on the ledger
(following successful smart contract verification and signature by all participants)
* the vault "Off Ledger" store refers to additional data added by the node owner subsequent to transaction recording
* the vault performs fungible state spending (and in future, fungible state optimisation management including merging, splitting and re-issuance)
* vault extensions represent additional custom plugin code a developer may write to query specific custom contract state attributes.
* customer "Off Ledger" (private store) represents internal organisational data that may be joined with the vault data to perform additional reporting or processing
* a :doc:`vault-query` API is exposed to developers using standard Corda RPC and CorDapp plugin mechanisms
* a vault update API is internally used by transaction recording flows.
* the vault database schemas are directly accessible via JDBC for customer joins and queries
Section 8 of the `Technical white paper`_ describes features of the vault yet to be implemented including private key managament, state splitting and merging, asset re-issuance and node event scheduling.
.. _`Technical white paper`: _static/corda-technical-whitepaper.pdf