Systems, methods and computer program products for information integration across disparate information systems

• US 10,182,054 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open Text Sa Ulc (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Palmer, Jody Hupton, Lilko, Alexander, Molloy, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mahfuzur
• Application Number:
  US14/210,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9038 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

An information integration system may include a set of integration services embodied on one or more server machines in a computing environment. The set of integration services may include connectors communicatively connected to disparate information systems. The connectors may be configured for integrating data stored in the disparate information systems utilizing a common model employed by the set of integration services. The common model may overlay, augment, integrate, or otherwise utilize a content management interoperability services data model and may include common property definitions and a common security model. The common security model may include permissions particularly defined for use by the set of integration services. These common property definitions and permissions may be uniquely defined and utilized by the information integration system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a set of integration services embodied on one or more server machines in a computing environment for providing at least one application with access to disparate information systems,

each of the one or more server machines and the disparate information systems having non-transitory computer-readable memory,

the set of integration services having a set of connectors communicatively connected to the disparate information systems,

the set of connectors configured for integrating data stored in the disparate information systems utilizing a common model employed by the set of integration services such that the data stored in the disparate information systems become available to the set of integration services,

the common model comprising;

a content management interoperability services (CMIS) data model,

common property definitions defining a comprehensive set of common keys for mapping semantically equivalent attributes or metadata fields used by the disparate information systems to the common model employed by the set of integration services, and

a common security model comprising a set of common security model permissions particularly defined for use by the set of integration services,

wherein one or more of the connectors is configured to map permissions from the disparate information systems that do not conform to the common security model to the set of common security model permissions to conform the permissions from the disparate information systems to the common security model,

wherein at least one of the connectors is configured to integrate related data from a first disparate information system and a second disparate information system using at least one of the common keys to co-reference related data from the first disparate information system and data from the second disparate information system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of integration services further comprises a connector service provider interface configured for allowing a service provider to deploy and configure one or more extensible connectors used by the set of integration services to communicate with a particular backend system.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data collector communicatively connected to the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a search system communicatively connected to the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the set of integration services comprises a principal service configured for working with the search system in performing an inbound check, an authorization service configured for working with the search system in performing an outbound check, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a database communicatively connected to the set of integration services for storing encrypted user credentials.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the connectors is configured to map permissions from the disparate information systems to the set of common security model permissions by transforming one or more permissions on objects in an information system to one or more common security model permissions on the objects in the common model.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

providing a service provider with a connector service provider interface configured for allowing the service provider to deploy and configure one or more extensible connectors used by the set of integration services to communicate with a particular backend system.

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

configuring a data collector for obtaining data from the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

configuring a search system for searching the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring a principal service for working with the search system in performing an inbound check.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

configuring an authorization service for working with the search system in performing an outbound check.

8. A method for information integration, comprising:

one or more server machines deploying a set of integration services in a computing environment for providing at least one application with access to disparate information systems, each of the one or more server machines and the disparate information systems having non-transitory computer-readable memory, the set of integration services having a set of connectors communicatively connected to the disparate information systems; and

the set of connectors embodied on the one or more server machines integrating data stored in the disparate information systems utilizing a common model employed by the set of integration services such that the data stored in the disparate information systems become available to the set of integration services,

the common model comprising;

a content management interoperability services (CMIS) data model,

common property definitions defining a comprehensive set of common keys for mapping semantically equivalent attributes or metadata fields used by the disparate information systems to the common model employed by the set of integration services, and

a common security model comprising a set of common security model permissions particularly defined for use by the set of integration services,

wherein one or more of the connectors is configured to map permissions from the disparate information systems that do not conform to the common security model to the set of common security model permission to conform the permissions from the disparate information system to the common security model,

wherein at least one of the connectors is configured to integrate related data from a first disparate information system and a second disparate information system using at least one of the common keys to co-reference related data from the first disparate information system and data from the second disparate information system.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

storing encrypted user credentials in a database communicatively connected to the set of integration services.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor to perform:

one or more server machines deploying a set of integration services in a computing environment for providing at least one application with access to disparate information systems, the set of integration services having a set of connectors communicatively connected to the disparate information systems; and

the set of connectors embodied on the one or more server machines integrating data stored in the disparate information systems utilizing a common model employed by the set of integration services such that the data stored in the disparate information systems become available to the set of integration services,

the common model comprising;

a content management interoperability services (CMIS) data model,

common property definitions defining a comprehensive set of common keys for mapping semantically equivalent attributes or metadata fields used by the disparate information systems to the common model employed by the set of integration services,

wherein at least one of the connectors is configured to integrate related data from a first disparate information system and a second disparate information system using at least one of the common keys to co-reference related data from the first disparate information system and data from the second disparate information system, and

a common security model comprising a set of common security model permissions particularly defined for use by the set of integration services,

wherein one or more of the connectors is configured to map permissions from the disparate information systems that do not conform to the common security model to the set of common security model permissions to conform to the permissions from the disparate information systems to the common security model.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

providing a connector service provider interface configured for allowing a service provider to deploy and configure one or more extensible connectors used by the set of integration services to communicate with a particular backend system.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

configuring a data collector for obtaining data from the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

configuring a search system for searching the disparate information systems via the set of integration services.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

configuring a principal service for working with the search system in performing an inbound check.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

configuring an authorization service for working with the search system in performing an outbound check.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least one non-transitory computer readable medium further stores instructions translatable by the at least one process to perform:

storing encrypted user credentials in a database communicatively connected to the set of integration services.

22. A data integration method for integrating data from data repositories, the data repositories using disparate data models for stored data, comprising:

one or more server machines embodying a set of integration services in a computing environment for integrating the data repositories and the data stored therein, each of the one or more server machines and the data repositories having non-transitory computer-readable memory, the set of integration services defining a common model including common property definitions defining a comprehensive set of common keys for mapping semantically equivalent attributes or metadata fields of the disparate data models used by the data repositories to the common model employed by the set of integration services and a common security model, the set of integration services further defining data connectors to integrate data stored in the data repositories; and

using the common model to overlay a preexisting content management interoperability services model with the common property definitions and the common security model including a set of common security model permissions defined for use by the set of integration services,

wherein one or more of the connectors is configured to map permissions from the data repositories that do not conform to the common security model to the set of common security model permissions to conform the permissions from the data repositories to the common security model;

using the data connectors to map the disparate data models of the data repositories such that the data stored in the data repositories become available to the set of integration services; and

configuring at least one of the connectors to integrate related data within a first one of the data repositories and a second one of the data repositories, including;

defining a common key in the common data model; and

integrating first data stored in the first one of the data repositories and second data stored in the second one of the data repositories by utilizing the common key to co-reference the first data and the second data.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein at least one of the data connectors is an extensible data connector, further comprising:

defining a data connector interface for use by a data repository provider to define and deploy an extensible data connector to map data stored in a data repository controlled by the data repository provider.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

using the set of integration services to search the data stored in the data repositories in a unified manner despite differences in the disparate data models.

25. The method according to claim 22, further comprising:

configuring at least one of the connectors to;

support a common set of permissions in the common security model to access information in the data repositories; and

generate a mapping of the common set of permissions to a set of permissions defined for a subject data repository; and

utilizing, by at least one of the set of integration services, the mapping to access information in the subject data repository.