Synchronizing local and remote data

• US 10,545,991 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Didcock, Clifford Neil, Luk, Jonathan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Uddin, Mohammed R
• Application Number:
  US15/462,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 707610, 707635, 707620
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• 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 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to synchronizing data. In aspects, properties are synchronized from an organization property store to a cloud property store and/or vice versa. The list of properties to synchronize may change based on the cloud services to which the organization subscribes, changes to the cloud services, or for other reasons. Furthermore, the list of properties to synchronize may be limited to certain objects of the organization which may also change over time.

Claims

1. A system, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

system memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors;

the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize data from an organization to a cloud, including the following;

access a schema for a plurality of services offered by the cloud, the schema defining a set of properties relevant to the plurality of services, the schema combining one or more properties relevant to each service in the plurality of services into the defined set of properties;

determine that synchronization of the defined set of properties from the organization to the cloud is appropriate due the organization changing subscriptions to the plurality of services; and

synchronize the defined set of properties from the organization to the cloud to increase the effectiveness of providing the plurality of services to the organization, synchronizing the defined set of properties including performing a set of actions to address an identified difference of at least one property between the defined set of properties and a defined prior set of properties, the defined prior set of properties relevant to a different plurality of services previously subscribed to by the organization, a previously utilized schema for the different plurality of services combining one or more properties relevant to each service in the different plurality of services into the defined prior set of properties.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system hosts the plurality of services.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is external to both the organization and the cloud.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize the defined set of properties comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to convert the defined set of properties between a first storage format at the organization and a second different storage format at the cloud.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that synchronization of the defined set of properties from the organization to the cloud is appropriate comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to select a limited set of objects for synchronization, the limited set of objects selected from among a plurality of objects of the organization, the limited set of objects selected in accordance with a rule.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to track licensed subscribers to the plurality of services;

and

the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that synchronization of the defined set of properties from the organization is appropriate comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to limit the properties to synchronize based on the licensed subscribers to the plurality of services.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that synchronization of the defined set of properties from the organization to the cloud is appropriate comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to identify the identified difference of at least one property between the defined set of properties and the defined prior set of properties, including one or more of:

identifying at least one property included in the previously utilized schema that is not included in the schema; and

identifying at least one property included in the schema that is not included in the previously utilized schema.

8. A system, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

system memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors;

the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize data from a service consumer to a service provider that provides services to the service consumer, including the following;

determine that properties are to be synchronized from the service consumer to the service provider in accordance with a synchronization time period;

determine a plurality of properties for synchronization from the service consumer to the service provider, including;

determine the set of properties utilized by each of one or more services provided to the service consumer by the service provider, the set of properties stored in a property store of the service consumer, the property store maintained at storage resources under control of the service consumer; and

compare the set of properties to a prior set of properties for services provided to the service consumer to identify the plurality of properties as changes since a last synchronization activity in accordance with the synchronization time period;

determine that data for some properties, from among the plurality of properties, has changed since the last synchronization activity, data for other properties, from among the set of properties, remaining unchanged since the last synchronization activity; and

synchronize the data for some properties from the service consumer to the service provider to increase the effectiveness of providing the one or more services to the service consumer, synchronizing the data for some properties including performing a set of actions to address the changes to the plurality of properties.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the computer system hosts the plurality of services.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein computer system is external to both the service consumer and the service provider.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine a plurality of properties for synchronization from the service consumer to the service provider comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that the service provider has subscribed to an additional service provided by the service provider since the last synchronization activity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize the data for sub-plurality of properties from the service consumer to the service provider comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to add data for a property of the additional service at the service provider.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine a plurality of properties for synchronization from the service consumer to the service provider comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that the service provider has un-subscribed from a service provided by the service provider since the last synchronization activity.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize the data for sub-plurality of properties from the service consumer to the service provider comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to delete data for one or more of the prior set of properties at the service provider.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine the set of properties utilized by each of one or more services comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to apply a logical OR operator over the properties utilized by each of the one or more services.

16. The system of claim 8, further comprising the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to access a rule indicating objects that are eligible for synchronization;

and

wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that data for a sub-plurality of properties, from among the plurality of properties, has changed comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine that data for a sub-plurality of properties, from among the plurality of properties, has changed for one or more objects the rules indicates as eligible for synchronization.

17. A system, the system comprising:

one or more hardware processors;

system memory coupled to the one or more hardware processors, the system memory storing instructions that are executable by the one or more hardware processors;

the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize data from an organization to a cloud, including the following;

determine a change to least one property since a last synchronization activity in accordance with the synchronization time period, the at least one property used by the organization for a service provided by the service provider, including;

determine if a set of properties utilized by the cloud to provide services to the organization has changed due to a service subscription change by the organization;

determine if a set of objects for which the set of properties are utilized has changed; and

determine if data representing any properties included the set of properties has changed; and

synchronize the at least one property from the organization to the cloud to increase the effectiveness of providing services to the organization, synchronizing the at least one property including performing a set of actions to address an identified difference between the at least one property and a defined prior set of properties, the defined prior set of properties relevant to one or more services subscribed to by the organization during the last synchronization activity, a schema for the one or more services combining one or more properties relevant to each service in the one or more services into the defined prior set of properties.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine if a set of properties utilized by the cloud to provide services to the organization has changed comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to applying a logical OR operation over any services provided by the cloud that are subscribed to by the organization.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to access a rule indicating objects that are eligible for synchronization;

and

wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine if a set of objects for which the set of properties are utilized has changed comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to determine if any objects the rule indicates are eligible for synchronization have changed.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to synchronize the at least one property from the organization to the cloud comprises the one or more hardware processors executing the instructions stored in the system memory to:

determine that a property utilized by a service at the cloud is missing from resources of the organization; and

provide default data for the property to the cloud.