Automatic conflict resolution

• US 10,592,496 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsofi, Chen, Sheinker, Dov
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D
• Application Number:
  US15/162,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• 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 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method and apparatus is for implementing a conflict resolution policy. The method includes providing a rule set that includes a plurality of rules that define the conflict resolution policy. An algorithm is generated by decomposing each rule in the rule set into at least one pre-action that is to be performed on data in identified fields in first and second conflicting objects, at least one condition that is to be applied to the first and second conflicting objects, and at least one action that is to be performed on the identified fields in the first and second conflicting objects if the at least one condition is satisfied. The algorithm is loaded from a configuration file for execution during a synchronization component runtime using first and second conflicting objects provided by the synchronization component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for implementing a conflict resolution policy, comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a rule set that includes a plurality of rules, wherein the rules define the conflict resolution policy, and wherein at least one rule of the plurality of rules is included in a first rule object;

decomposing individual rules of the plurality of rules into conditions that are to be applied to first and second objects, and actions that are to be performed on identified fields in the first and second objects if an associated condition is satisfied;

storing the decomposed rules in an executable file for execution during a runtime of a synchronization component on the first and second objects;

dynamically linking the first rule object; and

employing, by the computing device, the decomposed rules by the synchronization component to resolve a conflict between the first and second objects.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the rule set includes at least one of dynamically loadable or dynamically linkable rule objects.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein employing the decomposed rules by the synchronization component to resolve the conflict between the first and second objects includes:

sequentially runtime processing at least two rules.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises generating a conflict resolution request that includes the first object and the second object; and

employing the decomposed rules by the synchronization component to resolve the conflict between the first and second objects includes forwarding the conflict resolution request from the synchronization component to a conflict resolution component.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, by the computing device, the plurality of rules, the processing of each of the plurality of rules including;

evaluating the condition of that rule for the first and second objects; and

selectively changing, based on the evaluation of the condition, at least one of the first or second objects via application of the action to the corresponding fields of at least one of the first or second objects.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first and second objects are from separate endpoint user devices that are also separate from the computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the method is an automated method for synchronizing the first and second objects.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein employing the decomposed rules by the synchronization component to resolve the conflict between the first and second objects includes selectively replacing a value of a field of the first object with a value of a corresponding field of the second object.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein employing the decomposed rules by the synchronization component to resolve the conflict between the first and second objects includes:

determining that none of the plurality of rules resolves the conflict between at least one of the fields of the first object and at least one corresponding field of the second object; and

in response to the determination, presenting an indication of the unresolved conflict for manual resolution.

10. A computing device for automatically synchronizing conflicting data objects, comprising:

a memory and a processor that are respectively configured to store and execute instructions for causing the computing device to perform operations, the operations including;

receiving a rule set that includes a plurality of rules, wherein the rule set defines a conflict resolution policy;

decomposing each of multiple rules of the plurality of rules into conditions that are to be applied to first and second objects, and an action that is to be performed on identified fields in the first and second objects if the condition is satisfied;

storing the decomposed rules for use during a synchronization of the first and second objects;

dynamically linking a first rule object; and

synchronizing the first and second objects, including;

resolving at least one conflict between the first and second objects according to the decomposed rules.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the rule set includes at least one of dynamically loadable or dynamically linkable rules.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein resolving at least one conflict between the first and second objects according to the decomposed rules includes:

sequentially runtime processing at least two rules of the plurality of rules.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein resolving at least one conflict between the first and second objects according to the decomposed rules includes:

processing the plurality of rules, the processing of each of the plurality of rules including;

evaluating the condition of that rule for the first and second objects; and

selectively changing, based on the evaluation of the condition, at least one of the first or second objects via application of the action to the corresponding fields of at least one of the first or second objects.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein resolving at least one conflict between the first and second objects according to the decomposed rules includes selectively replacing a value of a field of the first object with a value of a corresponding field of the second object.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein resolving at least one conflict between the first and second objects according to the decomposed rules includes:

determining that none of the plurality of rules resolves the conflict between at least one of the fields of the first object and at least one corresponding field of the second object; and

in response to the determination, presenting an indication of the unresolved conflict for manual resolution.

16. A computer-implemented method for automatically synchronizing conflicting data objects, comprising:

receiving at least a first data object and a second data object, wherein the first data object includes one or more fields corresponding to one or more fields of the second data object, and wherein at least one of the fields of the first data object is in conflict with at least one corresponding field of the second data object;

receiving a rule set of multiple rules for resolving conflicts in fields of data objects, wherein each of the multiple rules defines a condition and an action;

dynamically linking a first rule object;

sequentially evaluating the conditions of the multiple rules for the first and second data objects; and

selectively applying the actions of the multiple rules to at least one of the first or second data objects based on the evaluations of the conditions of the multiple rules for the first and second data objects.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

automatically synchronizing the first and second data objects.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that none of the multiple rules resolves the conflict between the at least one of the fields of the first data object and the at least one corresponding field of the second data object; and

in response to the determination, presenting an indication of the unresolved conflict for manual resolution.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the each of the multiple rules is part of a rule object, and wherein the method further comprises:

dynamically linking the at least one rule object during runtime.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the selective application of the actions includes:

resolving of a first conflict according to a first rule of the plurality of multiple rules; and

resolving of a second conflict according to a second rule of the plurality of multiple rules.