System and method for enabling unified access to multiple types of data

• US 20020111927A1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schreiber, Robert Walter
• Granted Patent: US 6,823,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing

Abstract

A system and method for enabling unified access to multiple data types. The invention retrieves data regardless of data format. The system does not distinguish among data formats. The system determines a format for data to be retrieved and retrieves the data. An attribute for the data may also be retrieved. Preferably, the attribute is retrieved based on an attribute number. The system may store a value and syntax for the data retrieved identifying a format for the data.

Claims

1. A method for enabling unified access to multiple data types, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for data;

determine a syntax of the data;

determining an end device from which the data may be retrieved;

accessing the end device;

retrieving the data from the end device; and

retrieving an attribute associated with the data based on an attribute number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one end device comprises a back-end database.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving retrieves the attribute and the value using a single call.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of storing a value of the data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the syntax of the data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the data as a character string.

7. A system for enabling unified access to multiple data types, comprising:

a receiving module that receives a request for data;

a syntax determining module that determines a syntax of the data;

an end device determining module that determines an end device from which the data may be retrieved;

an accessing module that accesses the end device;

a data retrieving module that retrieves the data from the end device; and

an attribute retrieving module that retrieves an attribute associated with the data based on an attribute number.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one end device comprises a back-end database.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the retrieving module retrieves the attribute and the value using a single call.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a storing module that stores a value of the data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the storing module stores the syntax of the data.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the storing module stores the data as a character string.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one end device comprises a back-end database.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the retrieving means retrieves the attribute and the value using a single call.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising storing means for storing a value of the data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the storing means stores the syntax of the data.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the storing means stores the data as a character string.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein the at least one end device comprises a back-end database.

21. The medium of claim 19, wherein the retrieving code retrieves the attribute and the value using a single call.

22. The medium of claim 19, further comprising storing code that stores a value of the data.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein the storing code stores the syntax of the data.

24. The medium of claim 22, wherein the storing code stores the data as a character string.

13. A system for enabling unified access to multiple data types, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request for data;

syntax determining means for determining a syntax of the data;

end device determining means for determining an end device from which the data may be retrieved;

accessing means for accessing the end device;

data retrieving means for retrieving the data from the end device; and

attribute retrieving means for retrieving an attribute associated with the data based on an attribute number.

19. A processor readable medium comprising processor readable code for enabling unified access to multiple data types, comprising:

receiving code that causes a processor to receive a request for data;

syntax determining code that causes a processor to determine a syntax of the data;

end device determining code that causes a processor to determine an end device from which the data may be retrieved;

accessing code that causes a processor to access the end device;

data retrieving code that causes a processor to retrieve the data from the end device; and

attribute retrieving code that causes a processor to retrieve an attribute associated with the data based on an attribute number.