Computer-implemented knowledge repository interface system and method

• US 20030065663A1
• Filed: 09/12/2001
• Published: 04/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: SAS Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Chu, Chengwen Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,039,622 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer-implemented knowledge repository data interface system and method for use by client applications to interact with a plurality of knowledge repositories. The knowledge repositories contain analytical models of interest to the client applications. A request handling module receives requests regarding the models from one of the client applications over a network. Knowledge repository application programming interfaces (APIs) are used to retrieve data about the models in the knowledge repositories based upon the received requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented knowledge repository data interface system for use by client applications, comprising:

a plurality of knowledge repositories that contain analytical models;

a request handling module having a data pathway to the knowledge repositories and to the client applications, said request handling module receiving a request regarding the models from a client application over a network,

wherein structure of the request contains content identification tags associated with contents of the request, said request handling module parsing the contents of the requests by the content identification tags;

a plurality of knowledge repository application programming interfaces (APIs) that retrieve data about the models from the knowledge repositories; and

API dispatcher modules associated with the knowledge repositories that select knowledge repository APIs based upon the parsed request contents,

wherein the selected knowledge repository APIs are used to retrieve data about the models from the knowledge repositories in response to the client application'"'"'s request.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the client application uses an Internet web address associated with the request handling module to transmit the request.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the request handling module uses Internet web addresses associated with the knowledge repositories to send at least a portion of the parsed request contents to the API dispatcher modules.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein an Internet web address is associated with a first knowledge repository, wherein the client application uses the first knowledge repository'"'"'s Internet web address to send a request to the API dispatcher module that is associated with the first knowledge repository.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the first knowledge repository'"'"'s API dispatcher module selects at least one knowledge repository API to retrieve model data from the first knowledge repository based upon contents of the request.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein at least one of the knowledge repository APIs provides upon request by the client application the Internet web address of the first knowledge repository.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the API dispatcher modules selects a plurality of knowledge repository APIs in order to retrieve model data from its associated knowledge repository for servicing the client application'"'"'s request.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the request handling module has data access to an extensible markup language parser in order to generate the parsed request contents.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the request handling module determines which of the knowledge repositories contain model data responsive to the client application'"'"'s request.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the knowledge repository APIs retrieve statistical model data from the knowledge repositories.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an assembler module that processes model search results from execution of the knowledge repository APIs upon the plurality of knowledge repositories.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein processing by the assembler module includes removing redundant model search results.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the assembler module waits until the knowledge repository APIs have provided their respective model search results before transmission of the model search results to the requesting client application over the network occurs.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the assembler module converts the model search results into a tagged format.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the tagged format is an extensible markup language (XML) tagged format.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the tagged format is a hypertext markup language (HTML) tagged format.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the models include decision tree models.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the models include neural network models.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the models include fuzzy logic models.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the models include statistical models.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the network is an Internet network.

22. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a model index that contains metadata about the model data stored in a knowledge repository, wherein at least one of the knowledge repository APIs searches the model index to formulate model search results to be sent to the requesting client application.

23. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a project model index that contains project metadata about the model data stored in a knowledge repository, wherein at least one of the knowledge repository APIs searches the project metadata to formulate model search results to be sent to the requesting client application.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the structure of the request is in an extensible markup language (XML) tagged format.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the structure of the request is in a hypertext markup language (HTML) tagged format.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the context of the requests include model search criteria for limiting what model data is retrieved from the knowledge repositories

27. The system of claim 1 wherein an end user provides data for the client application to formulate the request.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the end user is a human end user who provides the data to formulate the request.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the end user is a business analyst who provides the data to formulate the request.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein the end user is a model creator who provides model design update data that serves as a request to the request handling module for execution of a knowledge repository design API which updates model data in at least one of the knowledge repositories.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein the end user provides model execution data that serves as a request to the request handling module for execution of a knowledge repository design API which executes a model in at least one of the knowledge repositories.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein the end user is a substantially automated computer application that provides data for the client application to formulate the request.

33. The system of claim 1 wherein the content identification tags are analytical model specific tags that contain analytical model specific information.

34. A computer-implemented knowledge repository data interface method for use by client applications to access remote knowledge repositories, said knowledge repositories containing analytical models, comprising:

receiving a request regarding the models from a client application over a network, wherein structure of the request contains content identification tags associated with contents of the request, said request handling module parsing the contents of the requests by the content identification tags;

selecting knowledge repository application programming interfaces (APIs) based upon the parsed request contents;

retrieving data about the models from the knowledge repositories using the selected knowledge repository APIs; and

providing the retrieved model data to the requesting client application.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising:

receiving a first request from the client application over the network for a list of knowledge repository API structures; and

providing the list of knowledge repository API structures so that the client application may construct a first model function call based upon the provided knowledge repository API structures.