Method and apparatus of parameter passing of structured data for stored procedures in a content management system

• US 20030200256A1
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Published: 10/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Richardson, Dwayne L., Hu, Tawei, Yaung, Alan T., Nelson, Kenneth C., Gallagher, Ed, Richardt, Randy, Lin, James J., Liang, Lily L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,082,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/06 Notations for structuring of protocol data, e.g. abstract syntax notation one [ASN.1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A content management system is provided including a server computer and a client computer. The server includes a data repository and a stored procedure. The disclosed methodology provides a way of handling parameter passing of structured data for stored procedures in the system. The system is capable of both encoding data into a structured data format and decoding data from the structured data format. The structured data format employs a binary large object (BLOB) and character large object (CLOB) to achieve handling of fixed length binary data and variable length character data. Advantageously, the stored procedure interface need not be rewritten and customized for each stored procedure in the server.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data between a stored procedure in a server and a client comprising:

calling, by the stored procedure, a utility interface program in the server to encode the data;

encoding, by the utility interface program, the data in a structured data format including a plurality of elements thus providing encoded data; and

transmitting, by the server, the encoded data in the structured data format to the client.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the client, the encoded data in the structured data format; and

calling, by the client, the utility interface program in the server to decode the encoded data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format includes a binary large object (BLOB) and a character large object (CLOB).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format includes an array of integers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format includes an array of character strings.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format includes an array of mixed data types.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format includes elements exhibiting variable length.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the elements include an element ID, data type, data length and data value.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the structured data format is orthogonal.

10. A method of communicating data between a client and a stored procedure in a server comprising:

calling, by the client, a utility interface program in the server to encode the data;

encoding, by the utility interface program, the data to a structured data format including a plurality of elements thus providing encoded data; and

transmitting, by the utility interface program, the encoded data in the structured data format to the stored procedure.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, by the stored procedure, the encoded data in the structured data format; and

calling, by the stored procedure, the utility interface program in the server to decode the encoded data.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format includes a binary large object (BLOB) and character large object (CLOB).

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format includes an array of integers.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format includes an array of character strings.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format includes an array of mixed data types.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format includes elements exhibiting variable length.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the elements include an element ID, data type, data length and data value.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the structured data format is orthogonal.

19. In a content management system including a server which is responsive to a client, the server comprising:

a database repository;

a stored procedure, and

a utility interface program, which when called by the stored procedure, encodes data from the stored procedure to a structured data format including a plurality of elements, thus providing encoded data to the client.

20. The content management system of claim 19 wherein the structured data format includes a binary large object (3LOB) and character large object (CLOB).

21. A content management system comprising:

a client;

a server, responsive to the client, the server including;

a database repository;

a stored procedure; and

a utility interface program, which when called by the client, encodes data from the client to a structured data format including a plurality of elements, thus providing encoded data to the stored procedure.

22. The content management system of claim 21 wherein the structured data format includes a binary large object (BLOB) and character large object (CLOB).

23. The content management system of claim 21 wherein, in response to receiving encoded data, the stored procedure calls the utility interface program to decode the encoded data.

24. A computer program product for facilitating communication of data in a content management system, the computer program product including a plurality of computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable medium, wherein the instructions, when executed by the content management system, cause the system to perform the steps of:

calling, by a stored procedure in a server, a utility interface program in the server to encode the data;

encoding, by the utility interface program, the data in a structured data format including a plurality of elements thus providing encoded data; and

transmitting, by the server, the encoded data in the structured data format to the client.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein the computer readable medium is an optical disk.

26. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein the computer readable medium is a magnetic disk.