Dynamic end user specific customization of an application's physical data layer through a data repository abstraction layer

• US 20030208486A1
• Filed: 04/25/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stevens, Richard Joseph, Dettinger, Richard Dean
• Granted Patent: US 6,928,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/242 Query formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for accessing data independent of the particular manner in which the data is physically represented. In one embodiment, a plurality of data repository abstractions provide different logical views of the same underlying data repository. The plurality of data repository abstractions may each be associated with different users, thereby exposing a different set of data to each user. A runtime component performs translation of abstract queries into a form that can be used against a particular physical data representation.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to data having a particular physical data representation, comprising:

providing a query specification comprising a plurality of logical fields for defining abstract queries;

providing a first set of mapping rules which map at least a first portion of the plurality of logical fields to a first plurality of physical entities of the data; and

providing a second set of mapping rules which map at least a second portion of the plurality of logical fields to a second plurality of physical entities of the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the abstract query comprises at least one selection criterion and a result specification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transforming each abstract query into a query consistent with the particular physical data representation according to the respective mapping rules.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing only the first set of mapping rules for all abstract queries issued by a first user; and

accessing only the second set of mapping rules for all abstract queries issued by a second user.

5. The method of claim 4, where the query consistent with the particular physical data representation is one of a SQL query and an XML query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping rules each comprise different access methods for the plurality of logical fields.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the access methods each describe a location of the physical entities of the data.

8. A method of providing access to data having a particular physical data representation, comprising:

providing an application defining a query specification comprising a plurality of logical fields for defining abstract queries; and

providing a plurality of user profiles each defining an association with different sets of mapping rules each of which map at least a portion of the plurality of logical fields to physical entities of the data.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transforming each abstract query into a query consistent with the particular physical data representation according to the respective mapping rules.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the mapping rules each comprise different access methods for the plurality of logical fields and wherein the access methods each describe a location of the physical entities of the data.

11. A method of accessing data having a particular physical data representation, comprising:

issuing, by a first user, a first abstract query to an application, wherein the first abstract query is defined according to a first plurality of logical fields;

in response to the first abstract query, accessing a first set of mapping rules having a defined association with the first user;

issuing, by a second user, a second abstract query to the application, wherein the second abstract query is defined according to a second plurality of logical fields;

in response to the second abstract query, accessing a second set of mapping rules having a defined association with the second user; and

transforming each of the first and second abstract queries into queries consistent with the particular physical data representation according to respective mapping rules which map the logical fields to physical entities of the data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, for an initial connection with the application by the first and second users:

(i) selecting the respective set of mapping rules to use for the user;

(ii) setting a level indicator indicative of a manner in which the respective set of mapping rules were selected for the particular user accessing the mapping rules; and

(iii) loading the selected mapping rule set.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the set of mapping rules to use for the user comprises determining whether a predefined association between the user and a particular mapping rule set exists;

if so, selecting the particular mapping rule set as the set of mapping rules to be accessed for queries issued by the user; and

if not, selecting a default mapping rule set as the set of mapping rules to be accessed for queries issued by the user.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising, for each access of the respective set of mapping rules by the first and second users:

determining the level indicator of the set of mapping rules being accessed;

for at least a first level indicator, determining whether the set of mapping rules being accessed has changed relative to when the mapping rules set being accessed was loaded for the user, and if so, performing steps (i)-(iii); and

for at least a second level indicator, determining whether another level exists for the user, and if so, performing steps (i)-(iii).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first level indicator is a user level indicator indicating that the set of mapping rules being accessed by the respective user has a defined association with the user and wherein the second level indicator is at least one of:

(i) a group level indicator indicating that the set of mapping rules being accessed by the respective user has a defined association with a group of which the user is member; and

(ii) an application level indicator indicating that the set of mapping rules being accessed by the respective user is a default set of mapping rules.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the mapping rules each comprise at least one access method for each logical field of the abstract query.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the access methods each describe a physical location of a physical entity of the data.

18. A computer-readable medium containing a database access environment which provides access to data having a particular physical data representation, the database access environment comprising:

an application comprising a query specification, the query specification comprising a plurality of logical fields for defining abstract queries; and

a plurality of mapping rules sets which map the plurality of logical fields to physical entities of the data, and wherein at least two of the plurality of mapping rules sets map the plurality of logical fields to different sets of the physical entities of the data and are uniquely associated with at least one of two different requesting entities selected from one of two different users, two different groups of users, and a group of users and a user.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising a runtime component which transforms an abstract query issued by one of the two different requesting entities, and defined according to the query specification, into a query consistent with the particular physical data representation according to the respective mapping rules of the two different requesting entities.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the mapping rules comprise at least one access method for each of the plurality of logical fields.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the access method describes a location of the physical entities of the data.

22. A computer-readable medium containing a program which, when executed by a processor, performs an operation of accessing data having a particular physical data representation, the operation comprising:

receiving a plurality of abstract queries issued by a plurality of users according to a query specification of an application;

wherein the query specification provides a definition for the abstract query according to logical fields; and

transforming the abstract query into a query consistent with the particular physical data representation according to a plurality of data repository abstraction components which map the logical fields to physical entities of the data;

wherein a different data repository abstraction component is associated with at least two of the users using the application.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the mapping rules comprise an access method for each logical field of the abstract query.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the access method describes a physical location of the physical entities of the data.

25. A computer, comprising:

a memory containing at least (i) an application comprising a query specification providing a definition for an abstract query according to logical fields, (ii) a plurality of data repository abstraction components which map the logical fields to physical entities of data, wherein at least a portion of the data repository abstraction components have a programmatically defined association with different users, and (iii) a runtime component for transforming the abstract query into a query consistent with the physical entities of data according to the data repository abstraction components; and

a processor adapted to execute contents of the memory.

26. The computer of claim 25, further comprising a storage device containing the data.

27. The computer of claim 25, wherein the data repository abstraction components comprise an access method for each of the plurality of logical fields.

28. The computer of claim 26, wherein the access method describes a location of the physical entities of the data.