System and method for retrieving information from disparate information sources and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model

• US 20030233401A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christopher James Dean
• Original Assignee: Christopher James Dean
• Inventors: Dean, Christopher James
• Granted Patent: US 7,103,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system and method are provided for retrieving and integrating information from different information sources. The system includes a model agent and a plurality of integration agents. A query is sent to a first integration agent, which assigns the query to any of the plurality of integration agents. The first integration agent creates one or more query results by integrating the information obtained from the information sources through at least one of the plurality of integration agents in a peer-to-peer fashion.

Claims

1. An information system for retrieving information from one or more information sources in response to a query and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the query being based upon the domain model, the system being based upon a computer network having one or more computer systems in communication with one another, the information system comprising:

(a) a model agent residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the model agent having access to the domain model; and

(b) a plurality of integration agents in communication with the model agent and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the plurality of integration agents being in communication with one another in a peer-to-peer fashion, the plurality of integration agents having access to the one or more information sources, the plurality of integration agents publishing publication information to the model agent, the publication information including information on which portion of the domain model each of the plurality of integration agents has access to, the model agent providing the publication information to the plurality of integration agents such that the plurality of integration agents share the publication information among themselves through the model agent, the plurality of integration agents including at least a first integration agent, wherein the first integration agent receives the query, retrieves query results corresponding to the query from the one or more information sources through at least one of the plurality of integration agents, and integrates the query results.

2. An information system for retrieving information from one or more information sources and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the system being based upon a computer network having one or more computer systems in communication with one another, the information system comprising:

(a) a user interface residing in and accessible from at least one of the one or more computer systems for receiving one or more user inputs;

(b) a model agent in communication with the user interface and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the model agent having access to the domain model, wherein the user interface creates a query based upon the one or more user inputs and the domain model; and

(c) a plurality of integration agents in communication with the user interface and the model agent and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the plurality of integration agents being in communication with one another in a peer-to-peer fashion, the plurality of integration agents having access to the one or more information sources, the plurality of integration agents publishing publication information to the model agent, the publication information including information on which portion of the domain model each of the plurality of integration agents has access to, the model agent providing the publication information to the plurality of integration agents such that the plurality of integration agents share the publication information among themselves through the model agent, the plurality of integration agents including at least a first integration agent, wherein the first integration agent receives the query from the user interface, retrieves query results corresponding to the query from the one or more information sources through at least one of the plurality of integration agents, integrates the query results, and sends the query results to the user interface.

3. The information system of claim 2, wherein the first integration agent creates one or more sub-queries from the query, assigns the one or more sub-queries to at least one of the plurality of integration agents based upon the publication information, retrieves one or more sub-query results corresponding to the one or more sub-queries from the one or more information sources through the at least one of the plurality of integration agents, integrates the one or more sub-query results to create one or more query results in accordance with the domain model, and sends the one or more query results to the user interface.

4. The information system of claim 2, wherein the domain model includes a plurality of classes and one or more relations among the plurality of classes, each class having one or more attributes.

5. The information system of claim 2, wherein the query results have inconsistent data formats provided by the information sources from which the query results retrieved, and wherein each of the plurality of integration agents has a means for mapping the inconsistent data formats of the query results into a consistent data format in accordance with the domain model.

6. The information system of claim 5, wherein the means for mapping the inconsistent data formats of the query results into a consistent data format in accordance with the domain model further comprises:

a value mapping means;

a transformation means; and

a function conversion means.

7. The information system of claim 2, further comprising a security agent in communication with the user interface and the plurality of integration agents and residing in at least one of the computer systems, the security agent having access to a security database that defines users and their roles, wherein the user interface and the plurality of integration agents register with the security agent for security updates.

8. An information system for retrieving information from one or more information sources and integrating the information in accordance with a first domain model, the system being based upon a computer network having one or more computer systems in communication with one another, the information system comprising:

(a) a user interface residing in and accessible from at least one of the one or more computer systems for receiving one or more user inputs;

(b) a first model agent in communication with the user interface and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the first model agent having access to the first domain model, wherein the user interface creates a query based upon the one or more user inputs and the first domain model;

(c) a first plurality of integration agents in communication with the user interface and the first model agent and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the first plurality of integration agents being in communication with one another in a peer-to-peer fashion, the first plurality of integration agents having access to the one or more information sources, the first plurality of integration agents publishing first publication information to the first model agent, the first publication information including information on which portion of the first domain model each of the first plurality of integration agents has access to, the first model agent providing the publication information to the first plurality of integration agents such that the first plurality of integration agents share the first publication information among themselves through the first model agent, the first plurality of integration agents including at least first and second integration agents;

(d) a second model agent in communication with the second integration agent and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the second model agent having access to a second domain model; and

(e) a second plurality of integration agents in communication with the second integration agent and the second model agent and residing in at least one of the one or more computer systems, the second plurality of integration agents being in communication with one another in a peer-to-peer fashion, the second plurality of integration agents having access to the one or more information sources, the second plurality of integration agents publishing second publication information to the second model agent, the second publication information including information on which portion of the second domain model each of the second plurality of integration agents has access to, the second model agent providing the second publication information to the second plurality of integration agents such that the second plurality of integration agents share the second publication information among themselves through the second model agent, wherein the first integration agent receives the query from the user interface, retrieves query results corresponding to the query from the one or more information sources through the first and second pluralities of integration agents, integrates the query results, and sends the query results to the user interface.

9. The information system of claim 8, wherein the first integration agent creates one or more sub-queries including at least a first sub-query from the query and assigns at least the first sub-query to the second integration agent based upon the first publication information, and wherein the second integration agent assigns the first sub-query to at least one of the second plurality of integration agents based upon the second publication information, retrieves one or more sub-query results corresponding to the one or more sub-queries from the one or more information sources through at least the second integration agent, integrates the one or more sub-query results to create one or more query results in accordance with the first domain model, and sends the one or more query results to the user interface, and wherein the second integration agent

10. The information system of claim 8, wherein the first domain model includes a plurality of classes and one or more relations among the plurality of classes, each class having one or more attributes.

11. The information system of claim 8, wherein the query results have inconsistent data formats provided by the one or more information sources from which the query results retrieved, wherein each of the first plurality of integration agents has a means for mapping the inconsistent data formats of the query results into a consistent data format in accordance with the first domain model, and wherein each of the second plurality of integration agents has a means for mapping the inconsistent data formats of the query results into a consistent data format in accordance with the second domain model.

12. The information system of claim 8, wherein the means for mapping the inconsistent data formats of the query results into a consistent data format in accordance with the second domain model further comprises:

a value mapping means;

a transformation means; and

a function conversion means.

13. The information system of claim 8, further comprising a security agent in communication with the user interface and the first plurality of integration agents and residing in at least one of the computer systems, the security agent having access to a security database that defines users and their roles, wherein the user interface and the first plurality of integration agents register with the security agent for security updates.

14. A method for retrieving information from one or more information sources in response to a query and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the query being based upon the domain model, the one or more information sources being accessible from one or more integration agents, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning the query to a first integration agent;

(b) creating one or more sub-queries based upon the query;

(c) assigning the one or more sub-queries to one or more specific integration agents, the one or more specific integration agents having access to one or more specific information sources, the one or more specific information sources containing information relating to the one or more sub-queries;

(d) processing the one or more sub-queries in the one or more specific integration agents to obtain one or more sub-query results;

(e) providing the one or more sub-query results to the first integration agent; and

(f) integrating the one or more sub-query results in the first integration agent to obtain one or more query results.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (d) comprises the steps of:

(a) determining whether a first sub-query is a base query having a plurality of sub-classes; and

(b) upon determining that a first sub-query is a base query, processing the first sub-query for at least part of the plurality of sub-classes.

16. A computer program product for retrieving information from one or more information sources in response to a query and integrating the information in accordance with a domain model, the query being based upon the domain model, the one or more information sources being accessible from one or more integration agents, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program product comprising:

(a) computer program code for assigning the query to a first integration agent;

(b) computer program code for creating one or more sub-queries based upon the query;

(c) computer program code for assigning the one or more sub-queries to one or more specific integration agents, the one or more specific integration agents having access to one or more specific information sources, the one or more specific information sources containing information relating to the one or more sub-queries;

(d) computer program code for processing the one or more sub-queries in the one or more specific integration agents to obtain one or more sub-query results;

(e) computer program code for providing the one or more sub-query results to the first integration agent; and

(f) computer program code for integrating the one or more sub-query results in the first integration agent to obtain one or more query results.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer program code for processing the one or more sub-queries in the one or more specific integration agents to obtain one or more sub-query results further comprises:

(a) computer program code for determining whether a first sub-query is a base query having a plurality of sub-classes; and

(b) computer program code for, upon determining that a first sub-query is a base query, processing the first sub-query for at least part of the plurality of sub-classes.