Data structure mapping and packaging

• US 20040139221A1
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Muehl, Gordon, Heusermann, Knut, Siefke, Wolfram
• Granted Patent: US 7,627,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A computer program product includes instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to receive a packed data structure, receive a linked data assemblage, identify a discrepancy between the packed data structure and the linked data assemblage, and update one of the packed data structure and the linked data assemblage to remove the discrepancy. In the packed data structure, a description of a relationship to a second element is included with a description of a first element. In the linked data assemblage, a description of the relationship between the first element and the second element is separate from the description of the first element and a description of the second element. The computer program product can be tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium.

Claims

1. A method for mapping data structures describing articles or systems composed of elements, the method comprising:

receiving a packed data structure where a description of a relationship to a second element is included with a description of a first element;

separating the description of the first element from the description of the relationship; and

associating the description of the relationship with an identifier of the description of one of the first element and the second element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the packed data structure comprises:

receiving information applicable to locating a description of the second element.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the packed data structure comprises:

receiving a key applicable to searching a table to locate the description of the second element.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

changing the description of the relationship to the second element to information applicable to locating an identifier of the description of the second element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the description of the relationship with the identifier of the description of the first element comprises:

forming a data object that includes the description of the relationship and the identifier of the description of one of the first element and the second element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the description of the relationship with the identifier of the description of the first element comprises:

associating the description of the relationship with a key that identifies the description of the first element in a table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the packed data structure is employed in a first computer system, application, or program; and

associating the description of the relationship comprises creating a data assemblage employed by a second system, application, or program.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein creating the data assemblage comprises:

creating a relationship data structure describing all relationships between elements.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein creating the data assemblage comprises:

creating a relationship table describing all relationships between elements.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the description of the relationship associated with the identifier of the description of the first element to a preexisting second description of a relationship associated with a second identifier of a description of an element; and

updating one of the second description of a relationship, the second identifier of the description of the element, and the description of the element identified by the second identifier.

11. A method for mapping data structures describing articles or systems composed of elements, the method comprising:

receiving a linked data assemblage where a description of a relationship of a first element to a second element is separate from a further description of the first element; and

merging the description of the first element with the description of the relationship.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the linked data assemblage comprises:

receiving information describing an association between an identification of the second element and an identification of a description of the first element.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving information describing the association comprises:

receiving a node that includes the identification of the second element and the identification of the description of the first element.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the linked data assemblage comprises:

receiving a key applicable to search a table for the description of the first element.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the linked data assemblage comprises:

receiving information applicable to identify an identification of a description of the second element.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the linked data assemblage comprises:

receiving the description of the relationship of the first element to the second element separately from the description of the first element and the description of the second element.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein merging the description of the first element with the description of the relationship comprises:

appending the description of the relationship to the description of the first element.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein merging the description of the first element with the description of the relationship comprises:

removing redundant information from the merged description of the first element and the description of the relationship.

19. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive a packed data structure where a description of a relationship to a second element is included with a description of a first element;

receive a linked data assemblage where a description of the relationship between the first element and the second element is separate from the description of the first element and a description of the second element;

identify a discrepancy between the packed data structure and the linked data assemblage; and

update one of the packed data structure and the linked data assemblage to remove the discrepancy.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

compare the packed data structure to the linked data assemblage to identify the discrepancy.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

create new nodes from the packed data structure; and

compare the new nodes created from the packed data structure to nodes in the linked data assembly to identify the discrepancy.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

form data objects that include element description identifiers and association identifiers to create the nodes.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions are operable to cause the data processing apparatus to:

receive the packed data structure employed in a first computer system, application, or program; and

receive the linked data assemblage employed in a second computer system, application, or program.