Integration of business process and use of fields in a master database

• US 20040220937A1
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Published: 11/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Burger, Ernest J., Bickford, Jeanne P. S., Maheux, Thomas R., McLaughlin, Paul G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

A system that registers the relationship of use and dependencies in a master source database (i.e., a registration schema) thereby providing cohesiveness between the master source data and downstream systems that receive the master source data fields. The registration schema provides rules for a generic data bridge which executes the movement of master source database data to downstream systems, providing further cohesive connection between what was registered for use and dependencies and what actually occurs in the movement of data to downstream systems. The generic data bridge'"'"'s actions, on a field-by-field basis, are documented in a use and dependency model. In addition, modification of the use and dependencies registration section of the master source database allows changes to made as opposed to having to modify specific system bridges.

Claims

1. A method of managing a change request to a database field wherein at lease one process has a dependency on said database field, said method comprising:

receiving a change request to change said database field;

identifying notification dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

notifying said notification dependency processes that said change request has been received;

identifying approval dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

requesting approval to implement said change request from said approval dependency processes; and

implementing said change request, after performing said notifying process and after receiving approval from said approval dependency processes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a process definition based on said process wherein said process definition includes unique process identifiers for said process, an owner of said process, a description of said process, and contact information of said process.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a field definition from said database field, wherein said field definition includes a description of said database field, and a description of how said database field is grouped within said database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a dependency definition from said dependency, wherein said dependency definition includes the dependency relationship between said database field and said process.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining transfer rules that define how data contained within said database field is transferred to said process.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said defining of said transfer rules defines:

when data contained within said database field is transferred to said process; and

how data contained within said database field is manipulated.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said defining of said transfer rules further comprises documenting the transfer of said dependency to said system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said process of identifying said approval dependency processes includes comparing approval dependency processes approval signatures.

9. A method of managing a change request to a database field wherein at lease one process has a dependency on said database field, said method comprising:

creating a transfer bridge, based on said dependency, to control the transfer of data from said database field to said process;

receiving a change request to change said database field;

identifying notification dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

notifying said notification dependency processes that said change request has been received;

identifying approval dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

requesting approval to implement said change request from said approval dependency processes; and

implementing said change request according to said transfer bridge after performing said notifying process and after receiving approval from said approval dependency processes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said creating of said transfer bridge comprises:

reading dependency information,

extracting said dependency from said dependency information,

preparing said dependency to be transferred to said process; and

transferring said dependency to said process.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said creating of said transfer bridge defines how data contained within said database field is transferred to said process.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said creating of said transfer bridge defines:

when data contained within said database field is transferred to said process; and

how data contained within said database field is manipulated.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said creating of said transfer bridge further comprises documenting the transfer of said dependency to said system.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a process definition based on said process wherein said process definition includes unique process identifiers for said process, an owner of said process, a description of said process, and contact information of said process.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a field definition from said database field, wherein said field definition includes a description of said database field, and a description of how said database field is grouped within said database.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a dependency definition from said dependency, wherein said dependency definition includes the dependency relationship between said database field and said process.

17. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method of managing a change request to a database field wherein at lease one process has a dependency on said database field, said method comprising:

defining transfer rules, based on said dependency, to control the transfer of data from said field to said process;

receiving a change request to change said database field;

identifying notification dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

notifying said notification dependent processes that said change request has been received;

identifying approval dependency processes that have a dependency on said database field;

requesting approval to implement said change request from said approval dependency processes; and

implementing said change request, after performing said notifying process and after receiving approval from said approval dependency processes, according to said transfer rules.

18. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said method further comprises creating a dependency definition from said dependency, wherein said dependency definition includes the dependency relationship between said database field and said process.

19. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said defining of said rules includes how data contained within said database field is transferred to said process.

20. The program storage device in claim 17, wherein said process of identifying said approval dependency processes includes comparing approval dependency processes approval signatures.