System and method for content and schema lifecycles

• US 20050234942A1
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Owen, James, Bales, Christopher E., McCauley, Rodney
• Granted Patent: US 7,240,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/219 Managing data history or versioning querying versioned data G06F16/2474; querying temporal data G06F16/2477
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for providing a lifecycle for information in a virtual content repository (VCR), comprising, integrating a plurality of repositories into the VCR, storing the information in the VCR, allowing the information to transition through a set of states according to a lifecycle definition, wherein the information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories, and wherein the information can include at least one of: content and schema information.

Claims

1. A method for providing a lifecycle for information in a virtual content repository (VCR), comprising:

integrating a plurality of repositories into the VCR;

storing the information in the VCR;

allowing the information to transition through a set of states according to a lifecycle definition;

wherein the information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories; and

wherein the information can include at least one of;

content and schema information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the information can transition from a first state to at least one other state when there is a transition between the first state and the at least one other state.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

skipping the at least one other state if a user or a process is in a superior role to a role associated with the transition.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the transition can be constrained to at least one of;

a user, a group of users, a role, and a capability.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing an action associated with a state in the set of states or a transition between two states in the set of states.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the action can be constrained by at least one of;

a policy and a role.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the action can include one of;

a function/method call, a remote procedure call, inter-process communication, intra-process communication, interfacing with a hardware device, checking the information into/out of version control, processing the information, providing a notification to a user.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

a transition between states can be initiated by a user or a process.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a version history to track changes to the information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of integrating includes:

implementing a service provider interface (SPI) that is compatible with the VCR.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the lifecycle can be nested in another lifecycle.

12. A system for providing a lifecycle for information, comprising:

a virtual information repository (VCR);

plurality of repositories integrated into the VCR;

a lifecycle definition to allow the information to transition through a set of states;

wherein the information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories; and

wherein the information can include at least one of;

content and schema information.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the information can transition from a first state to at least one other state where there is a transition between the first state and the at least one other state.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the at least one other state is skipped if a user or a process is in a superior role to a role associated with the transition.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the transition can be constrained to at least one of;

a user, a group of users, a role, and a capability.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein:

an action associated with a state in the set of states or a transition between two states in the set of states performed.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the action can be constrained by at least one of;

a policy and a role.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein:

the action can include one of;

a function/system call, a remote procedure call, inter-process communication, intra-process communication, interfacing with a hardware device, checking the information into/out of version control, processing the information, providing a notification to a user.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein:

a state transition can be initiated by a user or a process.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a version history to track changes to the information.

21. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a service provider interface (SPI) that is compatible with the VCR.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the lifecycle can be nested in another lifecycle.

23. A machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause a system to:

integrate a plurality of repositories into a virtual content repository (VCR);

store information in the VCR;

allow the information to transition through a set of states according to a lifecycle definition;

wherein the information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories; and

wherein the information can include at least one of;

content and schema information.

24. The machine readable medium of claim 23 wherein:

the information can transition from a first state to at least one other state when there is a transition between the first state and the at least one other state.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

skipping the at least one other state if a user or a process is in a superior role to a role associated with the transition.

26. The machine readable medium of claim 24 wherein:

the transition can be constrained to at least one of;

a user, a group of users, a role, and a capability.

27. The machine readable medium of claim 24, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

performing an action associated with a state in the set of states or a transition between two states in the set of states.

28. The machine readable medium of claim 27 wherein:

the action can be constrained by at least one of;

a policy and a role.

29. The machine readable medium of claim 27 wherein:

the action can include one of;

a function/method call, a remote procedure call, inter-process communication, intra-process communication, interfacing with a hardware device, checking the information into/out of version control, processing the information, providing a notification to a user.

30. The machine readable medium of claim 23 wherein:

a transition between states can be initiated by a user or a process.

31. The machine readable medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

maintain a version history to track changes to the information.

32. The machine readable medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that when executed cause the system to:

implement a service provider interface (SPI) that is compatible with the VCR.

33. The machine readable medium of claim 23 wherein:

the lifecycle can be nested in another lifecycle.

34. A computer data signal embodied in a transmission medium, comprising:

a code segment including instructions to integrate a plurality of repositories into a virtual content repository (VCR);

a code segment including instructions to store information in the VCR;

a code segment including instructions to allow the information to transition through a set of states according to a lifecycle definition;

wherein the information is accessible through a logical namespace that encompasses the plurality of repositories; and

wherein the information can include at least one of;

content and schema information.