Bidirectional update of client-server objects

• US 20060136445A1
• Filed: 12/16/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Krane, Rolf, Niessen, Rudolf
• Granted Patent: US 7,574,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for updating data. In one aspect, a system that has a server operating on a structure of server data objects and a client operating on a structure of client data objects, the data objects and the structure of the server data objects and the structure of the client data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to perform bidirectional updates between the server data objects and the client data objects. The two types of data object update commands are: an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects; and a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a server operating on a structure of server data objects and a client operating on a structure of client data objects, the data objects and the structure of the server data objects and the structure of the client data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to perform bidirectional updates between the server data objects and the client data objects, wherein the two types of data object update commands are;

an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects; and

a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server protocol controller operable to receive one or more modifications to the structure of server data objects in response to a server operation, the server protocol controller transmitting to the client an update command of either the object level update type or the sub-structure level update type to update the structure of client data objects with the modifications to the structure of server data objects, the server protocol controller determining whether to transmit the object level update type or the sub-structure level update type command based on predefined criteria at the server.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a client protocol controller operable to receive one or more modifications to the structure of client data objects in response to a server operation, the client protocol controller transmitting to the server an update command of either the object level update type or the sub-structure level update type to update the structure of server data objects with the modifications to the structure of client data objects, the client protocol controller determining whether to transmit the object level update type or the sub-structure level update type command based on predefined criteria at the client.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the client and server implement a data object model, the data object model defining a data structure for representing the structure of the server data objects and the structure of the client data objects, the data object model further defining an interface for operating on the data objects and the structure of the server data objects and the structure of the client data objects.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the data objects represent user interface elements, and the data object model is a user interface object model.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the data objects represent data types, and the object model is a data type object model.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the data object model is an XML document object model.

8. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive one or more modifications to a structure of server data objects; and

transmit a data object update command to a client, the data object update command being operable to update a structure of client data objects with the modifications to the structure of server data objects, the data objects and the structure of client data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to update the client data objects with the server data objects, wherein the two types of data object update commands are;

an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects, and

a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.

9. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product comprising instructions operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

receive one or more modifications to a structure of client data objects; and

transmit a data object update command to a server, the data object update command being operable to update a structure of server data objects with the modifications to the structure of client data objects, the data objects and the structure of server data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to update the server data objects with the client data objects, wherein the two types of data object update commands are;

an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects, and

a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.

10. A method comprising:

receiving one or more modifications to a structure of server data objects; and

transmitting a data object update command to a client, the data object update command being operable to update a structure of client data objects with the modifications to the structure of server data objects, the data objects and the structure of client data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to update the client data objects with the server data objects, wherein the two types of data object update commands are;

an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects, and

a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.

11. A method comprising:

receiving one or more modifications to a structure of client data objects; and

transmitting a data object update command to a server, the data object update command being operable to update a structure of server data objects with the modifications to the structure of client data objects, the data objects and the structure of server data objects being managed through an implementation of a predefined application programming interface that implements at least two types of data object update commands, the data object update commands being operable to update the server data objects with the client data objects, wherein the two types of data object update commands are;

an object level update type that is operable to update one or more specified data objects, and

a sub-structure level update type that is operable to update a sub-structure of the data objects.