Method for building data encapsulation layers for highly variable schema

• US 20070174322A1
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simison, Christopher, Lemarchand, Remi, Lyon, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management

Abstract

The relationships between physical data store schema, object model, and end-user property may be encoded in the source of the object model using attributes. Reflection may be used to build the table of those relationships so that changes to the relationships between those three layers can be easily and quickly made without impacting higher levels in the software stack.

Claims

1. A method for building a data encapsulation layer for a variable schema for a predefined schema data store, the method comprising:

encoding a variable relationship between application object model data fields and data store data fields;

building a mapping table that maps a specific relationship between the object model data fields and the data store data fields that exists at the application start-up time; and

using the mapping table during application run-time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable relationship is encoded in source code that defines a data store interface layer of the application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the variable relationship is encoded in the source code using annotations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the annotations are attributes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping table is built using reflection.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping table is built via executable code associated with the application identifying the variable relationship from source code associated with the application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping table is built via a process that is a function of a schema associated with the data store.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping table is used to determine how to retrieve data from the data store.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mapping table is used to invoke a mechanism for obtaining the value of an object model data field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mapping table is used in response to a request for a property associated with the data store.

11. An isolation layer for a computer application, the isolation layer comprising computer-executable instructions for:

receiving, during application run-time, a request for a property associated with a data store; and

in response to receiving the request, consulting a mapping table that provides a variable relationship between object model data fields associated with the application and data store data fields associated with the data store, and retrieving data from the data store based on the relationship.

12. The isolation layer of claim 11, wherein the mapping table is built by executable code associated with the application using reflection to identify the relationship from source code associated with the application.

13. The isolation layer of claim 12, wherein the mapping table provides a mapping from end-user, to object-model, to the data store.

14. The isolation layer of claim 13, wherein the mapping is a 1-to-1-to-1 mapping from end-user, to object-model, to the data store.

15. The isolation layer of claim 13, wherein the mapping is a 1-to-1-to-many mapping from end-user, to object-model, to the data store.

16. The isolation layer of claim 13, wherein the mapping is a 1-to-1-to-function mapping from end-user, to object-model, to the data store.

17. An isolation layer for a computer application, the isolation layer comprising computer-executable instructions for:

building a mapping table that maps a variable relationship between object model data fields and data store data fields, wherein the mapping table is built via executable code associated with the application identifying the relationship from source code associated with the application; and

retrieving data from the data store by consulting the mapping table.

18. The isolation layer of claim 17, wherein retrieving the data from the data store comprises consulting the mapping table to determine how to get the data and invoke a mechanism for obtaining a value of an object model data field.

19. The isolation layer of claim 17, wherein the data is retrieved in response to a request for a property associated with the data store.

20. The isolation layer of claim 19, further comprising computer-executable instructions for looping through a request array associated with the request and filling property values associated with the property.