Method to transform meta object facility specifications into relational data definition language structures and JAVA classes

• US 20070255751A1
• Filed: 04/27/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kannappan, Saravanan, Bansal, Ravi, Carroll, Timothy, Carney, Robert, Waggoner, Sara
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/315 Object-oriented languages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/427 Parsing

Abstract

A computerized method, program product, and a service that resolves the business problem by enabling an automated and simplified process to generate DDL and JAVA classes directly from a MOF definition. The method, program product, and service creates useful computing artifacts from a set of abstract and generic specifications described in the MOF format. The computing artifacts include a DDL database schema having tables that accurately reflect the object-oriented hierarchy of the objects described in the MOF format; JAVA classes that correspond to the objects defined in the MOF format; object-to-relational (O/R) mapping file that maps the JAVA classes and their attributes to the tables and columns in the DDL database schema; SQL insert statements for loading the data of enumerated list values into the tables and the JAVA classes; database design reports; and O/R name translation reference reports.

Claims

1. A method to transform a MOF file, comprising the steps of:

(a) parsing the MOF file into a plurality of schema elements;

(b) for each schema element, determining that a definition of a schema element is complete;

(c) for each schema element processing the schema element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the schema element is a MOF class and the step of processing the schema element further comprises creating a modeling entity that stores data derived from the MOF file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the modeling entity derived from the MOF file is a DDL database table and the step of processing the schema element further comprises transforming the MOF class into a DDL database table reflecting an object-oriented hierarchy of the plurality of schema elements of the MOF class.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the modeling entity storing information created is a JAVA class and the step of processing the schema element further comprises transforming the MOF class into a JAVA class.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising identifying those schema elements generated from MOF enumerated lists.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the schema element is an attribute of the MOF class.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the value of the attribute uniquely identifies an instance of the MOF class;

(b) creating a unique key column in the modeling entity to indicate each instance of the MOF class.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining if the attribute of the MOF class was previously defined;

(b) propagating a value of the previously-defined attribute; and

(c) constraining the previously-defined attribute.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the attribute of the MOF class associates a plurality of previously-defined MOF classes;

(b) creating an association indicator in the modeling entity referencing the previously-defined MOF classes.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a constraint in the modeling entity to reference the previously-defined MOF class.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

(a) creating a plurality of JAVA attributes, each of which reference a previously-defined MOF class;

(b) adding information pertaining to each of the plurality of attributes to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising that steps of:

(a) determining that the MOF class that associates a plurality of previously-defined MOF classes has an override qualifier; and

(b) relying on the previously-defined MOF classes for the attribute;

(c) adding an association attribute to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

13. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the attribute of the MOF class has an array of values;

(b) creating an array table in the modeling entity;

(c) identifying the array table in the modeling entity;

(d) adding an array attribute to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the array of values are derived from a simple list of values;

(b) creating a list enumeration table having the simple list of values;

(c) referencing the list enumeration table in the modeling entity;

(d) adding an enumeration attribute to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the array of values are derived from an indexed list of values;

(b) representing the values of the array in the modeling entity as being dependent upon a position in the indexed list of values;

(c) creating an indexed enumeration table having a plurality of positions and a value corresponding to the position;

(d) referencing the indexed enumeration table in the modeling entity;

(e) adding an enumeration attribute to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

(a) determining that the array of values are derived from a mapped list of values;

(b) creating a mapped enumeration table in the modeling entity having a plurality of positions and a value corresponding to the position;

(c) referencing the mapped enumeration table in the modeling entity;

(d) adding an enumeration attribute to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

17. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium, comprising a DDL database schema created by the process of claim 1, said DDL database schema comprising tables, columns, and references reflecting the object-oriented hierarchy of objects specified in the MOF file.

18. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium, comprising at least one JAVA class created by the process of claim 1, said JAVA class having JAVABEAN information reflecting the object-oriented hierarchy of objects specified in an MOF file.

19. A computer program product in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

(a) a DDL database schema having at least one table and one column that accurately reflects the object-oriented hierarchy of at least one object described in a MOF file;

(b) at least one JAVA class having at least one attribute corresponding to the objects described in the MOF file;

(c) an object-to-relational (O/R) mapping file that maps the at least one JAVA class and its at least one attribute to the at least one table and one column in the DDL database schema;

(d) a plurality of structure query language (SQL) insert statements that load values of the at least one object described in the MOF file;

(e) database design reports;

or

(f) object-to-relational name translation reference reports.

20. A method to create computing artifacts from a Meta Object Facility (MOF) specification comprising:

(a) transforming each MOF class to a corresponding modeling entity;

(b) transforming one or more class attributes pertaining to the MOF class to a plurality of columns in the modeling entity;

(c) adding the one or more class attributes to JAVABEAN information in the modeling entity.

21. A data communication system including a transmitting data processing device which performs data transmission via a communication network and a receiving data processing device which receives the data transmitted from the transmitting data processing device via the communication network, said transmitting data processing device comprising:

a transmitting portion which transmits a MOF data file, and said receiving data processing device comprising;

a receiving portion which receives the MOF data file transmitted from the transmitting data processing device; and

transforms the MOF document into a DDL database and JAVA classes for use on the data communication system.

22. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to:

(a) download a file in MOF format across a network;

(b) parsing the MOF file into a plurality of MOF schema elements;

(c) creating a plurality of MOF classes from at least one of the plurality of MOF schema elements that accurately reflect the object-oriented hierarchy of the MOF file;

(d) determining if each of the plurality of MOF classes have any attributes;

(e) transforming each of the plurality of MOF classes and its attributes into a database schema element, the database schema element being a table, having references to each attribute;

(f) creating JAVABEAN information of the database schema element and its respective attributes for use in at least one JAVA class.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to:

(a) create an object-to-relational (O/R) mapping file that maps the at least one JAVA class to the table and the referenced attributes of the database schema.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to:

(a) create and execute a plurality of structure query language (SQL) insert statements to load a plurality of values of MOF class having an enumeration attribute into the respective table of the database schema.

25. The computer program product of claim 22, comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to:

(a) create a database design report having a plurality of tables and attributes, and metadata pertaining to the database schema; and

(b) map the attributes to the plurality of MOF schema elements.

26. The computer program product of claim 22, comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to:

(a) create and execute a DDL file comprising the database schema elements, a listing of a plurality of schema elements, the attributes and values to populate each respective schema element, a plurality of import and export statements and SQL grant authorization statements to populate each respective schema element with the attributes and the values.

27. The computer usable medium having computer usable program code, wherein the computer usable program code, when loaded into the internal memory of a processing device, causes the processing device to create and execute JAVABEAN information of the DDL file of claim 26.

28. A service contract for managing data transfer transactions between at least one microprocessor device and a servlet, both coupled to a communication network, the at least one microprocessor device having processing hardware and/or software, the service contract comprising:

(a) presenting a MOF formatted file;

(b) parsing the MOF formatted file into at least one class having at least one attribute;

(c) creating at least one database schema element pertaining to each of the at least one class, the database schema element capable of storing the at least one attribute and at least one value of the attribute;

(d) creating JAVABEAN information pertaining to the created at least one database schema element;

(e) presenting the at least one database schema element;

(f) presenting the JAVABEAN information.