TOOL FOR AUTOMATED EXTRACTION AND LOADING OF CONFIGURATION SETTINGS

• US 20070256056A1
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Martine, Shawn, Neyra, Manuel, Gu, Yu-feng, Reicheneker, Jason, Williams, Tom, Stern, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 9,552,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/121
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• 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: G06F 8/63 Image based installation; Cloning; Build to order
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

Systems, methods, and machine-readable media are disclosed for automating setup of configuration data for an application program. In one embodiment, a method of automating setup of configuration data for an application program can comprise identifying a set of configuration data used by a first instance of the application program. The set of configuration data can contain data for substantially replicating a configuration for the first instance of the application program. The method can further include extracting the set of configuration data from the first instance of the application program. A manifest can be created identifying data in the set of configuration data. The set of configuration data can be saved in a portable format that includes the set of configuration data and the manifest.

Claims

1. A method of automating setup of configuration data for an application program, the method comprising:

identifying a set of configuration used by a first instance of the application program wherein the set of configuration data contains data for substantially replicating a configuration from the first instance of the application program;

extracting the set of configuration data;

creating a manifest identifying data in the set of configuration data; and

saving the set of configuration data in a portable format, wherein the portable format includes the set of configuration data and the manifest from the first instance of the application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a set of configuration data comprises determining whether data used by the first instance of the application program comprises data predefined as configuration data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a set of configuration data comprises determining whether data used by the first instance of the application program has changed due to configuration activities in the application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to extracting the set of configuration data, presenting a summary of the set of configuration data to a user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving a user selection of a subset of the set of configuration data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein extracting the set of configuration data, creating a manifest identifying the data in the set of configuration data, and saving the set of configuration data includes only the subset of the set of configuration data selected by the user.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving a user selection of additional configuration data not represented in the set of configuration data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein extracting the set of configuration data, creating a manifest identifying the data in the set of configuration data, and saving the set of configuration data includes the additional configuration data selected by the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein saving the configuration data in a portable format comprises saving the configuration data in a repository readable by a tool for loading the configuration data into a second instance of the application program and the manifest comprises a file readable by the tool.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the repository comprises a database.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the manifest comprises a set of values and attributes defining the set of configuration data in the repository.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the manifest comprises an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program comprises an enterprise solution.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the manifest extracted from the first instance of the application program;

reading the set of configuration data extracted from the first instance of the application program; and

copying the set of configuration data to a second instance of the application program based on information in the manifest.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, prior to copying the set of configuration data, presenting a summary of the set of configuration data to a user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a user selection of a subset of the set of configuration data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein copying the set of configuration data to the second instance of the application program includes only the subset of the set of configuration data selected by the user.

18. A system for providing automated setup of configuration data, the system comprising a first environment, the first environment comprising:

a first instance of a base application; and

an extractor communicatively coupled with the first instance of the base application and adapted to identify the set of configuration data wherein the set of configuration data contains data for substantially replicating a configuration from the first instance of the application program, extract the set of configuration data, create a manifest identifying data in the set of configuration data, and save the set of configuration data in a portable format, wherein the portable format includes the set of configuration data and the manifest from the first instance of the base application.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the extractor identifies a set of configuration data by determining whether data from the first instance of the base application comprises data predefined as configuration data.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the extractor identifies a set of configuration data by determining whether data from the first instance of the base application has changed due to configuration activities in the first instance of the application.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the extractor is further adapted to present a summary of the set of configuration data to a user prior to extracting the set of configuration data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the extractor is further adapted to receive a user selection of a subset of the set of configuration data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the extractor extracts the set of configuration data, creates a manifest identifying the data in the set of configuration data, and saves the set of configuration data including only the subset of the set of configuration data selected by the user.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the extractor is further adapted to receive a user selection of additional configuration data not represented in the set configuration data.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the extractor extracts the set of configuration data, creates a manifest identifying the data in the set of configuration data, and saves the set of configuration data including the additional configuration data selected by the user.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the extractor saves the configuration data in a portable format by saving the configuration data in a repository readable by a tool for loading the configuration data into a second instance of the base application and the manifest comprises a file readable by the tool.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the repository comprises a database.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the manifest comprises a set of values and attributes defining the set of configuration data in the repository.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the manifest comprises an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) file.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the base application comprises an enterprise solution.

31. The system of claim 18, further comprising a second environment, the second environment comprising:

a second instance of the base application; and

a loader communicatively coupled with the second instance of the base application and adapted to read the manifest from the first instance of the base application, read the set of configuration data from the first instance of the base application, and copy the set of configuration data to the second instance of the base application based on information in the manifest.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the loader is further adapted to present a summary of the set of configuration data to a user prior to copying the set of configuration data.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the loader is further adapted to receive a user selection of a subset of the set of configuration data.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the loader copies only the subset of the set of configuration data selected by the user to the second instance of the base application.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the second environment further comprises an extractor communicatively coupled with the second instance of the base application and is adapted to identify a set of configuration data of the second instance of the base application wherein the set of configuration data contains data for substantially replicating a configuration from the second instance of the base application, extract the set of configuration data from the second instance of the base application, create a manifest identifying data in the set of configuration data, and save the set of configuration data in a portable format, wherein the portable format includes the set of configuration data and the manifest from the second instance of the base application.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the first instance comprises a demonstration version of the base application and the second instance comprises a full version of the base application.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the first instance and second instance comprise demonstration versions of the base application.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the first instance and the second instance comprise full versions of the base application.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the first instance comprises a full version of the base application and the second instance comprises a demonstration version of the base application.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein the first instance comprises a development instance of the base application and the second instance comprises a production instance of the base application.