Apparatus and method for processing cobol data record schemas having disparate formats

• US 20070294677A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects SA (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ocher, Alexander, Belyy, Andrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management

Abstract

A computer readable medium is configured to receive a description of a COBOL copybook that can be represented in one of a plurality of disparate formats, to parse the COBOL copybook based on the description of the COBOL copybook, and to create a standardized data record schema based on the COBOL copybook. The description of the COBOL copybook includes information about the format of the COBOL copybook.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive a description of a COBOL copybook represented in one of a plurality of disparate formats, wherein the description of the COBOL copybook includes information about the format of the COBOL copybook;

parse the COBOL copybook based on the description of the COBOL copybook; and

create a standardized data record schema based on the COBOL copybook.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the format of the COBOL copybook is one of a system-specific format and an application-specific format.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to parse include executable instructions to:

read a COBOL statement from the COBOL copybook; and

process the COBOL statement upon determining that the COBOL statement is a COBOL data definition.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions to create include executable instructions to:

generate a hierarchical structure of field definitions for the standardized data record schema corresponding to the COBOL copybook; and

attach information extracted from a COBOL data definition contained in the COBOL copybook to a corresponding field definition contained in the standardized data record schema.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising executable instructions to:

receive a parameterized location of a data record corresponding to the COBOL copybook and information about the data record format; and

process the data record based on the standardized data record schema.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5, further comprising executable instructions to:

create a database table based on the standardized data record schema and the data record; and

execute a data manipulation language statement dependent on the database table.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 5, further comprising executable instructions to receive a description of a data file containing the data record.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6, further comprising executable instructions to receive a request to process the data record including executable instructions to:

select a first image representing an association of the standardized data record schema and the data record; and

select a second image representing the database table.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprising executable instructions to link the first image and the second image to represent a data flow.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions to link include executable instructions to specify a data transform.

11. A computer readable medium comprising executable instructions to:

receive a description of a data record schema represented in one of a plurality of disparate formats, wherein the description of the data record schema includes information about the format of the data record schema;

parse the data record schema based on the description of the data record schema; and

create a standardized data record schema based on the data record schema.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the format of the data record schema is one of a system-specific format and an application-specific format.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions to parse include executable instructions to:

read a COBOL statement from the data record schema; and

process the COBOL statement upon determining that the COBOL statement is a COBOL data definition.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the executable instructions to create include executable instructions to:

generate a hierarchical structure of field definitions for the standardized data record schema corresponding to the data record schema; and

attach information extracted from a COBOL data definition contained in the data record schema to a corresponding field definition contained in the standardized data record schema.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising executable instructions to:

receive a parameterized location of a data record corresponding to the data record schema and information about the data record format; and

process the data record based on the standardized data record schema.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising executable instructions to:

create a database table based on the standardized data record schema and the data record; and

execute a data manipulation language statement dependent on the database table.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising executable instructions to receive a description of a data file containing the data record.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising executable instructions to receive a request to process the data record including executable instructions to:

select a first image representing an association of the standardized data record schema and the data record; and

select a second image representing the database table.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising executable instructions to link the first image and the second image to represent a data flow.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions to link include executable instructions to specify a data transform.