METADATA-BASED APPLICATION DEPLOYMENT

• US 20090006409A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Jeffrey, Yang, Xiaohong Mark, Dong, Randy, Huang, Rou-Peng
• Granted Patent: US 8,020,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods, computer-readable media, and an application system are disclosed for creating and deploying metadata-generated applications. Access is provided to one or more type libraries that each include one or more defined object types configurable for use in generating the application. The defined object types include data structure types, rule types, and data types. Input is elicited from a user regarding desired content and function of the application. Based on the user input, metadata is generated to adapt the defined object types to generate the application. Metadata is generated to adapt the defined data structure types to create one or more application databases, to adapt the defined rule types to create one or more application behaviors, and to adapt the defined data types to create one or more application data types.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for representing a computer-executable application, comprising:

accessing one or more type libraries including a plurality of defined object types configurable for use in generating the application, the defined object types including;

one or more data structure types;

one or more rule types; and

one or more data types;

eliciting user input regarding desired content and function of the application; and

generating application metadata to adapt the defined object types to generate the application, the metadata being generated to;

adapt the one or more defined data structure types to create one or more application databases;

adapt the one or more defined rule types to create one or more application behaviors; and

adapt the one or more defined data types to create one or more application data types.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the type libraries include:

one or more predefined type libraries including a plurality of generalized predefined types; and

one or more extended type libraries, each of the extended type libraries including one or more extended types that have been one of created and adapted from one of the generalized types for use with a type of business.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising collected the metadata generated into a set of application metadata such that the set of application metadata and the one or more type libraries are configured to be processed for generating the application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the generating of the application includes:

generating the application databases, the applications databases including;

a relational database to receive the application data; and

at least one model database in communication with the relational database and configured to receive data from the relational database to perform runtime reporting operations for the application;

generating the application behaviors; and

applying the application behaviors to the application databases to provide functionality of the application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

creating a type library copy of at least a portion of the one or more type libraries; and

applying the application behaviors to the type library copy, wherein the application behaviors are implemented by adapting types stored in the type library copy.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the eliciting of user input is performed via an interface configured to:

allow a user to select from one or more lists identifying the plurality of defined object types;

allow the user to specify dimensions of data to be available to the application; and

allow the user to specify at least one model in which the data will be stored.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising validating the application metadata to ensure validity of the application behaviors relative to the one or more application databases.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the generating of the application further comprises generating a root model site including:

a root model database including the dimensions specified by the user and the at least one root model in which the data will be stored; and

a root model set of application behaviors.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the generating of the application further comprises generating at least one application subsite derived from the root model site, the application subsite including:

a subsite database including the dimensions specified by the user and the at least one subsite model in which the data will be stored; and

a subsite set of application behaviors.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising restricting access to the subsite database, wherein the restricting of the access includes one of:

complete access restriction of the subsite database to one or more authorized subsite users such that other users of the root model site are prevented from accessing content of the subsite database; and

partial access restriction of the subsite database such that other sites are prevented from accessing the content of the subsite database except for designated summary data.

11. A computer-readable storage medium operable for storing computer-readable data defining a metadata-based application, comprising:

a type library access module operable to access one or more type libraries including a plurality of defined object types configurable for use in generating the application;

a metadata access module operable to access a set of application metadata configured to adapt the defined object types to generate the application; and

a metadata processing module in communication with the type library access module and the metadata access module and an application destination, the metadata processing module being configured to apply the application metadata to the plurality of defined object types to generate the application, including;

adapting one or more defined data structure types, including;

creating one or more application databases for storing application data; and

creating one or more multidimensional databases configured to access the one or more application databases and to facilitate reporting of the application data;

adapting one or more defined rule types, including;

causing at least a portion of the one or more type libraries including the plurality of predefined object types to be copied to the application destination; and

creating one or more application behaviors configured to adapt the plurality of predefined object types to provide the intended functioning of the application.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising a metadata creation module, including:

an object interface configured to allow a user to select application objects to be included in the application and generate object metadata identifying the;

a dimension selector configured to allow the user to specify dimensions of data to be available to the application;

a model selector configured to allow the user to specify at least one model in which the data will be stored; and

a metadata collector configured to receive the metadata defining the application.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the one or more type libraries include an extended type library including one or more extended types created for use with one of a particular use and a particular industry.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the one or more application behaviors include one or more extended behaviors created by applying the application metadata to one or more extended types of the extended type library.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the metadata processing module is further configured to generate a root model for the application, the root model including:

a root model database including the dimensions specified by the user and the at least one root model in which the data will be stored; and

a root model set of application behaviors.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the metadata processing module is further configured to generate a model subsite for the application derived from the root model site, the model subsite including:

a subsite database including the dimensions specified by the user and the at least one subsite model in which the data will be stored; and

a subsite set of application behaviors.

17. An application taxonomy system for a metadata-generated application, the application comprising:

an application database configured to store data used by the application deployed at each of a plurality of sites, the application database being defined by a defined database type adapted by database metadata to support a user-defined application;

a root model site including;

a set of root model application behaviors, the application behaviors being defined by one or more predefined behavior types adapted by behavior metadata to support the user-defined application; and

a root model database including a root data model and root model dimensions defined by at least one predefined database type adapted by database metadata configured to support the root model application behaviors; and

at least one model subsite configured to provide a runtime application, the model subsites including;

a set of subsite application behaviors adapted from the root model application behaviors to support desired functions of the model subsite;

a subsite database including a subsite data model and subsite model dimensions adapted from the root model database and configured to support the subsite application behaviors.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the application database is a relational database.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the root model database and the subsite database each include a multidimensional database, contents of each multidimensional database being extracted from the application database.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising one or more copies of a type library deployed with the application, the type library including:

a plurality of predefined behavior types; and

a plurality of predefined database types.