SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION OBJECT DATA SYNCHRONIZATION FOR OPTIMIZED DATA STORAGE

• US 20090055434A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Chasman, Doug, Shay, Bruce, Parrett, Jeff, Heinke, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method for synchronizing a mobile device with a central computer system is provided. The method includes coupling the mobile device to an application server of the central computer system over a network, defining a sync list that includes a candidate object type for distribution, synchronizing a relevant object of the candidate object type to the mobile device, determining a referenced object type from the relevant object type, and synchronizing a referenced object of the referenced object type to the mobile device. The sync list can be defined from meta-data that associates a user of the mobile device with one or more candidate object types, where the candidate object types serve as a starting point for the distribution process. Referenced object types can be determined from the relevant object types through additional meta-data.

Claims

1. A method for distributing data to a mobile device, comprising:

providing at least one component interface for at least one data component, each component interface being associated with an object type of the data component;

generating a sync list including at least one of said component interfaces;

sending the sync list to the mobile device; and

sending an object of an object type associated with the at least one component interface on the sync list to the mobile device, the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

sending meta-data associated with each component interface on the sync list, whereby the mobile device determines relevant objects based on the at least one component interface and the associated meta-data.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

analyzing the meta-data to identify other object types referenced by the object types associated with the at least one component interface.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

generating a sync list includes accessing at least one access control object identifying component interfaces accessible to the mobile device.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

setting a role that specifies the at least one access control object for the mobile device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the setting step includes associating the role with a user of the mobile device.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining an object of an object type associated with the at least one component interface on the sync list to be relevant by applying at least one rule to the objects associated with each component interface on the sync list.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein:

the determining step further includes applying a relevance rule included in application processing logic in the at least one component interface.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

for each object sent to the mobile device, copying a subset of attributes of the data component for that object.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a copy of the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device, exists on the mobile device and further determining whether the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device and the copy of the object on the mobile device are identical and sending the object when it is not identical to the copy of the object on the mobile device.

11. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program product for controlling a processor to distribute data to a mobile device, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for providing at least one component interface for at least one data component, each component interface being associated with an object type of the data component;

computer code for generating a sync list including at least one of said component interfaces;

computer code for sending the sync list to the mobile device; and

computer code for sending an object of an object type associated with the at least one component interface on the sync list to the mobile device, the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

computer code for sending meta-data associated with each component interface on the sync list, whereby the mobile device determines relevant objects based on the at least one component interface and the associated meta-data.

13. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

computer program code for setting a role that specifies at least one access control object, the at least one access control object identifying component interfaces accessible to the mobile device.

14. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

computer program code for determining an object of an object type associated with the at least one component interface on the sync list to be relevant by applying at least one rule to the objects associated with each component interface on the sync list.

15. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

computer program code for copying a subset of attributed of the data component for each object sent to the mobile device.

16. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

computer program code determining whether a copy of the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device, exists on the mobile device and further determining whether the object being determined to be relevant to the mobile device and the copy of the object on the mobile device are identical and sending the object when it is not identical to the copy of the object on the mobile device.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein:

the synchronization server is further operable to send meta-data associated with each component interface on the sync list, whereby the mobile device determines relevant objects based on the at least one component interface and the associated meta-data.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein:

the synchronization server is further operable to analyze the meta-data to identify other object types referenced by the object types associated with the at least one component interface.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein:

the first server is further operable to execute application code for manipulating the plurality of data objects in the central database.

17. A system for distributing data to a mobile device comprising:

a central computer system operable to communicate with said mobile device, the central computer system comprising;

a web server interoperable with said mobile device and with a first server on the central computer system;

a central database operable to store a plurality of data objects, each object having an object type associated with a component interface of a data component; and

the first server comprising

a synchronization server operable to generate a sync list for the mobile device including at least one of said component interfaces and to send the sync list to the mobile device, the synchronization server further operable to receive from the mobile device a request for relevant objects based on the at least one component interface and to determine whether the relevant objects exist in the same form in both the central database and in an object store on the mobile device, and to send relevant objects that do not exist in the same form from the central database to the object store.