CACHING AND MEMORY OPTIMIZATIONS FOR MULTI-LAYER XML CUSTOMIZATION

• US 20090204629A1
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Barrow, Chris
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,998 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/8373 Query execution

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques for customizing aspects of a metadata-driven software application. In particular, embodiments of the present invention provide (1) a self-contained metadata engine for generating customized metadata documents from base metadata documents and customizations; (2) a customization syntax for defining customizations; (3) a customization creation/update component for creating and updating customizations; (4) a customization restriction mechanism for restricting the creation of new customizations by specific users or groups of users; and (5) memory and caching optimizations for optimizing the storage and lookup of customized metadata documents.

Claims

1. A method for caching customized metadata documents for a metadata-driven software application, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a customized version of a base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document defines one or more characteristics of at least a portion of the software application, and wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for a first user among a plurality of users of the software application;

identifying a first customization for the base metadata document, wherein the first customization is determined to be applicable to the plurality of users;

identifying a second customization for the base metadata document, wherein the second customization is determined to be applicable only to the first user;

generating a first customized metadata document based on the first customization and the base metadata document;

generating a second customized metadata document based on the first customized metadata document and the second customization;

storing the first customized metadata document in a shared cache applicable to application sessions of the plurality of users;

storing the second customized metadata document in a session cache applicable only to an application session of the first user; and

returning the second customized metadata document.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving another request for another customized version of the base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for a second user among the plurality of users;

identifying a third customization for the base metadata document, wherein the third customization is determined to be applicable only to the second user;

retrieving the first customized metadata document from the shared cache;

generating a third customized metadata document based on the retrieved first customized metadata document and the third customization;

storing the third customized metadata document in another session cache applicable only to an application session of the second user; and

returning the third customized metadata document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first customized metadata document includes a first element and a second element,

wherein the second customized metadata document includes the first element and a modified version of the second element,

wherein storing the first customized metadata document in the shared cache comprises storing the first customized metadata document in a working memory as a first tree memory structure, the first tree memory structure including an allocated memory segment for the first element and an allocated memory segment for the second element, and

wherein storing the second customized metadata document in the session cache comprises storing the second customized metadata document in the working memory as a second tree memory structure, the second tree memory structure including a pointer to the allocated memory segment for the first element in the first tree memory structure and an allocated memory segment for the modified version of the second element.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first customized metadata document further includes one or more elements as direct or indirect parents of the second element,

wherein the second customized metadata document further includes the one or more elements as direct or indirect parents of the modified version of the second element,

wherein the first memory tree structure further includes allocated memory segments for the one or more elements, and

wherein the second memory tree structure further includes allocated memory segments for the one or more elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by a metadata engine configured to provide application metadata to one or more components of the software application.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the base metadata document in the shared cache.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first customized metadata document is stored in the shared cache based on a cache hint included in the first customization, and wherein the second customized metadata document is stored in the session cache based on a cache hint included in the second customization.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the base metadata document, the first customization, the second customization, the first customized metadata document, and the second customized metadata document are XML documents.

9. A layered cache for caching customized metadata documents for a metadata-driven software application, the layered cache comprising:

a shared cache configured to store data for application sessions for a plurality of users of the software application, wherein the data includes a first set of customized metadata documents, each customized metadata document in the first set being based on one or more customizations applicable to the plurality of users; and

a plurality of session caches, each session cache configured to store data for an application session of a single user, wherein the data stored in said each session cache includes a second set of customized metadata documents, each customized metadata document in the second set based on one or more customizations applicable only to the single user,

wherein the layered cache is utilized by a metadata engine for efficiently providing customized application metadata to one or more components of the software application.

10. A system for caching customized metadata documents for a metadata-driven software application, the system comprising:

a working memory component including a shared cache configured to store data for application sessions of a plurality of users of the software application, and a session cache configured to store data only for an application session of a first user in the plurality of users; and

and a processing component configured to;

receive a request for a customized version of a base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document defines one or more characteristics of at least a portion of the software application, and wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for the first user;

identify a first customization for the base metadata document, wherein the first customization is determined to be applicable to the plurality of users;

identify a second customization for the base metadata document, wherein the second customization is determined to be applicable only to the first user;

generate a first customized metadata document based on the first customization and the base metadata document;

generate a second customized metadata document based on the first customized metadata document and the second customization;

store the first customized metadata document in the shared cache;

store the second customized metadata document in the session cache; and

return the second customized metadata document.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the working memory component further includes another session cache configured to store data only for an application session of a second user in the plurality of users, and wherein the processing component is further configured to:

receive another request for another customized version of the base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for the second user;

identify a third customization for the base metadata document, wherein the third customization is determined to be applicable only to the second user;

retrieve the first customized metadata document from the shared cache;

generate a third customized metadata document based on the retrieved first customized metadata document and the third customization;

store the third customized metadata document in said another session cache; and

return the third customized metadata document.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first customized metadata document includes a first element and a second element,

wherein the second customized metadata document includes the first element and a modified version of the second element,

wherein storing the first customized metadata document in the shared cache comprises storing the first customized metadata document in the working memory component as a first tree memory structure, the first tree memory structure including an allocated memory segment for the first element and an allocated memory segment for the second element, and

wherein storing the second customized metadata document in the session cache comprises storing the second customized metadata document in the working memory component as a second tree memory structure, the second tree memory structure including a pointer to the allocated memory segment for the first element in the first tree memory structure and an allocated memory segment for the modified version of the second element.

13. A machine-readable medium for a computer system, the machine-readable medium having stored thereon a series of instructions which, when executed by a processing component, cause the processing component to cache customized metadata documents for a metadata-driven software application by:

receiving a request for a customized version of a base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document defines one or more characteristics of at least a portion of the software application, and wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for a first user among a plurality of users of the software application;

identifying a first customization for the base metadata document, wherein the first customization is determined to be applicable to the plurality of users;

identifying a second customization for the base metadata document, wherein the second customization is determined to be applicable only to the first user;

generating a first customized metadata document based on the first customization and the base metadata document;

generating a second customized metadata document based on the first customized metadata document and the second customization;

storing the first customized metadata document in a shared cache applicable to application sessions of the plurality of users;

storing the second customized metadata document in a session cache applicable only to an application session of the first user; and

returning the second customized metadata document.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving another request for another customized version of the base metadata document, wherein the base metadata document is to be customized for a second user among the plurality of users;

identifying a third customization for the base metadata document, wherein the third customization is determined to be applicable only to the second user;

retrieving the first customized metadata document from the shared cache;

generating a third customized metadata document based on the retrieved first customized metadata document and the third customization;

storing the third customized metadata document in another session cache applicable only to an application session of the second user; and

returning the third customized metadata document.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first customized metadata document includes a first element and a second element,

wherein the second customized metadata document includes the first element and a modified version of the second element,

wherein storing the first customized metadata document in the shared cache comprises storing the first customized metadata document in a working memory as a first tree memory structure, the first tree memory structure including an allocated memory segment for the first element and an allocated memory segment for the second element, and

wherein storing the second customized metadata document in the session cache comprises storing the second customized metadata document in the working memory as a second tree memory structure, the second tree memory structure including a pointer to the allocated memory segment for the first element in the first tree memory structure and an allocated memory segment for the modified version of the second element.