Multi-Phase Synchronization in a Content Management System

• US 20100121816A1
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Petri, John Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A content management system (CMS) provides a way to add a phase property to synchronization rules. In one suitable implementation, each of the synchronization rules has a corresponding phase value. In another suitable implementation, there are default synchronization rules and only synchronization rules other than the default synchronization rules have a phase value. A phase synchronization mechanism uses the phase property of the synchronization rules to evaluate only appropriate synchronization rules at each step as required.

Claims

1. ) An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory coupled to the at least one processor;

a repository residing in the memory that includes a plurality of objects; and

a content management system residing in the memory and executed by the at least one processor, the content management system managing the plurality of objects in the repository, the content management system comprising;

synchronization rules comprising a first phase subset of the synchronization rules and a second phase subset of the synchronization rules, wherein one of the first phase subset and the second phase subset includes at least one synchronization rule that is not included in the other subset; and

a phase synchronization mechanism that evaluates the first phase subset of the synchronization rules a first time the content management system needs to perform synchronization and evaluates the second phase subset of the synchronization rules a second time the content management system needs to perform synchronization.

2. ) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the synchronization rules further comprises a third subset of the synchronization rules.

3. ) The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the phase synchronization mechanism evaluates the third subset of the synchronization rules a third time the content management system needs to perform synchronization.

4. ) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first phase subset of the synchronization rules and the second phase subset of the synchronization rules are contained in separate files.

5. ) The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plug-in chain residing in the memory that specifies a plurality of plug-ins to be executed in a specified order, the plurality of plug-ins including the first phase subset and second phase subset of the synchronization rules.

6. ) A computer-implemented method for a content management system that manages a plurality of objects in a repository to reconstitute a parent document with embedded queries and evaluate synchronization rules, the method comprising the steps of:

evaluating a first phase subset of the synchronization rules a first time the content management system needs to perform synchronization;

executing the embedded queries; and

evaluating a second phase subset of the synchronization rules a second time the content management system needs to perform synchronization, wherein one of the first phase subset and the second phase subset includes at least one synchronization rule that is not included in the other subset.

7. ) The method of claim 6 wherein the first phase subset of the synchronization rules and the second phase subset of the synchronization rules are contained in separate files.

8. ) The method of claim 6 further comprising the step evaluating a third subset of the synchronization rules a third time the content management system needs to perform synchronization.

9. ) The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of executing a plurality of plug-ins in a plug-in chain in a specified order, the plurality of plug-ins including the first phase subset and second phase subset of the synchronization rules.

10. ) A computer-implemented method for a content management system that manages a plurality of objects in a repository to reconstitute an XML document from a template of embedded queries and evaluate synchronization rules, the method comprising the steps of:

populating elements in the embedded queries;

evaluating a first phase subset of the synchronization rules contained in first separate file;

executing the embedded queries;

evaluating a second phase subset of the synchronization rules contained in a second file separate from the first file, wherein one of the first phase subset and the second phase subset includes at least one synchronization rule that is not included in the other subset; and

evaluating a third phase subset of the synchronization rules contained in a third file separate from the first and second files.

11. ) An article of manufacture comprising:

(A) a content management system comprising;

synchronization rules comprising a first phase subset of the synchronization rules and a second phase subset of the synchronization rules, wherein one of the first phase subset and the second phase subset includes at least one synchronization rule that is not included in the other subset; and

a phase synchronization mechanism that evaluates the first phase subset of the synchronization rules a first time the content management system needs to perform synchronization and evaluates the second phase subset of the synchronization rules a second time the content management system needs to perform synchronization; and

(B) computer-readable media bearing the content management system.

12. ) The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the synchronization rules further comprises a third subset of the synchronization rules.

13. ) The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein the phase synchronization mechanism evaluates the third subset of the synchronization rules a third time the content management system needs to perform synchronization.

14. ) The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the first phase subset of the synchronization rules and the second phase subset of the synchronization rules are contained in separate files.

15. ) The article of manufacture of claim 11 further comprising a plug-in chain that specifies a plurality of plug-ins to be executed in a specified order, the plurality of plug-ins including the first phase subset and second phase subset of the synchronization rules.