BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY IN DATABASE SCHEMAS

• US 20110035417A1
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Avalani, Bhaven, Cohen, Alon
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/211 Schema design and management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/213 with details for schema evolution support
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A method of accommodating at least one difference between a first database schema and a second database schema is provided. The method includes receiving a response generated by a first application program using a first database schema, identifying a value in the response that is unrecognizable to a second application program using a second database schema, and substituting, using a processor, the value that is unrecognizable to the second application program with a reserved element recognizable to the second application program, the reserved element indicating to the second application program that a portion of the response is not recognizable to the second application program. The method further includes communicating the response to the second application program.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a response generated by a first application program using a first database schema;

identifying a value in the response that is unrecognizable to a second application program using a second database schema;

substituting, using a processor, the value that is unrecognizable to the second application program with a reserved element recognizable to the second application program, the reserved element indicating to the second application program that a portion of the response is not recognizable to the second application program; and

communicating the response to the second application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reserved element is mapped to a custom slot included in a second database schema.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the custom slot is included in the second database schema upon creating the second database schema.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the value in the response comprises:

identifying a version of the first database schema;

identifying a version of the second database schema; and

comparing the version of the first database schema with the version of the second database schema.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first database schema is a later version of the second database schema.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying the value in the response comprises determining whether the second database schema has been altered.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the response is generated in response to a request from the second application program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the value is unrecognizable to the second application program using the second database schema because the value is not included in the second database schema.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application program is an Application Program Interface (API), the first database schema is a server-side database schema, the second application program is a client application, and the second database schema is a client-side database.

10. A system comprising:

a processing module to;

receive a response generated by a first application program using a first database schema, and

identifying a value in the response that is unrecognizable to a second application program using a second database schema;

a transform module to substitute the value that is unrecognizable to the second application program with a reserved element recognizable to the second application program, the reserved element indicating to the second application program that a portion of the response is not recognizable to the second application program; and

a programmatic interface to communicate the response to the second application program.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising storing the reserved element in a custom slot included in a second database schema.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the custom slot is included in the second database schema upon creating the second database schema.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing module is further to:

identify a version of the first database schema;

identify a version of the second database schema; and

compare the version of the first database schema with the version of the second database schema.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first database schema is a later version of the second database schema.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing module is to:

determine whether the second database schema has been altered.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the response is generated in response to a request from the second application program.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the value is unrecognizable to the second application program using the second database schema because the value is not included in the second database schema.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the first application program is an Application Program Interface (API), the first database schema is a server-side database schema, the second application program is a client application, and the second database schema is a client-side database.

19. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a response generated by a first application program using a first database schema;

identifying a value in the response that is unrecognizable to a second application program using a second database schema;

substituting the value that is unrecognizable to the second application program with a reserved element recognizable to the second application program, the reserved element indicating to the second application program that a portion of the response is not recognizable to the second application program; and

communicating the response to the second application program.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

identifying a version of the first database schema;

identifying a version of the second database schema; and

comparing the version of the first database schema with the version of the second database schema.