SYSTEMS, METHODS AND ARTICLES FOR TEMPLATE BASED GENERATION OF MARKUP DOCUMENTS TO ACCESS BACK OFFICE SYSTEMS

• US 20110161375A1
• Filed: 12/24/2009
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vertafore Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vertafore Incorporated
• Inventors: Kushiner, John, Tedder, Doug, Corriveau, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking

Abstract

An abstraction layer is provided between databases of back office systems and a markup language based interface, which may allow Web access to data in the databases of the back office systems. Schemas, metadata and validation files are generated from an intermediary representation of the database, which may be flat, non-hierarchical files. Markup language based templates may be generated based on the schemas, metadata and validation files. Markup documents or “markup” may be generated using the templates and the schemas, metadata and validation files. Workflow may be defined and imposed on the generation of the markup.

Claims

1. A method of operating at least one computer system, the method comprising:

transforming a schema to an intermediate representation by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a markup language based schema by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of validation files by at least one processor; and

generating a number of markup language templates by at least one processor based at least in part on the markup language based schema, the metadata files and the validation files.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation includes transforming at least one of a relational database or a Web Service to the intermediate representation of a number of selected elements of the relational database or the Web Service.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation comprises:

identifying a number of existing relationships between a number of selected tables and views of a relational database by at least one processor;

iterating through a number of table, view, and column relationships by at least one processor; and

producing the intermediate representation of the table, view, and column relationships for selected ones of the tables, views and columns of the relational database by at least one processor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation further comprises:

receiving a number of signals indicative of a plurality of user selections of the selected tables and views of the relational database; and

receiving a number of signals indicative of a plurality of user selections of the selected columns of the relational database.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation further comprises:

at least one of deleting one of the relationships, modifying one of the relationships or creating a new relationship by at least one processor.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation further comprises:

serializing the intermediate representation by at least one processor; and

persisting the intermediate representation by at least one processor.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein transforming an intermediate representation to a markup language based schema comprises:

creating by at least one processor an XML schema file having a root node;

iterating through the intermediate representation by at least one processor;

adding by at least one processor a top-level complex data type to the XML schema file;

recursively adding a number of child data types and a number of attributes to the top-level complex data type in the XML schema file by at least one processor; and

persisting a resultant XML schema file.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein transforming an intermediate representation to a markup language based schema further comprises:

de-serializing by at least one processor the intermediate representation if the intermediate representation has been previously stored and is available, before creating the XML schema file.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation comprises:

retrieving by at least one processor a number of Web Service Definition Language schemas;

selecting by at least one processor a number of schema types logically associated with respective ones of a number of selected Web Service operations of the Web Service Definition Language schemas;

iterating through a number of selected sub-schemas; and

producing the intermediate representation of based at least in part on the selected sub-schemas.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation further comprises:

receiving a number of signals indicative of a plurality of selections of the Web Service operations.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation further comprises:

serializing the intermediate representation by at least one processor; and

persisting the intermediate representation by at least one processor.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files comprises:

creating at least one metadata file having a root node by at least one processor;

iterating through the intermediate representation by at least one processor;

adding a number of data types and associated information to the at least one metadata file by at least one processor; and

persisting a resultant metadata file.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files further comprises:

de-serializing by at least one processor the intermediate representation if a previously created version of intermediate representation has been stored and is available, before creating the metadata file.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a number of markup language templates comprises:

receiving number of signals indicative of identities of each of a number of user selections of one or more schema, one or more pieces of metadata, and a one or more validation files to be used for creating the markup language based templates;

receiving signals indicative of a number of user selections of schema elements;

adding meta information for the selected schema elements including at least one of a formatting, a placement, a grouping, a label, a cardinality, an identification, a behavior, a reference link, or a classification; and

persisting information to a markup language based template file defined by the schema.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of validation files comprises:

creating a set of validation information from the schema the validation information indicative of semantic correctness of data.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein creating a set of validation information from the schema comprises:

iterating through the intermediate representation of the schema by at least one processor;

adding at least one data type and at least one piece of validation related information to at least one validation file by at least one processor; and

persisting the at least one validation file.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein creating a set of validation information from the schema further comprises:

de-serializing by at least one processor the intermediate representation if an stored intermediate representation is available, before creating iterating the intermediate representation.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a number of markup language based files by at least one processor based at least in part on the generated markup language templates.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein generating markup language based files by at least one processor based at least in part on the generated markup language templates comprises:

picking a markup provider that conforms to a markup provider interface;

identifying a transit path context;

receiving at least one of a piece of data, a schema, a metadata template or a runtime context;

iterating through the markup language template;

creating at least one markup fragment based at least in part on the iterating through the markup language template;

classifying at least one markup element to be used by a consumer;

formatting at least one markup element based on attributes of the template; and

combining the markup elements into at least one markup language based file.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein generating a number of markup language templates is performed by a first processor during a pre-run time, and generating a number of markup language based files is performed by second processor at a run time, the run time following the pre-run time.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating by at least one processor at least one business process workflow using the markup language templates.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein generating at least one business process workflow using the markup language templates comprises:

receiving signals indicative of one or more user selections of identifying each of a number of markup language templates to be used in generating the business process workflow;

receiving signals indicative of one or more user selections identifying each of a number of activities for the business process workflow;

adding a template activity to the business process workflow if the user selection is indicative of a template activity;

configuring a template group of the business process workflow as a logical parent and organizer of other templates if the user selection is indicative of a template group activity;

configuring a non-template activity of the business process workflow if the user selection is indicative of a non-template activity; and

persisting a resultant process work flow.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing a business process workflow with a run time version of each of the intermediate representation of the schema, the metadata files and the validation files and a markup language file to which a set of user data will be saved;

iterating through a plurality of activities of the business process work flow;

generating a number of markup documents if the respective one of the activities is template related; and

persisting the user data.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein persisting the user data comprises:

parsing the markup documents and using workflow current context to determine respective locations in the markup documents for respective pieces of the user data.

25. A system of communicatively coupled computers, the system comprising:

at least one computer-readable storage medium that stores processor executable instructions;

at least one processor that executes the processor executable instructions stored by the at least one computer-readable storage medium and which when executing the processor executable instructions implements;

a schema generator that transforms a schema to an intermediate representation, transforms the intermediate representation of the schema to a markup language based schema, transforms the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files, and transforms the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of validation files;

a template designer that generates a number of markup language templates based at least in part on the markup language based schema, the metadata files and the validation files; and

a runtime engine that builds markup documents using at least the markup language templates.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the schema generator transforms at least one of a relation database or a Web service to the intermediate representation.

27. The system of claim 25 wherein the schema generator identifies a number of existing relationships between a number of selected tables and views of a relational database, iterates through a number of table, view, and column relationships, and produces the intermediate representation of the table, view, and column relationships for selected ones of the tables, views and columns of the relational database.

28. The system of claim 25 wherein the schema generator allows a user to select from at least one of deleting one of the relationships, modifying one of the relationships or creating a new relationship by at least one processor.

29. The system of claim 25 wherein the template designer creates an XML schema file having a root node, iterates through the intermediate representation, adds a top-level complex data type to the XML schema file, recursively adds a number of child data types and a number of attributes to the top-level complex data type in the XML schema file;

and persists a resultant XML schema file.

30. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor further implements a business processor work flow generator which applies a business work flow to the markup language templates.

31. At least one computer-readable medium that stores instructions executable by at least one processor, which cause the at least one processor to provide a portal server function, by:

transforming a schema to an intermediate representation by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a markup language based schema by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files by at least one processor;

transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of validation files by at least one processor; and

generating a number of markup language templates by at least one processor based at least in part on the markup language based schema, the metadata files and the validation files.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation by at least one processor includes transforming at least one of a relational database or a Web Service to the intermediate representation of a number of selected elements of the relational database or the Web Service.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein transforming a schema to an intermediate representation comprises:

identifying a number of existing relationships between a number of selected tables and views of a relational database, iterating through a number of table, view, and column relationships; and

producing the intermediate representation of the table, view, and column relationships for selected ones of the tables, views and columns of the relational database.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to provide a portal server function, further by:

processing a number of signals indicative of a plurality of user selections of the selected tables and views of the relational database;

processing a number of signals indicative of a plurality of user selections of the selected columns of the relational database; and

processing a number of signals indicative of a user selection to at least one of delete one of the relationships, modify one of the relationships or create a new relationship.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein transforming an intermediate representation to a markup language based schema comprises:

creating by at least one processor an XML schema file having a root node;

iterating through the intermediate representation by at least one processor;

adding by at least one processor a top-level complex data type to the XML schema file; and

recursively adding a number of child data types and a number of attributes to the top-level complex data type in the XML schema file by at least one processor.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein transforming the intermediate representation of the schema to a number of metadata files comprises:

creating at least one metadata file having a root node by at least one processor;

iterating through the intermediate representation by at least one processor; and

adding a number of data types and associated information to the at least one metadata file by at least one processor.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein generating a number of markup language templates comprises:

receiving number of signals indicative of identifies of each of a number of user selections of one or more schema, one or more pieces of metadata, and a one or more validations files to be used for creating the markup language based templates;

receiving signals indicative of a number of user selections of schema elements; and

adding meta information for the selected schema elements including at least one of a formatting, a placement, a grouping, a label, a cardinality, an identification, a behavior, a reference link, or a classification.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein instructions cause the processor to provide a portal server function, further by:

generating by at least one processor at least one business process workflow using the markup language templates.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein instructions cause the processor to provide a portal server function, further by:

initializing a business process workflow with a run time version of each of the intermediate representation of the schema, the metadata files and the validation files and a markup language file to which a set of user data will be saved;

iterating through a plurality of activities of the business process work flow; and

generating a number of markup documents if the respective one of the activities is template related.