WEB-ENABLED MAINFRAME

• US 20110283019A1
• Filed: 05/13/2010
• Published: 11/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Robert P., Re, Vincent R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,056 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a data sources interface of a mainframe receives a transaction request from a user terminal communicating through a network. The transaction request is formatted in a web-based format. A data sources function is called to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, and the instruction to the mainframe is formatted in the native format of the mainframe. A transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe is received from the mainframe application. The transaction result is modified according to the web-based format to yield a data source, and the data source is sent to the user terminal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a data sources interface of a mainframe, a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network;

calling a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receiving a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

modifying the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield a data source; and

sending the data source to the user terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

3. The method of claim 1, the data sources function further comprising a C function, a REXX script, or an SQL statement.

4. The method of claim 1, the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

5. The method of claim 1, the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

determining whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instructing the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

7. A system comprising:

a data sources interface operable to;

receive a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network; and

send a data source to the user terminal; and

one or more processors operable to

call a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receive a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe; and

modify the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield the data source.

8. The system of claim 7, the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

9. The system of claim 7, the data sources function further comprising a C function, a REXX script, or an SQL statement.

10. The system of claim 7, the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

11. The system of claim 7, the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

the one or more processors further operable to;

determine whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instruct the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

13. Logic embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the logic operable to:

receive, by a data sources interface of a mainframe, a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network;

call a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receive a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

modify the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield a data source; and

send the data source to the user terminal.

18. The logic of claim 18, further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

the logic further operable to;

determine whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instruct the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

14. The logic of claim 18, the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

15. The logic of claim 18, the data sources function further comprising a C function, a REXX script, or an SQL statement.

16. The logic of claim 18, the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

17. The logic of claim 18, the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.