SYNCHRONIZING DATABASE PROJECTS WITH PARTNER PROJECTS

• US 20120191650A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmed, Haroon, Unnithan, Aditya, Lee, Craig Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/624
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/213 with details for schema evolution support

Abstract

A solution authoring tool that includes an authoring environment that allows for the authoring of multiple projects of a solution including a database project that has a schema and a partner project that has a reference to the schema. When the database project is built and deployed, the database schema is made ready for runtime. When the partner project is built and deployed, the schema reference is provided within the partner software such that the partner software may interface with the database schema at runtime. To reduce or eliminate database schema drift at development time causing runtime errors at runtime, a model bus at least partially synchronizes changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project, and vice versa.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to formulate a solution authoring tool comprising:

an authoring environment configured to allow for the authoring of at least one of multiple projects of a solution of interacting projects, the solution including at least a database project that has a schema and a partner project that has a reference to the schema; and

a model bus that is configured to propagate at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project.

2. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the model bus determines, for at least some of the changes made to the schema in the database project, whether the change warrants propagation to the schema reference in the partner project.

3. The computer program product in accordance with claim 2, wherein a data contract specifies how to translate changes in the schema in the database project to corresponding changes in the schema reference in the partner project.

4. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein a data contract determines which changes are to be propagated to the first schema reference.

5. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein for at least one of the propagated changes, the change to the schema reference in the partner project involves a different action than the change to the schema in the database project.

6. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the model bus is bi-directional such that the model bus also propagates at least a portion of changes made to the schema reference in the partner project with changes made to the schema in the database project.

7. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the solution authoring tool further comprises:

a bus configuration mechanism that allows the types of changes that are synchronized to be adjusted.

8. The computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the partner project is a first partner project, and the schema reference is a first schema reference, and wherein a first endpoint of the model bus propagates the at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project, wherein the solution authoring tool further comprises:

a second endpoint of the model bus that is configured to propagate at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to a second reference to the schema in a second partner project.

9. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the changes that are propagated to the second schema reference are different than the changes that are propagated to the first schema reference.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 8, wherein the solution authoring tool further comprises:

a third endpoint of the model bus that is configured to propagate at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to a third reference to the schema in a second partner project.

11. A computer-implemented method for facilitating development of a database solution comprising:

an act of providing an authoring environment;

an act of facilitating development of at least one of multiple projects of a solution of interacting projects, the solution including at least a database project that has a schema and a partner project that has a reference to the schema; and

as development occurs for the at least one project, an act of propagating at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the following as development occurs for at the least one project:

for at least some of the changes made to the schema in the database project, determining whether the change warrants propagation to the schema reference in the partner project.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12, wherein a data contract specifies how to translate changes in the schema in the database project to corresponding changes in the schema reference in the partner project.

14. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein a data contract determines which changes are to be propagated to the first schema reference.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein for at least one of the propagated changes, the change to the schema reference in the partner project involves a different action than the change to the schema in the database project.

16. The method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the following as development occurs for the at least one project:

an act of propagating at least a portion of changes made to the schema reference in the partner project with changes made to the schema in the database project.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, wherein the acts of propagating are performed by a model bus.

18. The method in accordance with claim 17, wherein the partner project is a first partner project, and the schema reference is a first schema reference, and wherein a first endpoint of the model bus propagates the at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project, the method further comprising the following as development occurs for the at least one project:

an act of propagating at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the second partner project through a second endpoint of the model bus; and

an act of propagating at least a portion of changes made to the schema reference in the second partner project with changes made to the schema in the database project through the second endpoint of the model bus.

19. The method in accordance with claim 17, further comprising:

an act of providing a bus configuration mechanism that allows the types of changes that are synchronized to be adjusted.

20. A computer program product comprising one or more computer storage media having thereon computer-executable instructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to formulate a solution authoring tool comprising:

an authoring environment configured to allow for the authoring of at least one of multiple projects of a solution of interacting projects, the solution including at least a database project that has a schema and a partner project that has a reference to the schema; and

a bi-directional model bus that is configured to propagate at least a portion of changes made to the schema in the database project to the schema reference in the partner project, and at least a portion of changes made to the schema reference in the partner project to the schema in the database project.

wherein the model bus determines, for at least some of the changes made to the schema in the database project, whether the change warrants propagation to the schema reference in the partner project, and determines, for at least some of the changes made to the schema reference in the partner project, whether the change warrants propagation to the schema of the database project,

wherein a data contract specifies how to translate changes in the schema in the database project to corresponding changes in the schema reference in the partner project, and specifies which changes are to be propagated to the schema reference,

wherein the data contract further specifies how to translate changes in the schema reference in the partner project to corresponding changes in the schema in the database project, and specifies which changes are to be propagated to the database project.