SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCHEMA EVOLUTION IN AN E-COMMERCE NETWORK

• US 20130007595A1
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fuchs, Matthew, Koistinen, Jari, Davidson, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method and computer system are described for conducting commercial transactions. An enhanced type of XML schema may be used which supports integrity constraints and polymorphism. Schemas are identified by the use of Uniform Resource Names. XML processors residing on transaction servers or trading partner servers parse document instances by retrieving the URNs corresponding to the schemas used to interpret the document. The URNs are converted to location-dependent URIs in order to locate the schemas. URNs are resolved to location-dependent URIs by use of the LDAP protocol. URNs may be converted to LDAP URLs which are used to search LDAP compliant directories. The directories serve as registries for the URI values corresponding to the URNs.

Claims

1. A method of using a second tag to extend a first tag in an XML document, the method including:

receiving the XML document that includes the second tag defined in a second schema and a reference to the second schema;

processing the second schema, which defines the second tag including

a reference to the first tag defined in a first schema that is extended by the second tag; and

an additional element from markup language that is not included in the first schema as part of the definition of the first tag and that extends the definition of the first tag to include the additional element; and

processing the second tag as a polymorphic encoding of data in the XML document, such that the first and second schemas allow use of the first and second tags in the XML document;

whereby applications and document types that use the first or second tag can evolve separately.