DATA STORE INTERFACE THAT FACILITATES DISTRIBUTION OF APPLICATION FUNCTIONALITY ACROSS A MULTI-TIER CLIENT-SERVER ARCHITECTURE

• US 20140195601A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dillon Software Services LLC
• Original Assignee: Dillon Software Services LLC
• Inventors: Dillon, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,106,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• 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

Methods and systems for facilitating distribution of application functionality across a multi-tier client-server architecture are provided. According to one embodiment, multiple data points from a database associated with a server computer system are cached into a hierarchical data map representing a random access memory-resident data structure. Each of the data points includes a field name and a calculated value. A request, containing input values that are to be stored within the hierarchical data map, is received by the server computer system from a client computer system. Responsive to the request: (i) the input values are transferred to target data points of the multiple data points; (ii) the calculated value of at least one of the data points is updated based on the target data points and a formula corresponding to the calculated value; and (iii) changed contents within the hierarchical data map are persisted to the database.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

caching into a hierarchical data map comprising a random access memory-resident data structure, by an application running on a server computer system, a plurality of data points from a database associated with the server computer system, wherein each of the plurality of data points includes a field name and a calculated value;

receiving, by the server computer system, a request from a client computer system, wherein the request contains one or more input values that are to be stored within the hierarchical data map; and

responsive to the request;

transferring, by the application, the one or more input values to one or more target data points of the plurality of data points;

updating, by the application, the calculated value of at least one of the plurality of data points based on the one or more target data points and a formula corresponding to the calculated value; and

persisting, by the application, changed contents within the hierarchical data map to the database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising returning, by the application, at least a subset of calculated values to the client computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said returning comprises causing to be displayed on a display of the client computer system the subset of calculated values by copying the subset of calculated values from data points of the plurality of data points into a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file and transmitting the HTML file to the client computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request comprises a HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the HTML file returned by the application is formed using an HTML template containing an embedded tag that includes or references an index path that can be used to index into the hierarchical data map.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the index path comprises an expression, which when evaluated selects a subset of data points of the plurality of data points.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the HTML template further contains information regarding a desired layout in accordance with which the subset of calculated values is displayed.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the HTML file comprises the HTML template.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the index path includes a key/value pair that identifies a particular data point of the plurality of data points.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the index path includes:

a first level key name identifying a first level of the hierarchical data map; and

a target field name identifying a target data point of the plurality of data points.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a result of the formula is based at least in part on a current value of the calculated value.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the index path includes:

a first level key name identifying a first level of the hierarchical data map; and

a target field name identifying a target data point of the plurality of data points.

15. A server computer system comprising:

a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein instructions operable to process requests from a client computer system; and

one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the instructions to perform a method comprising;

caching into a hierarchical data map comprising a random access memory-resident data structure a plurality of data points from a database associated with the server computer system, wherein each of the plurality of data points includes a field name and a calculated value;

receiving a request from the client computer system, wherein the request contains one or more input values that are to be stored within the hierarchical data map; and

responsive to the request;

transferring the one or more input values to one or more target data points of the plurality of data points;

updating the calculated value of at least one of the plurality of data points based on the one or more target data points and a formula corresponding to the calculated value; and

persisting changed contents within the hierarchical data map to the database.

16. The server computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises returning at least a subset of calculated values to the client computer system.

17. The server computer system of claim 16, wherein said returning comprises causing to be displayed on a display of the client computer system the subset of calculated values by copying the subset of calculated values from data points of the plurality of data points into a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file and transmitting the HTML file to the client computer system.

18. The server computer system of claim 17, wherein the HTML file is formed using an HTML template containing an embedded tag that includes or references an index path that can be used to index into the hierarchical data map.

19. The server computer system of claim 18, wherein the index path comprises an expression, which when evaluated selects a subset of data points of the plurality of data points.

20. The server computer system of claim 18, wherein the HTML template further contains information regarding a desired layout in accordance with the subset of calculated values is displayed.

21. The server computer system of claim 19, wherein the HTML file comprises the HTML template.

22. The server computer system of claim 18, wherein the index path includes a key/value pair that identifies a particular data point of the plurality of data points.

23. The server computer system of claim 18, wherein the index path includes:

a first level key name identifying a first level of the hierarchical data map; and

a target field name identifying a target data point of the plurality of data points.

24. The server computer system of claim 15, wherein a result of the formula is based at least in part on a current value of the calculated value.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a set of instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of a server computer system, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

caching into a hierarchical data map comprising a random access memory-resident data structure a plurality of data points from a database associated with the server computer system, wherein each of the plurality of data points includes a field name and a calculated value;

receiving a request from a client computer system, wherein the request contains one or more input values that are to be stored within the hierarchical data map; and

responsive to the request;

transferring the one or more input values to one or more target data points of the plurality of data points;

updating the calculated value of at least one of the plurality of data points based on the one or more target data points and a formula corresponding to the calculated value; and

persisting changed contents within the hierarchical data map to the database.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises returning at least a subset of calculated values to the client computer system.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein said returning comprises causing to be displayed on a display of the client computer system the subset of calculated values by copying the subset of calculated values from data points of the plurality of data points into a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) file and transmitting the HTML file to the client computer system.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the request comprises a HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the HTML file returned by the application is formed using an HTML template containing an embedded tag that includes or references an index path that can be used to index into the hierarchical data map.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the index path comprises an expression, which when evaluated selects a subset of data points of the plurality of data points.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the HTML template further contains information regarding a desired layout in accordance with which the subset of calculated values is displayed.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the HTML file comprises the HTML template.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein the index path includes a key/value pair that identifies a particular data point of the plurality of data points.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein a result of the formula is based at least in part on a current value of the calculated value.