USE OF EMAIL TO UPDATE RECORDS STORED IN A DATABASE SERVER

• US 20150081730A1
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kumar, Saurabh
• Granted Patent: US 10,536,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes

Abstract

According to an aspect multiple records are stored in a database server. A set of records are retrieved by querying the database server. A first file is formed to contain the retrieved set of records. The first file is sent by email to a user, and a second file, with at least one of the set of records modified, is received from the user by email. The received modifications contained in the second file are propagated to the database server, upon receipt of the second file. Users may accordingly be able to effect modifications to multiple records in a single email exchange. According to another aspect, the updates are effected by using a SOA server storing a process definition to interface (send and receive emails) with the user and propagate the changes. The SOA server may contain a workflow block to interact with users based on email exchange.

Claims

1. A method of managing records, said method comprising:

storing a plurality of records in a database server;

querying said database server to retrieve a set of records of interest;

forming a first file containing said set of records;

sending said first file, containing said set of records, by email to a user;

receiving a second file, with at least one of said set of records modified, by email from said user; and

propagating the modifications contained in said second file to said database server, upon receipt of said file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said file is sent as a corresponding attachment to said email sent to said user, and said file with modifications is received as a corresponding attachment to said email received from said user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said querying comprises sending a SQL query to said database server, said SQL query specifying a condition, wherein each of said set of records of interest satisfies said condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of said set of records corresponds to a single row of a table stored in said database server.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

maintaining, a process definition containing a set of tasks, wherein said set of tasks include interfacing with said user, and said propagating; and

receiving a request to execute said process definition, said request specifying said first file and said user as parameters such that said first file is sent to said user by email.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a process manager executes said process definition in response to receiving of said request,

said process manager being contained in a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) server and said process definition being specified according to Business Process Execution Language (BPEL),

said process manager invoking a human workflow block to perform said sending and said receiving.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of records correspond to issues raised by members of a team, and wherein said condition comprises specifying a manager who is to process the issues as a next step, said user comprising said manager such that said first file contains only issues that are to be processed by said manager,

wherein said querying, said forming and sending of said first file are performed periodically, and

wherein modifications performed to said first file are propagated to said database server by execution of said process definition.

8. A computing system comprising:

a database server;

an application server to populate said database server with a plurality of records;

an update server operable to;

send a first file containing a set of records by email to a user, said set of records being contained in said plurality of records;

receive a second file, with at least one of said set of records modified, by email from said user; and

propagate the modifications contained in said second file to said database server, upon receipt of said file.

9. The computing system of claim 8, further comprising a repository server,

wherein said application server is operable to query said database server to retrieve said set of records as being of interest, and to form said first file,

said application server being operable to store said first file in said repository server and to generate a request to said update server to cause said update server to perform said send of said first file.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein said update server is a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) server storing a process definition specified in Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), said process definition specifying interfacing with said user and said propagate as respective tasks,

said update server being operable to receive a request to execute said process definition, and to execute said process definition in response to receipt of said request.

11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein said update server is operable to store said second file also in said repository server, wherein said update server retrieves said second file from said repository server in performing said propagate.

12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein said application server is designed to facilitate members of a team to raise respective issues, each issue requiring review by a corresponding manager as a next step,

said application server retrieving issues to be reviewed by a specific manager as said first set of issues, wherein said user is said specific manager.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein said application server generates said request after storing said first file in said repository,

said application server specifying an identity of said user and an identity of said first file in said repository as parameters to said request, causing said update server to send said first file to said user.

14. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for causing a server system to manage records, wherein execution of said one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors contained in said server system causes said server system to perform the actions of:

querying a database server to retrieve a set of records of interest;

forming a first file containing said set of records;

sending said first file, containing said set of records, by email to a user;

receiving a second file, with at least one of said set of records modified, by email from said user; and

propagating the modifications contained in said second file to said database server, upon receipt of said file.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein said file is sent as a corresponding attachment to said email sent to said user, and said file with modifications is received as a corresponding attachment to said email received from said user.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein said querying comprises sending a SQL query to said database server, said SQL query specifying a condition, wherein each of said set of records of interest satisfies said condition.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16, wherein each of said set of records corresponds to a single row of a table stored in said database server.

18. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 15, the actions further comprising:

maintaining, a process definition containing a set of tasks, wherein said set of tasks include interfacing with said user, and said propagating; and

receiving a request to execute said process definition, said request specifying said first file and said user as parameters such that said first file is sent to said user by email.

19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 18, wherein a process manager executes said process definition in response to receiving of said request,

said process manager being contained in a SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) server and said process definition being specified according to Business Process Execution Language (BPEL),

said process manager invoking a human workflow block to perform said sending and said receiving.

20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19, wherein said plurality of records correspond to issues raised by members of a team, and wherein said condition comprises specifying a manager who is to process the issues as a next step, said user comprising said manager such that said first file contains only issues that are to be processed by said manager,

wherein said querying, said forming and sending of said first file are performed periodically, and

wherein modifications performed to said first file are propagated to said database server by execution of said process definition.