SUBSCRIPTION FOR INTEGRATING EXTERNAL DATA FROM EXTERNAL SYSTEM

• US 20150081732A1
• Filed: 11/21/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Koronthaly, David, Jimenez-Salgado, Rolando, Paranthaman, Sundaravadivelan, Kapadia, Arshish Cyrus, Lo, Wei-Lun
• Granted Patent: US 9,971,827 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24539 using cached or materialised query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/909 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location spatiotemporally dependent retrieval from the web G06F16/9537
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for integrating external data from an external system into a client system. A subscription filed is selected. The subscription filed may include a read method and a query method. The read method may define fields of a client cache operating on the client system. The query method may be executed to retrieve, from the external system, field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields. Upon executing the query method, the read method may also be executed to retrieve, from the external system, additional field values corresponding to a remaining subset of the fields that were not retrieved by executing the query method. The client cache is populated with the field values and the additional field values according to the fields.

Claims

12. A computer system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor storing a program module (i) that executes in the processor from the memory and (ii) which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer system to

retrieve, from an external system, field values corresponding to at least a subset of fields of a client cache operating in a client system,

retrieve, from the external system, additional field values corresponding to a remaining subset of the fields that were not retrieved from the external system, and

populate the client cache with the field values and the additional field values according to the fields.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

selecting a subscription file defining fields of a client cache operating in a client system, the fields defining types of field values associated with the client cache;

retrieving, from an external system, field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields; and

populating the client cache with the field values according to the fields.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, from the external system, additional field values corresponding to a remaining subset of the fields that were not previously retrieved; and

populating the client cache with the additional field values according to the fields.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising retrieving second additional field values from related entities, wherein populating the client cache with the field values and the additional field values according to the fields comprises populating the client cache with the field values, the additional field values, and the second additional field values according to the fields.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the subscription file further comprises an explicit identity, and wherein the method further comprises utilizing the explicit identity to retrieve third additional field values by specific identifier, wherein populating the client cache with the field values and the additional field values according to the fields comprises populating the client cache with the field values, the additional field values, and the third additional field values, according to the fields.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving, from the external system, second field values corresponding to at least a second subset of the fields;

retrieving, from the external system, second additional field values corresponding to a remaining subset of the fields that were not previously retrieved; and

populating the client cache with the second field values and the second additional field values according to the fields.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising merging overlapping results in the retrieved field values and additional field values.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a corresponding representation of at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values has been updated on the external system; and

in response to receiving the indication, refreshing at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values in the client cache.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving an indication that a corresponding representation of at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values has been deleted on the external system; and

in response to receiving the indication, deleting the at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values from the client cache.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving, from the external system, the defined field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields according to a parameter associated with the subscription file.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a refresh rate with the field values; and

refreshing the field values according to the refresh rate.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the client cache comprises a relational database embedded within the client system.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the program module is further configured to:

retrieve second additional field values from related entities; and

populate the client cache with the second additional field values according to the fields and the second additional field values.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program module is further configured to retrieve, from the external system, defined field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to integrate external data from the external system into the client system by refreshing the field values according to a refresh rate.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to:

receive an indication that a corresponding representation of at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values has been updated on the external system; and

in response to receiving the indication, refresh at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values in the client cache.

17. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to:

receive an indication that a corresponding representation of at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values has been deleted on the external system; and

in response to receiving the indication, delete the at least one of the retrieved field values or additional field values from the client cache.

13-1. The computer system of claim 12, wherein the subscription file further comprises an explicit identity, wherein the program module further causes the computer system to integrate external data from the external system into the client system by utilizing the explicit identity to retrieve third additional field values by specific identifier, and wherein populating the client cache with the field values, the additional field values, and the second additional field values according to the fields comprises populating the client cache with the field values, the additional field values, the second additional field values, and the third additional field values, according to the fields.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

select a subscription file defining fields of a client cache operating in a client system;

retrieve, from the external system, field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields of a client cache operating in a client system;

retrieve, from the external system, additional field values corresponding to a remaining subset of the fields not previously retrieved;

retrieve second additional field values from related entities;

utilize an explicit identity to retrieve third additional field values by specific identifier; and

populate the client cache with the field values, the additional field values, the second additional field values, and the third additional field values according to the fields.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause the computer to retrieve, from the external system, defined field values corresponding to at least a subset of the fields.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable storage medium has further computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause the computer to associate a refresh rate with the field values and cause the computer to refresh the field values according to the refresh rate.