Data collection, processing, and reporting system

• US 5,778,350 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 07/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adams, Raymond J., Hollander, Drew A., Hawthorne, William D., Henn, Roger J., Bermender, Donna M., Dolan, Gerald R., Adas, Robert W., Brichta, Harriet E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US08/566,429
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 395/601, 364/419.19, 364/200, 364/900, 364/405, 364/408, 364/403, 364/401, 340/172.5, 235/176, 235/92, 707/1, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/12 Use of codes for handling textual entities

Abstract

A system and method (10) for collecting and processing input data (16) and generating output data (24). The system (10) uses a plurality of dictionary tables (22) to control the reading, processing, and outputting of data. The system (10) includes at least one input processing table (32) having format and content information of the input data (16), and at least one output processing table (34) having format and content information of said output data (24). A multi-tasking process (60) is used to spawn a plurality of subtasks (90), each subtask processing one type of data, said subtasks accessing said input processing table (32) for determining how said input data (16) are to be read, and further accessing said output processing table (34) for determining how to create and format said output data (24). Other data dictionary tables (22) are used to track system activity and statistics, define the system that generated the data, and avoid duplicate processing of data.

Claims

1. A system for collecting and processing input data and generating output data, comprising:

at least one input processing table having format and content information of said input data;

at least one output processing table having format and content information of said output data; and

a process spawning at least one subtask, said subtask accessing said input processing table for determining how said input data are to be read, and further accessing said output processing table for determining how to create and format said output data.

2. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a user interface providing interactive access to said input and output processing tables.

3. The system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said user interface further provides interactive access to said output data.

4. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input data are in the form of records and said output data are in the form of tables and reports.

5. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one view table containing rules for providing logical views of said output data having predetermined columns and rows.

6. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one grant table containing rules for authorizing access to said output data.

7. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input data are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining a software and release combination that generated said input data.

8. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input data are in the form of records and are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining sections and offsets into said input data records to each section.

9. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input data are in the form of records and are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining sections and section offsets into said input data records, and a table defining fields and field offsets into said sections.

10. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table containing information for naming said output data tables.

11. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table defining the information to be contained in each output data table.

12. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table defining the formulas to compute for values to be contained in each output data table.

13. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said output processing table further comprises a table defining the action to be taken when a particular data element is present in an input processing table or output processing table.

14. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said input data are in the form of records and said output data are in the form of tables, said output processing table further comprises a table specifying data input records used as input to output data tables.

15. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one system definition table containing information on a system from which said input data are collected.

16. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising at least one system definition table containing record type and record name of said input data.

17. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a base table containing information unique to each processed input data record, said input data being in the form of input data records, said base table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

18. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a checkpoint summary table containing a range of time stamps of processed input data, said input data being in the form of input data records and each said record includes a time stamp, said checkpoint summary table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

19. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a table containing a formula for creating a table.

20. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a table recording job activities and statistics.

21. The system, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a table logging all activities performed on each table.

22. The system, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said process is a multi-tasking process spawning a plurality of subtasks, each subtask processing one type of data.

23. A method for collecting and processing input data and generating output data in response thereto, comprising the steps of:

reading said input data according to at least one input processing table having format and content information of said input data;

generating said output data according to at least one output processing table having format and content information of said output data; and

said reading and generating steps being performed in a process spawning at least one subtask, said subtask accessing said input processing table for determining how said input data are to be read, and further accessing said output processing table for determining how to create and format said output data.

24. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of providing interactive access to said input and output processing tables.

25. The method, as set forth in claim 24, further comprising the step of providing interactive access to said output data.

26. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein said input data reading step includes the step of reading input data records and said output data generation step includes the step of generating output tables and reports.

27. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of providing logical views of said output data having predetermined columns and rows according to at least one view table containing viewing rules.

28. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of authorizing access to said output data according to at least one grant table containing rules therefor.

29. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein said input data are generated by a plurality of software and the step of reading input data includes the step of accessing a table defining a software and release combination that generated said input data.

30. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of reading input data includes the step of reading input data records according to a table defining sections and offsets into said input data records to each section.

31. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of reading input data includes the step of reading input data records according to a table defining sections and section offsets into said input data records, and a table defining fields and field offsets into said sections.

32. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of generating output data includes the step of generating output data tables according to a table containing information for naming said output data tables.

33. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of generating output data includes the step of generating output data tables according to a table defining the information to be contained in each output data table.

34. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of generating output data includes the step of generating output data tables according to a table defining the formulas to compute for values to be contained in each output data table.

35. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of generating output data includes the step of generating output data tables according to a table defining the action to be taken when a particular data element is present in an input processing table or output processing table.

36. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of generating output data includes the step of generating output data tables according to a table specifying which data input records are used as input to said output data tables.

37. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of accessing a system definition table containing information on a system from which said input data are collected.

38. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of accessing at least one system definition table containing record type and record name of said input data.

39. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of accessing a base table containing information unique to each processed input data record, said input data being in the form of input data records, said base table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

40. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of accessing a checkpoint summary table containing a range of time stamps of processed input data, said input data being in the form of input data records and each said record includes a time stamp, said checkpoint summary table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

41. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

creating a base table for a group of input data records;

adding an entry in said base table for each processed input data record;

accessing said base table prior to reading each input data record for processing; and

skipping an input data record if an entry representative thereof is found in said base table.

42. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of accessing a table containing a formula for creating a table.

43. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of recording job activities and statistics in a table.

44. The method, as set forth in claim 23, further comprising the step of logging all activities performed on each table in a table.

45. The method, as set forth in claim 23, wherein said reading and generating steps are performed in a multi-tasking process spawning a plurality of subtasks, each subtask processing one type of data.

46. A plurality of dictionary tables for controlling a data processing process receiving input data and generating output data, comprising:

at least one input processing table having format and content information of said input data; and

at least one output processing table having format and content information of said output data.

47. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising at least one view table containing rules for providing logical views of said output data having predetermined columns and rows.

48. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising at least one grant table containing rules for authorizing access to said output data.

49. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said input data are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining a software and release combination that generated said input data.

50. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said input data are in the form of records and are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining sections and offsets into said input data records to each section.

51. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said input data are in the form of records and are generated by a plurality of software and said at least one input processing table includes a table defining sections and section offsets into said input data records, and a table defining fields and field offsets into said sections.

52. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table containing information for naming said output data tables.

53. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table defining the information to be contained in each output data table.

54. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said output data are in the form of tables and said output processing table further comprises a table defining the formulas to compute for values to be contained in each output data table.

55. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said output processing table further comprises a table defining the action to be taken when a particular data element is present in an input processing table or output processing table.

56. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, wherein said input data are in the form of records and said output data are in the form of tables, said output processing table further comprises a table specifying data input records used as input to output data tables.

57. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising at least one system definition table containing information on a system from which said input data are collected.

58. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising at least one system definition table containing record type and record name of said input data.

59. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising a base table containing information unique to each processed input data record, said input data being in the form of input data records, said base table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

60. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising a checkpoint summary table containing a range of time stamps of processed input data, said input data being in the form of input data records and each said record includes a time stamp, said checkpoint summary table being used to avoid duplicate processing of input data records.

61. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising a table containing a formula for creating a table.

62. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising a table recording job activities and statistics.

63. The dictionary tables, as set forth in claim 46, further comprising a table logging all activities performed on each table.