Computer-based uniform data interface (UDI) method and system using an application programming interface (API)

• US 5,815,703 A
• Filed: 06/28/1996
• Issued: 09/29/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Copeland, Bruce W., Shuval, Jonathan I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOMERE, JEAN RAYMOND
• Application Number:
  US08/672,451
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 395/613, 395/604, 395/332, 395/340, 395/348, 395/352, 395/961
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A computer-based uniform data interface (UDI) system for accessing in a uniform manner data from a data source with an arbitrary organization. The UDI system provides a UDI application programming interface (API) with functions for creating and accessing data organized into containers that contain one or more folders. Each folder optionally contains sub-folders and scalars. The UDI system also provides a UDI registry for registering types of containers and folders supported by a data source, for enumerating the types of containers and folders supported by the data source, and for instantiating container and folder objects corresponding to the data of the data source. A UDI mapper is provided for registering with the UDI registry types of containers and folders that represents the data of the data source, for instantiating in memory container and folder objects of the registered types, and for populating an instantiated container object with folders representing the data from the data source that is within the container. An application program invokes the UDI API functions to access data of data sources with arbitrary organizations.

Claims

1. A computer-based uniform data interface (UDI) system for accessing in a uniform manner data from a data source with an arbitrary organization, comprising:

a uniform data interface (UDI) API having a plurality of UDI API functions for creating and accessing data organized into containers, each container having one or more folders, each folder optionally containing sub-folders and scalars;

a UDI registry for registering types of containers and folders supported by a data source, for enumerating the types of containers and folders supported by the data source, and for instantiating container and folder objects corresponding to the data of the data source; and

a UDI mapper for registering with the UDI registry types of containers and folders that represents the data of the data source, for instantiating in memory container and folder objects of the registered types, and for populating an instantiated container object with folders representing the data from the data source that is within the container

whereby when an application program invokes the UDI API functions to access data of data sources with arbitrary organizations.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI API further provides functions for defining filters that specify which folders and sub-folders are selected when populating a container.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the UDI mapper registers a user readable information for each filter.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI API further provides functions for persistently storing the filters with the data source.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains its container type.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains a list of types of filters that can be applied to the container.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains a list of filters that have been applied to the container.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the list of filters is divided into those filters that are applicable to the container and those filters that are applicable to a folder.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains a list of folder types that the container can contain.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains a list of folders contained within the container.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein an instantiated container object contains a count of folders container within the container.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI mapper registers a user readable name for each type of container and folder, so that a computer program can display the names to a user.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI API provides functions for determining the type of containers and folders registered with the UDI registry.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI registry contains a user readable name of each container type, a list of the types of folders that can be in that container type, a list of the types of filters that can be applied to that container type, and a list of the types of filters that are applicable to that container type.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI registry contains a user readable name of each folder type, a list of the types of sub-folders that can be in that folder type, a list of the types of filters that are applicable to that folder type.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the UDI API provides functions to connecting to and disconnecting from arbitrary data source in a way that is transparent to a computer program.

17. A method in a computer system for modeling data in a data source with an arbitrary organization, the method comprising:

for each type of data,

defining a container of that type for containing instances of data of that type; and

defining a folder of that type for containing scalars and optionally containing sub-folders representing the data of that type;

providing a uniform data interface (UDI) API for accessing data organized into containers, folders, and scalars; and

providing a UDI mapper for mapping data in the data source with the arbitrary organization into containers, folders, and scalars so that a computer program can use the UDI API to access data in the data source with the arbitrary organization.

18. The method of claim 17 further

for each type of data, defining a plurality of types of filters that can be applied to each type of container, each filter specifying a selection criterion for instances of folders within the container, so that a computer program can use the UDI API to specify which folders are to be retrieved from the data source for a container.

19. The method of claim 17 including providing a UDI registry for storing an indication of each data type that an application can access.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein each container has a container type, each folder has a folder type, and each scalar has a scalar type and providing through the UDI API access to an indication of the container types, the folder types, and the scalar types for access by an application.

21. A computer-based system for providing an application with an interface for uniformly accessing a plurality of data sources with different organizations, the system comprising, for each of the plurality of data sources:

means for establishing a connection between the data source and the application;

means for providing to the application an enumeration of types of containers within the connected data source, of types of folders within each type of container, of types of sub-folders within each type of folder, and of types of scalars within each folder;

means for providing to the application an identifier of each container, folder, and scalar represented in the data source; and

means for providing to the application a scalar value for each identified scalar within each identified folder within each identified container, the scalar values representing the data of the data source

wherein the application can establish a connection to each of the plurality of data sources, can enumerate the various types of containers, folders, and scalars of each connected data source, can retrieve the identifiers of the containers, folders, and scalars of the connected data source, and can retrieve the scalar values of each identified scalar in a manner that is independent of the organization of the data source.

22. The system of claim 21 further including means for providing to the application an enumeration of type of filters that can be applied to a container of an identified type.

23. The system of claim 21 further including means for defining filters that specify which folders are to be retrieved from an identified container.

24. The system of claim 21 further including means for persistently storing the filters with the data source.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the means for providing to the application an enumeration includes a registry that is independent of the organization of the data source for registering the types of containers, folders, and scalars within the data source.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the registry contains a user readable name of each type of folder, a list of the types of sub-folders that can be in that folder type, a list of the types of filters that are applicable to that folder type.

27. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer system to model data in a data source with an arbitrary organization, by

defining a container for each type of data for containing instances of data of that type;

defining a folder for each type for containing scalars and optionally containing sub-folders representing the data of that type;

providing an application programming interface for accessing data organized into containers, folders, and scalars; and

providing a mapper for mapping data in the data source with the arbitrary organization into containers, folders, and scalars so that a computer program can use the application programming interface to access data in the data source with the arbitrary organization.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 including defining a plurality of types of filters for each type of data that can be applied to each type of container, each filter specifying a selection criterion for instances of folders within the container, so that an application can use the application programming interface to specify which folders are to be retrieved from the data source for a container.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 including providing a registry for storing an indication of each data type that an application can access.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein each container has a container type, each folder has a folder type, and each scalar has a scalar type and providing through the application programming interface access to an indication of the container types, the folder types, and the scalar types for access by an application.

31. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer system to provide an application with an interface for uniformly accessing a plurality of data sources with different organizations, by

establishing a connection between the data source and the application;

enumerating for the application the types of containers within the connected data source, the types of folders within each type of container, the types of sub-folders within each type of folder, and the types of scalars within each folder;

providing to the application an identifier of each container, folder, and scalar represented in the data source; and

providing to the application a scalar value for each identified scalar within each identified folder within each identified container, the scalar values representing the data of the data source

wherein the application can establish a connection to each of the plurality of data sources, can enumerate the various types of containers, folders, and scalars of each connected data source, can retrieve the identifiers of the containers, folders, and scalars of the connected data source, and can retrieve the scalar values of each identified scalar in a manner that is independent of the organization of the data source.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 further including enumerating for the application the types of filters that can be applied to a container of an identified type.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 further including defining filters that specify which folders are to be retrieved from an identified container.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 further including persistently storing the filters with the data source.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein registering the types of containers, folders, and scalars within the data source in a registry that is independent of the organization of the data source.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 wherein the registry contains a user readable name of each type of folder, a list of the types of sub-folders that can be in that folder type, a list of the types of filters that are activatable by that folder type.