System and method for accessing data stores as objects

• US 5,857,197 A
• Filed: 03/20/1997
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thought, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Thought, Inc.
• Inventors: Mullins, Ward
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US08/822,254
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103, 707/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A system and a method for accessing a data store as objects from an object application. The accessed data store could be either an object data store or a non-object (e.g. relational) data store. The system includes an object schema including meta data corresponding to a data store schema and an adapter abstraction layer. The adapter abstraction layer comprises a first adapter, and a second adapter. One embodiment of the system includes an object schema manager to create and maintain the object schema at run time. It comprises a dynamic, scalable, centrally managed, and secure method for accessing data stored in both object and non-object (e.g. relational) data stores, effecting a consistent interface to the data store regardless of its underlying structure, or a method of transport and level of security.

Claims

1. A system for accessing at least one data store having a data store content and a data store schema as at least one object from at least one object application comprising:

at least one object schema including meta data corresponding to the data store schema;

an adapter abstraction layer having a first interface responsive to the object application including an application bridge receiving an object comprising object attributes and an object name from the object application, said first interface extracting the object attributes and the object name from the object to effect packing of the object attributes and the object name as data, said first interface unpacking the data to effect instantiating the object attributes and the object name into a new object, and a second interface in communication with said first interface and in communication with at least one data store, said second interface having a meta data map comprising at least one object name and providing the data store content from at least one data store corresponding to the object attributes and the meta data.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the first interface comprises a first adapter and the second interface comprises a second adapter.

4. A system according to either of claim 2 or 3 further comprising an access code used to access the data store wherein said access code is separate from the object application.

5. A system according to either of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said object schema comprises a possible arbitrary joining of the data store content across at least one data store.

6. A system according to either of claim 1, 2 or 3 further comprising an object schema manager in communication with at least one object schema and at least one data store schema, said object schema manager including constructs, facades, objects, and methods, to effect meta data based on at least one object schema and at least one data store schema.

3. A system for accessing at least one data store having a data store content and a data store schema as at least one object from at least one object application comprising:

at least one object schema including meta data corresponding to the data store schema;

a first adapter responsive to the object application including an application bridge receiving an object comprising object attributes and an object name from the object application, said first adapter extracting the object attributes and the object name from the object to effect packing of the object attributes and the object name as data, said first adapter unpacking the data to effect instantiating the object attributes and the object name into a new object; and

a second adapter in communication with said first adapter and in communication with at least one data store, said second adapter having a meta data map comprising at least one object name and providing the data store content from at least one data store corresponding to the object attributes and the meta data.

7. A method for accessing at least one data store having a data store content and a data store schema as at least one object from at least one object application comprising the steps of:

creating at least one object schema including meta data corresponding to the data store schema;

communicating a request including an object comprising object attributes and an object name from the object application to an adapter abstraction layer having a first interface and a second interface;

extracting the object attributes and the object name from the object;

packing the object attributes and the object name as data;

communicating the data and the request from the first interface to the second interface;

searching a meta data map comprising at least one object name using the object name to determine whether the object name exists in the meta data map;

if the meta data map contains the object name, using the object attributes and the meta data to generate at least one command for accessing the data store according to the request;

executing at least one such command;

obtaining data store content and/or an execution status based on executing at least one such command;

processing the data store content using meta data;

packing data store content, if found, as data;

communicating the data and the execution status from the second interface to the first interface;

unpacking the data;

instantiating the object attributes and the object name into at least one new object and/or status according to the request and the data; and

communicating the request and at least one such new object and/or status from the adapter abstraction layer to the application program.

8. A method for accessing at least one data store having a data store content and a data store schema as at least one object from at least one object application comprising the steps of:

creating at least one object schema including meta data corresponding to the data store schema;

communicating a request including an object comprising object attributes and an object name from the object application to a first adapter;

extracting the object attributes and the object name from the object;

packing the object attributes and the object name as data;

communicating the data and the request from the first adapter to a second adapter;

searching a meta data map comprising at least one object name using the object name to determine whether the object name exists in the meta data map;

if the meta data map contains the object name, using the object attributes and the meta data to generate at least one command for accessing the data store according to the request;

executing at least one such command;

obtaining data store content and an execution status based on executing at least one such command;

processing the data store content using meta data;

packing data store content, if found, as data;

communicating the data and the execution status from the second adapter to the first adapter;

unpacking the data;

instantiating the object attributes and the object name into at least one new object and/or status according to the request and the data; and

communicating the request and at least one such new object from the first adapter to the application program.