Activity based long-lived transaction system

• US 5,862,327 A
• Filed: 06/10/1996
• Issued: 01/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Transaga Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tactica Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Suresh, Kwang, Eng Kee
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/661,198
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.57, 395/200.32, 395/200.31, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/671, 395/676, 707/10, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1474 in transactions G06F16/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques

Abstract

An activity based system for long-lived transactions between disconnected servers and clients. The invention utilizes activities for processing information between occasionally connected servers and clients by executing code or both. The activity is a distributed object which executes the system script, extracts data from a database, and assigns tasks to be prepared by the client. The activity includes program code which provides failure recovery, restart from a termination and ACID interaction with a database.

Claims

1. A client-server connectivity software system for transactional processing between enterprise databases and remote access users comprising:

A. server software comprising;

i. at least one activity trigger for initiating a transaction;

ii. a trigger manager for evaluating an activity trigger;

iii. an activity scheduler for scheduling and managing a transaction activated by said trigger manager;

iv. a predefined set of activities selected by said activity scheduler and in remote communication with a client administrator;

v. a first script engine for translating preselected activities;

vi. a system register for managing a users view of activities for controlling access to at least one enterprise database; and

vii. a security manager for allowing communication between said system register and client administrator;

B. client software for at least one remote access connection comprising;

i. a client manager for communication with said system register, security manager and predefined activities;

ii. a communication manager for receiving and transmitting transactions from and to a mailbox to said system register;

iii. a client system register in communication with said client manager;

iv. a client security manager in communication with said client manager and said client system register;

v. a database manager for accessing client or third party databases in selective communication with said system register; and

vi. a second script engine for creating client transactions data for transmission to said system register.

2. A software system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said client software includes a forms engine for data input to said second script engine.

3. A software system as set forth in claims 1 or 2 wherein said server software includes a database manager for controlling transactional data between said system register and an enterprise database.

4. A software system as set forth in claim 1 or 2 wherein said client software includes an agent frame web for communicating a business application to said communication manager.

5. A software system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said activities include means for extracting a subset of data from said enterprise database.

6. A software system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said activities include means for restarting after a scheduled or unscheduled termination of a transaction.

7. A software system as set forth in claim 1 including means for detecting a conflict in data transmitted from a client to an enterprise database.

8. A software system as set forth in claim 1 or 7 knowing no means for resolving any conflicts detected in the transmission of data.

9. A software platform for developing long-lived transactions between occasionally connected client and server computers comprising:

A. a system resident upon said client and said server for managing communication between said client and server;

said system including a script for writing object programs executable on said client and server;

B. at least one activity object having an object code executable in part on said client and said server;

said activity having at least one of a prologue, extraction, task assignment, task, data update and epilogue.

C. means for scripting an activity and for defining data subsetting of a database for extraction and updating by said activity.

10. A platform as set forth in claim 9 wherein said activity includes means for recovering from a failure.

11. A platform as set forth in claim 10 wherein said activity includes means for restarting an activity which is terminated and for undoing a transaction including rolling back more than one activity.

12. A platform as set forth in claim 9 wherein said script includes a plurality of objects.

13. A platform as set forth in claim 9 wherein said system includes means for data subsetting of specific domains for data manipulation.

14. A platform as set forth in claim 13 wherein said data subsetting includes scheme subsetting and record subsetting.