Distributed database system and method

• US 5,913,029 A
• Filed: 02/07/1997
• Issued: 06/15/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Porter Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Porter Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Shostak, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/797,811
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.34, 395/200.35, 707/8, 707/201, 345/356, 345/357
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A distributed data processing system is provided, comprising a server computer and a plurality of client computers connected to said server computer, the interaction of each client computer with the server computer being a separate client session. The server computer may comprise a system for generating a template comprising a graphical representation of a plurality of data structures, the template being selected from one of a shared template and a session template, the session template comprising a graphical representation of data structures containing a data item having a value that is unique for each client session and the shared template comprising graphical representations of hierarchical data structures containing said session data for all of the client sessions, a system for tracking the session data item values for each client session and the shared data item values, and a system for transferring the session template to a particular client computer upon starting of a client session between said client computer and said server computer. Each client computer may comprise a system for displaying said session template, a system for receiving changes to the value of said data on said displayed session template based on user input, and a system for immediately updating the shared data item values in the shared template based on said user changes to the session data item.

Claims

1. A distributed data processing system including a server computer and a plurality of client computers connected to the server computer, the interaction of each client computer with the server computer being a separate client session, the system comprising:

means, associated with the server computer, for storing a plurality of data items including a session data item having a value that is unique for each client session and a shared data item having a value common to each of the client sessions;

means, associated with the server computer, for storing a macro for performing operations on one of the shared data items and the session data items;

means, associated with the server computer, for generating a template comprising a graphical representation of a plurality of data structures and a macro, the template being selected from one of a session template and a shared template, the session template comprising a graphical representation of data structures containing session data items and macros associated with those session data items, and the shared template comprising graphical representations of hierarchical data structures containing shared data items and macros associated with those shared data items;

means, associated with the server computer, for tracking the session data item values for each client session and the shared data item values;

means, associated with the server computer, for transferring the session template to a particular client computer upon starting of a client session between said client computer and the server computer;

means, associated with said client computer, for displaying the session template;

means, associated with said client computer, for receiving changes to the value of the session data item contained on said displayed session template; and

means for updating the shared data item values in the shared template based on the user changes to the session data item.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said session template further comprises a graphical representation of a data structure containing a data item having a value that is determined by said shared data, and the system further comprises means, associated with the server computer, for generating a value of said determined data item based on said shared data items on said shared template, and means, associated with the session template, for periodically updating the value of said determined data item when said shared data item located on said server changes.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said templates comprises a graphical page having a plurality of graphical representations of said data structures to provide a graphical user interface to the session data items, each client session having a separate session page.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said tracking means comprises a table having a data array for each client session and an indicator array, the data arrays and indicator array having an element to indicate the memory location for each session and data item.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said template further comprises means, associated with said session page, for processing said data contained in the session page.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said processing means comprises means for transferring data from a session page to a shared page.

7. A method for distributed data processing with a system having a server computer and a plurality of client computers connected to said server computer, the interaction of each client computer with the server computer being a separate client session, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of data items on the server including a session data item having a value that is unique for each client session and a shared data item having a value that is common to each of the client sessions;

storing a macro on the server for performing operations on the shared data items and the session data items;

generating a template on the server comprising a graphical representation of a plurality of data structures, the template being selected from one of a session template and a shared template, the session template comprising a graphical representation of data structures containing a data item having a value that is unique for each client session, and the shared template comprising graphical representations of hierarchical data structures containing a data item having a value that is the same for each of the client sessions;

tracking the session data item values for each client session and the shared data item values on the server;

transferring the session template to a particular client computer upon starting of a client session between said client computer and the server computer;

displaying said session template on the client computer;

receiving changes to the value of said session data item contained on said displayed session template; and

updating the shared data item values in the shared template based on said user changes to the session data item.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said session template further comprises a graphical representation of a data structure containing a data item having a value that is determined by said shared data, and the method further comprises generating, at the server, a value of said determined data item based on said shared data items on said shared template, and periodically updating the value of said determined data item when said shared data item located on said server changes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said template comprises a graphical page having a plurality of graphical representations of said data structures to provide a graphical user interface to the session data items, each client session having a separate session page.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said tracking comprises using a data table having a data array for each client session and an indicator array, the data arrays and indicator array having an element to indicate the memory location for each session and data item.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said template further comprises processing said data contained in the session page.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said processing comprises transferring data from a session page to a shared page.

13. A server computer for use in a distributed data processing system having a plurality of client computers connected to the server computer, the interaction of each client computer with the server computer being a separate client session, the server comprising:

means for storing a plurality of data items including a session data item having a value that is unique for each client session and a shared data item having a value that is the same for each of the client sessions;

means for storing a plurality of macros for performing operations on the shared data items and the session data items;

means for generating a template comprising a graphical representation of a plurality of data structures, the template being selected from one of a session template and a shared template, the session template comprising a graphical representation of data structures containing said session data items and associated macros, and the shared template comprising graphical representations of hierarchical data structures containing shared data items and associated macros;

means for tracking the session data item values for each client session and the shared data item values;

means for communicating the session template to a particular client computer upon starting of a client session between said client computer and said server computer so that the client computer displays said session page; and

means, in response to changes in the data at the client computer, for updating the shared data item values in the shared template based on said user changes to the session data item.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein said tracking means comprises a data table having a data array for each client session and an indicator array, the data arrays and indicator array having an element to indicate the memory location for each session and data item.

15. A client computer for use with a distributed data processing system having a plurality of client computers connected to a server computer, the interaction of each client computer with the server computer being a separate client session, each client computer comprising:

means for receiving a template from the server computer, the template comprising a graphical representation of a plurality of data structures, the template being selected from one of a session template and a shared template, the session template comprising a graphical representation of data structures containing a data item having a value that is unique for each client session and associated macros, and the shared template comprising graphical representations of hierarchical data structures containing data having a value common to each client session and associated macros;

means for displaying said session template downloaded from the server computer;

means for receiving changes to a value of the data on said displayed session template based on user input; and

means for communicating changes to the server computer in order to update the shared data item values in the shared template based on said user changes to the session data item.