Apparatus and system for an adaptive data management architecture

• US 6,157,928 A
• Filed: 10/27/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: M/A/R/C Incorporated
• Original Assignee: M/A/R/C Incorporated
• Inventors: Thompson, Richard A., Major, Debbie A., Sprenger, Jeff H., Gramley, George W., Hatcherson, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/428,781
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 707/10, 707/103, 707/104, 705/7, 379/88.25, 379/92.04
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, computer program and system for managing data. The computer program has at least one code segment to control system data stored in a first database and client data stored in a second database and several code segments that define a first set of objects linked to the first database, a second set of objects linked to the second database, and one or more minions. In addition, there are code segments to allow interaction with one or more agent processes. There is also a code segment to provide an interface between an external application and the code segment to manage the job queue.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing data comprising:

a first database for storing system data;

a second database for storing client data;

at least one database server to control the first database and the second database;

an external application;

a first set of objects linked to the first database through the database server;

a second set of objects linked to the second database through the database server;

an interactive manager linked to the first set of objects and the external application;

a set of minions linked to the second set of objects; and

an agent manager linked to the interactive manager, the first set of objects and the set of minions.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the client data is marketing data.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive manager is a first agent process and the agent manager is a second agent process.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein each agent process further comprises:

an agent;

a connection linked to the agent that allows external access to the agent;

one or more minions linked to the agent; and

an agent profile linked to the agent for specifying the one or more minions for the agent to manage.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the agent is a generic, independently executable computer program.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the agent serves as a distribution and control mechanism for the one or more minions.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the external application is a web-based application.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive manager comprises a server lookup agent and an interactive server agent.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the server lookup agent stores and maintains connection information for the interactive server agent.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the interactive server agent provides an interface between the external application and the agent manager and the first set of objects.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the interactive manager is only allowed to interface with a predefined set of processing agents.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a security guard linked to the first set of objects, the agent manager and the external application.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the security guard is a fourth agent process.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein each minion further comprises:

a control data block;

a control thread linked to the agent for receiving a control message from the agent, posting the control message in the control data block, observing a progress report posted in the control data block and sending the progress report to the agent; and

a work thread linked to an object for performing some work with a resource, creating the progress report, posting the progress report in the control data block, observing the control message posted in the control data block and executing the control message.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein each minion is a named class instance.

16. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for managing data, the computer program comprising:

at least one code segment to control system data stored in a first database and client data stored in a second database;

a code segment defining a first set of objects linked to the first database;

a code segment defining a second set of objects linked to the second database;

a code segment defining one or more minions;

a code segment to manage one or more agent processes; and

a code segment to allow interaction between an external application and the code segment to manage the one or more agent processes and the code segment defining a first set of objects.

17. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a code segment for receiving client data to be stored in the second database; and

a code segment for parsing the client data into one or more data records, each data record having one or more data elements.

18. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 16, wherein the client data comprises marketing data.

19. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 16, wherein the external application is a web-based application.

20. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 16, wherein the interaction code segment comprises:

a code segment for storing and maintaining connection information for the agent processes; and

a code segment for providing an interface between the external application and the agent processes and the first set of objects.

21. The computer program for managing data as recited in claim 16, further comprising a code segment to prevent unauthorized access to the first database, the second database, the first set of objects, the second set of objects, the one or more minions, the job queue, or the one or more agent processes.

22. A database system comprising:

two or more computers communicably linked to each other through a network;

a data storage tier resident on at least one of the computers, the data storage tier having a first database for storing system data, a second database for storing client data and at least one database server to control the first database and the second database;

a user interface tier resident on at least one of the computers, the user interface tier having an external application; and

an object tier resident on at least one of the computers, the object tier comprising a first set of objects linked to the first database through the database server, a second set of objects linked to the second database through the database server, an interactive manager resident on one of the computers in which the object tier is resident, the interactive manager linked to the first set of objects and the external application, a set of minions linked to the second set of objects, an agent manger resident on each computer in which the object tier is resident, the agent manager linked to the interactive manager, the first set of objects and the set of minions.

23. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the client data is marketing data.

24. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the interactive manager is a first agent process and the agent manager is a second agent process.

25. The database system as recited in claim 24, wherein each agent process further comprises:

an agent;

a connection linked to the agent that allows external access to the agent;

one or more minions linked to the agent; and

an agent profile linked to the agent for specifying the one or more minions for the agent to manage.

26. The database system as recited in claim 25, wherein the agent is a generic, independently executable computer program.

27. The database system as recited in claim 25, wherein each minion further comprises:

a control data block;

a control thread linked to the agent for receiving a control message from the agent, posting the control message in the control data block, observing a progress report posted in the control data block and sending the progress report to the agent; and

a work thread linked to an object for performing some work with a resource, creating the progress report, posting the progress report in the control data block, observing the control message posted in the control data block and executing the control message.

28. The database system as recited in claim 25, wherein each minion is a named class instance.

29. The database system as recited in claim 26, wherein the agent serves as a distribution and control mechanism for the one or more minions.

30. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the object tier further comprises a notification manager linked to the first set of objects and the interactive manager.

31. The database system as recited in claim 30, wherein the notification manager is a third agent process.

32. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the object tier further comprises a security guard linked to the first set of objects, the agent manager and the external application.

33. The database system as recited in claim 32, wherein the security guard is a fourth agent process.

34. The database system as recited in claim 33, wherein the security guard prevents unauthorized access to the object tier and the data storage tier.

35. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the network is an Internet.

36. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the network is a local area network.

37. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the external application is a web-based application.

38. The database system as recited in claim 22, wherein the interactive manager comprises a server lookup agent and an interactive server agent.

39. The database system as recited in claim 38, wherein the server lookup agent stores and maintains connection information for the interactive server agent.

40. The database system as recited in claim 38, wherein the interactive server agent provides an interface between the external application and the agent manager and the first set of objects.