Method and apparatus for providing direct transaction access to information residing on a host system

• US 6,243,737 B1
• Filed: 04/09/1999
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG USA Incorporated (Software AG)
• Original Assignee: TransLink Software, Inc. (Software AG)
• Inventors: Rosenberger, Joel L., Flanagan, James T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/289,786
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-204, 709/217-221, 709/226-229, 709/236-237, 709/238, 709/245-246, 709/100-101, 707/1, 707/9-10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/104, 707/200
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]

Abstract

A method, computer-readable medium, and system for providing direct transaction access to information residing on a host system. The system includes a transaction server that routes transactions between the host system and a client device. The transaction server maps client transactions to host transactions using direct transaction access that allows the transaction server to bypass the displays of the host system and to obtain information directly from the host source. Each client transaction is mapped to one or more host transactions. Each host transaction includes inputs and outputs. The host inputs are resolved to addressable references before run-time. The transaction server processes the client transactions concurrently. A graphical user interface is provided that allows a user to create client transactions without writing any programming code. The computer readable-media is loaded on the transaction server without requiring additional software on the host system.

Claims

1. A transaction server for providing a client device direct access to data residing on a host system, the transaction server comprising:

a) a processing unit;

b) a primary memory coupled to the processing unit, the primary memory storing instructions that control the execution of the instructions in the processing unit comprising;

i) mapping a client transaction to one or more host transactions;

ii) submitting the host transactions mapped to the client transaction to the host system for processing;

iii) receiving data from the host system based on the submitted host transactions, the received data being stored within the submitted host transactions that have completed processing;

iv) based on the received data, determining when the host system has completed processing for all the submitted host transactions; and

v) storing a portion of the received data into the client transaction to which the one or more host transaction are mapped.

2. The transaction server of claim 1, wherein the client transaction is one of a plurality of client transactions.

3. The transaction server of claim 2, wherein submitting the host transactions mapped to the client transaction occurs concurrently with submitting other host transactions to the host system for processing, the other host transactions being mapped to another client transaction out of the plurality of client transactions.

4. The transaction server of claim 1, wherein the client transaction comprises one or more client output fields, and wherein each host transaction comprises one or more host input fields.

5. The transaction server of claim 4, wherein mapping the client transaction to one or more host transactions comprises:

a) storing a first identifier in each of the one or more host input fields of each mapped host transaction, the first identifier associating a first data source for each of the one or more host input fields; and

b) storing a second identifier in each of the one or more client output fields, wherein the second identifier for at least one of the client output fields associates at least one mapped host transaction with the client transaction.

6. The transaction server of claim 5, wherein the first identifier for at least one of the host input fields associates the client transaction with the mapped host transaction.

7. The transaction server of claim 4, wherein mapping the client transaction to one or more host transactions comprises dragging and dropping a first graphical representation representing a portion of the client transaction to a second graphical representation representing a portion of one of the host transactions.

8. The transaction server of claim 1, further comprising forwarding the portion of the received data in the client transaction to the client device.

9. A method for providing a client device with direct transaction access to data residing on a host system, the method comprising:

a) mapping a client transaction to one or more host transactions;

b) submitting the host transactions mapped to the client transaction to the host system for processing;

c) receiving data from the host system based on the submitted host transactions, the received data being stored within the submitted host transactions that have completed processing;

d) based on the received data, determining when the host system has completed processing for all the submitted host transactions; and

e) storing a portion of the received data in the client transaction to which the one or more host transaction are mapped.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the client transaction is one of a plurality of client transactions.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein submitting the host transactions mapped to the client transaction occurs concurrently with submitting other host transactions to the host system for processing, the other host transactions being mapped to another client transaction out of the plurality of client transactions.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the client transaction comprises one or more client output fields, and wherein each host transaction comprises one or more host input fields.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein mapping the client transaction to one or more host transactions comprises:

a) storing a first identifier in each of the one or more host input fields of each mapped host transaction, the first identifier associating a first data source for each of the one or more host input fields; and

b) storing a second identifier in each of the one or more client output fields, wherein the second identifier for at least one of the client output fields associates at least one mapped host transaction with the client transaction.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first identifier for at least one of the host input fields associates the client transaction with the mapped host transaction.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising

a) resolving each first identifier into a first addressable reference that points to the first data source at which a content of the first data source is retrieved for storing into the associated host input field before submitting the host transaction;

and

b) resolving each second identifier into a second addressable reference that points to a second data source where the portion of the retrieved data is stored.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first data source includes a static variable.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the first data source includes one of the host output fields of another host transaction.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the client transaction further comprises one or more client input fields and wherein the first data source includes one of the client input fields.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the second data source includes one of the host output fields of the mapped host transaction.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the second data source includes one of the host output fields of another host transaction.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein mapping the client transaction to one or more host transactions comprises dragging and dropping a first graphical representation representing a portion of the client transaction to a second graphical representation representing a portion of one of the host transactions.

22. The method of claim 9, further comprising forwarding the portion of the received data in the client transaction to the client device.

23. A computer-readable medium having computer executable components for providing a client device with direct transaction access to data residing on a host system, the computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising:

a) a configuration module for mapping a client transaction to one or more host transactions; and

b) a run-time transaction module for submitting the host transactions mapped to the client transaction to the host system to retrieve the data requested by the client transaction, and storing a portion of the retrieved data into the client transaction to which the host transactions are mapped.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the client transaction is one of a plurality of client transactions and wherein the run-time transaction module submits the host transactions mapped to the client transaction concurrently with submitting other host transactions to the host system for processing, the other host transactions being mapped to another client transaction out of the plurality of client transactions.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the client transaction comprises one or more client output fields, and wherein each host transaction comprises one or more host input fields.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the configuration module maps the client transaction to one or more host transactions by:

a) storing a first identifier in each of the one or more host input fields of each mapped host transaction, the first identifier associating a first data source for each of the one or more host input fields; and

b) storing a second identifier in each of the one or more client output fields, wherein the second identifier for at least one of the client output fields associates at least one mapped host transaction with the client transaction.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the run-time transaction module submits the host transaction mapped to the client transaction by:

a) resolving each first identifier into a first addressable reference that points to the first data source at which a content of the first data source is retrieved for storing into the host input field before submitting the host transaction; and

b) resolving each second identifier into a second addressable reference that points to a second data source where the portion of the retrieved data is stored.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the first data source includes a static variable.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein each host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the first data source of the host transaction includes one of the host output fields of another host transaction.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the client transaction further comprises one or more client input fields and wherein the first data source includes one of the client input fields.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein each host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the second data source includes one of the host output fields of the mapped host transaction.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein each host transaction further comprises one or more host output fields and wherein the second data source includes one of the host output fields of another host transaction.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, further comprising a graphical user interface module for allowing a user to drag and drop a first graphical representation representing a portion of the client transaction to a second graphical representation representing a portion of one of the host transactions thereby mapping the client transaction to the one or more host transactions.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the configuration module further stores the at least one mapped host transaction and the client transaction to a configuration database.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising a client connection module for forwarding the portion of the received data in the client transaction to the client device.