System for integrating data among heterogeneous systems

• US 6,308,178 B1
• Filed: 10/21/1999
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ISIX IP LLC
• Original Assignee: Darc Corp.
• Inventors: Connolly, Brian J., Chang, Chia-Pei, Schulz, Klaus, Hoffman, Robert John, Blackledge, Eric, Homan, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US09/442,089
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/6, 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 707/103, 707/100, 707/104.1, 709/320, 709/225, 712/3, 717/1, 717/5, 358/1.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system for integrating data among heterogeneous source applications and destination applications including a knowledge repository containing temporary data storage for storing data from the source applications during processing for population in the destination applications, a library of data elements each providing a discrete data manipulation friction, configuration data storage for storing user-provided information describing the integration environment, and a plurality of add-on modules or cartridges which each include a plurality of predefined instruction sets defining chains of data elements to perform interface functions corresponding to a particular destination application. The underlying interface communication and processing functions are performed by an active component (or engine) according to the configuration data and the module instruction sets. The active component is driven by the repository data to load source data into the temporary data storage, translate, synchronize, and validate that data, then interface the data to a destination application. A configuration interface permits the user to configure the system.

Claims

1. A system for integrating data among heterogeneous source applications and destination applications, comprising:

a repository of information relating to the source applications and the destination applications, the repository including a plurality of data elements each being capable of performing a discrete operation on a piece of data, and a first module including a plurality of instruction sets, each instruction of each instruction set activating a data element; and

an active component connected to the repository having an input for loading data from the source applications, and an output for populating the destination applications with processed data, the active component processing the data from the source applications by activating data elements according to the plurality of instruction sets in the module.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instruction sets are predefined to facilitate interface with a particular destination application.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second module including a plurality of instruction sets, each instruction of each instruction set activating a data element, the first module plurality of instruction sets being defined for interface with a first group of destination applications, the second module plurality of instruction sets being defined for interface with a second group of destination applications.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein at least one data element of the plurality of data elements is activated by both the first module plurality of instruction sets and the second module plurality of instruction sets.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the repository further includes configuration data storage for storing configuration data describing data in the source applications, the configuration data storage including a first portion used by the first module and a second portion used by the second module.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the temporary data and the data elements are stored in a relational database.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the repository is capable of receiving a plurality of modules.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the destination applications are included within an ERP product.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the active component is capable of loading entire files from a source application.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the repository further includes a library for storing the plurality of data elements.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the repository further includes temporary data storage for storing data temporarily as the data is being processed for introduction into a destination application.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first module includes a plurality of predefined tables which are selectably installed in the temporary data storage to receive temporary data, each of the predefined tables being configured for compatibility with a destination application.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein each predefined table includes a plurality of selectable destination tables residing within the destination applications which are compatible with the predefined table.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the repository further includes configuration data storage for storing configuration data describing data in the source applications and data in the temporary data storage, the active component loading data from the source applications into the temporary data storage according to the configuration data.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a configuration interface for generating the configuration data, the configuration interface providing a series of screens to assist the user in describing the source applications.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the active component input is a loader which reads data in a source application and populates the temporary data storage with the source application data according to the configuration data.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the active component further includes a validator which communicates with the module to verify that the data residing in the temporary data storage is consistent with the configuration data associated with the module and properly formatted for populating the destination application.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the active component may be activated by the destination application to integrate data periodically according to a predetermined schedule.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of data elements includes related inputs, related outputs, mapping rules, and validation rules.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein each of the data element outputs may populate a destination application, provide an input to another data element, or indicate the context of another data element'"'"'s operation.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein the active component further includes a translator which communicates with the module to translate data from the source application into data acceptable to the destination application according to the plurality of instruction sets in the module.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the active component further includes a synchronizer which compares the data loaded from the source application into the temporary storage to data residing in the destination application and returns to the temporary data storage only data which differs from the data residing in the destination application.

23. A system for integrating data among heterogeneous source applications and destination applications, comprising:

configuration data storage for storing configuration data relating to the source applications;

temporary data storage for storing temporary data being integrated among the source and the destination applications;

a library of data elements, each data element performing a predefined function;

a first module including a plurality of instruction sets, each instruction set specifying a plurality of data elements to form a chain of data elements; and

an active component operably associated with the configuration data storage, the temporary data storage, the library, and the first module, the active component including a loader for loading data from the source applications to the temporary data storage according to the configuration data relating to the source applications, and an interfacer for populating the destination applications with data from the temporary data storage after the data is processed by the active component, the active component processing the data by communicating with the first module and activating data element chains according to instruction sets of the first module.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the plurality of instruction sets of the first module are configured to operate with a particular destination application.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising a second module including a plurality of instruction sets specifying chains of data elements, at least one of the data elements specified by the instruction sets of the first module also being specified by the instruction sets of the second module.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein the configuration data, the temporary data, and the data elements are stored in a relational database.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the first module includes a plurality of predefined tables which are selectably installed in the temporary data storage, each predefined table being capable of receiving data from a source application.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein each predefined table is configured for compatibility with a destination application.

29. The system of claim 23 wherein each of the data elements includes inputs, outputs, mapping rules, and validation rules.

30. The system of claim 23 further comprising a configuration interface including a series of screens for permitting the user to describe the source applications, the configuration interface generating configuration data relating to the source applications.

31. The system of claim 23 wherein the active component further includes a validator which communicates with the first module to verify the content and format of the temporary data against the configuration data.

32. The system of claim 23 wherein the active component further includes a translator which communicates with the first module to translate data from the source applications according to the data element chains.

33. The system of claim 23 wherein the active component further includes a synchronizer which carries out a net change function wherein the synchronizer compares data in the destination applications to the temporary data and updates the temporary data such that the temporary data reflects the differences between the temporary data and the data in the destination applications.

34. A data integration system for providing end-to-end integration between a plurality of source applications and a destination application, the system comprising:

repository means for containing information relating to the source applications and the destination application, the repository means including temporary storage means for storing temporary data from the source applications, configuration storage means for storing configuration data describing data in the source applications and in the temporary storage means, library means for storing a plurality of data element means for performing data interface functions, each of the data element means being capable of performing a single data interface function, and module means for providing instructions for executing predefined series of data element means; and

active component means for moving data from the source applications to the temporary storage means, processing the data according to the module means instructions, and populating the destination application with resulting data residing in the temporary storage means.