External data store link for a profile service

• US 6,343,287 B1
• Filed: 05/19/1999
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kumar, Ravi, Weschler, Paul William Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US09/314,375
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/100, 707/200, 707/103.R, 707/103, 709/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• 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 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A profile service, instance is linked to a plurality of external data stores. Each external data store is associated with a predefined data store connector class that describes a connector object that establishes a link and provides methods to query the associated data store. An external data store profile is created in the profile service that names the connector class. An external data store reference object is created in the profile service instance that identifies the external data store profile and a number of parameters that specify particular data desired from the external data store. A profile within the profile service instance includes an attribute that names the data store reference object. When the attribute is evaluated, the data store reference object is instantiated, optionally using parameters specified at runtime, and passed as a parameter to an instance of the data store connector class identified by the external data store profile. The external data store connector instance applies the query methods to retrieve the desired data and return the desired data to the data store reference object. The profile service instance uses the returned data as the value of the attribute.

Claims

1. A mechanism for linking an external data store to a profile service instance, the mechanism comprising:

a profile service instance having a number of predefined built-in functions and a number of profile object instances;

an external data store interface within the profile service;

a data store connector object instance having methods therein for managing a connection to a specified data store; and

a data store query object having a name, the data store query object including parameter data therein for selecting data from the data store specified by the data store connector object.

2. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the data store query object is instantiated in response to evaluating the profile object instances that references the data store query object'"'"'s name.

3. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein each profile instance comprises a plurality of attributes where a value of at least one attribute refers to the data store query object.

4. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprising an external data store definition having a name that is referenced by the data store query object and an attribute indicating the data store connector object instance, wherein the data store connector definition is stored as one of the plurality of profile objects.

5. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the methods contained within the data store connector object include a method to create a runtime link between the profile service and the specified data store.

6. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the methods contained within the data store connector include a method to read data from the specified data store using the parameter data contained in the database query object.

7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein the methods contained within the data store connector include a method to write data to the specified data store using the parameter data contained in the database query object.

8. The mechanism of claim 1 further comprising a dedicated data store coupled to the profile service instance, the dedicated data store comprising structures for storing the profile object instances;

a cache structure within the dedicated data store; and

cache method definitions stored within the data store query object specifying a manner in which data returned from the specified external data store is cached in the cache structure.

9. The mechanism of claim 8 wherein the data store query object further comprises methods for accessing selected data from the cache rather than from the data store connector object.

10. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein the parameter data in the data store query object specifies a data store name matching the data store name of the external data store definition, a field list indicating fields from the external data store to be included, and a query string indicating portions of the external data store that will participate.

11. The mechanism of claim 10 wherein the parameter data includes parameterized values that serve as placeholders for parameters supplied by the profile service instance upon instantiation of the data store query object.

12. The mechanism of claim 11 further comprising:

a sample profile within the data store query object, wherein the sample profile includes attributes specifying sample values corresponding to the parameterized values; and

a validation method in the connector object that tests validity of the external data store profile using the sample values in the sample profile.

13. A mechanism for creating an external data link to a profile service instance, the mechanism comprising:

a profile service instance having a number of predefined built-in functions and a number of profile object instances;

a dedicated data store coupled to and exclusively accessed by the profile service instance;

a data store-specific external data store connector object definition accessible by the profile service instance and defining a plurality of methods for connecting to an external data store;

an external data store reference class accessible by the profile service instance and defining and external data reference object having a plurality of methods for manipulating attributes within instances of the data reference class;

a method within the profile service instance operable to create an external data store profile in the dedicated data store, where the external data store profile has a name and specifies the connector object definition, and a number of data store-specific properties;

a method within the profile service instance operable instantiate an external data reference object based upon the external data reference class, where the external data reference object specifies a data store name matching the data store name of the external data store profile, and a field list indicating fields from the external data store to be included;

a method within at least one profile instance operable to set a value of an attribute within that profile instance to the name of the external data store profile.

14. The mechanism of claim 13 wherein the external data reference object further comprises a query string indicating selection criteria.

15. The mechanism of claim 13 wherein evaluation of a profile attribute having a value equal to the name of an external data store causes the profile service to instantiate an external data store connector based upon the external data store profile, the external data store instance having a plurality of methods for accessing the external data store named by the external data store profile using the connector specified by the external data store profile.

16. The mechanism of claim 15 further comprising an attribute within the external data reference profile that specifies whether external data returned by the external data store object is cached in the dedicated data store.

17. The mechanism of claim 13 where the query string includes parameterized values that serve as placeholders for values supplied by an external data store instance.

18. The mechanism of claim 17 wherein the external data reference profile includes a sample profile, wherein the sample profile includes attributes specifying sample values corresponding to the parameterized values;

and

a validation method in the external data store instance that tests validity of the external data store profile using the sample values in the sample profile.

19. The mechanism of claim 18 wherein the validation method is called when a change is made to the external data reference profile.

20. A method for linking a to an external database comprising the steps of:

providing a data store connector class defining an interface and methods for connecting to and accessing data from a specified external data store;

defining an external data store profile having a name and comprising a plurality of attributes, wherein at least one attribute specifies the data store connector class and at least one attribute specifies a parameter used by instances of the data store connector class;

creating an external data reference object having a name, a plurality of parameter strings, and a reference to the external data store profile; and

creating a profile comprising a plurality of attributes where the value of at least one attribute is set to the name of the external data reference object.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of providing a connector class further comprises:

defining a data store connect module having an interface and methods for managing a connection to a specific external data store; and

defining a data store query module having an interface and including methods to access the external data store specified by the connect module.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein instances of the data store connector class have an interface that accepts instances of the external data reference object as a parameter.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of:

including a sample profile in the external data reference object;

instantiating the external data reference object with parameters from the sample profile;

validating the external data reference object by passing the external data reference object as instantiated with the sample profile parameters to an instance of the data store connector class.

24. A distributed profile service system for providing profile services to a number of user software applications, the profile service system comprising:

a plurality of geographically distributed profile service instances, each profile service instance being coupled to a dedicated data store;

an external data store interface within each profile service instance;

a plurality of external data store mechanisms;

an external data store connector object coupled to at least one profile service instance, the data store connector object having methods therein for managing a connection to a specified data store;

an external data store connect profile stored in the dedicated data store of the at least one profile service instance, the connect profile naming the external data store connector module;

a data store reference object having a name, the data store reference object including parameter data therein for selecting data from the data store specified by the data store connect profile; and

a profile within the at least one profile service instance that includes an attribute naming the data reference object.

25. A computer program product embodied in a tangible form comprising:

computer program devices readable by a data processor coupled to receive the propagating signal for managing a profile data service, the computer program product comprising;

first program code devices providing a data store connector class defining an interface and methods for connecting to and accessing data from a specified external data store;

;

second computer program code devices configured to cause a computer to define an external data store profile having a name and comprising a plurality of attributes, wherein at least one attribute specifies the data store connector class and at least one attribute specifies a parameter used by instances of the data store connector class;

third computer code devices configured to cause a computer to create an external data reference object having a name, a plurality of parameter strings, and a reference to the external data store profile; and

third computer code devices configured to cause a computer to create a profile comprising a plurality of attributes where the value of at least one attribute is set to the name of the external data reference object.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the tangible form comprises a magnetic disk.

27. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the tangible form comprises an optical disk.

28. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the tangible form comprises a propagating signal.

29. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the tangible form comprises a random access memory device.

30. A mechanism for linking a to an external database comprising the steps of:

means for providing a data store connector class defining an interface and methods for connecting to and accessing data from a specified external data store;

means for defining an external data store profile having a name and comprising a plurality of attributes, wherein at least one attribute specifies the data store connector class and at least one attribute specifies a parameter used by instances of the data store connector class;

means for creating an external data reference object having a name, a plurality of parameter strings, and a reference to the external data store profile; and

means for creating a profile comprising a plurality of attributes where the value of at least one attribute is set to the name of the external data reference object.