Message broker apparatus, method and computer program product

• US 6,510,429 B1
• Filed: 10/02/1998
• Issued: 01/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Todd, Stephen James Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US09/165,945
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/104.1, 709/201, 709/203, 709/314, 709/206, 709/213-216, 705/35, 705/36
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A message broker data processing apparatus for receiving messages from a sender application, processing the received messages and deciding which receiver application to forward the processed messages. An incoming stream of messages is received from a sender application, with each message being arranged as a tuple having at least one field. The incoming stream of messages is collated with data stored in a database, the data being also arranged as tuples having at least one field. The stream of message is processed so that a resultant stream of messages becomes directed to at least one receiving application.

Claims

1. A message broker data processing apparatus for use in receiving messages from a sender application, processing the received messages and deciding which receiver application to forward the processed messages, comprising:

means for receiving an incoming stream of messages from a sender application, with each message being arranged as a tuple having at least one field;

means for collating the incoming stream of messages with database data stored in a database, the database data being also arranged as tuples having at least one field; and

means for processing the stream of messages so that a resultant stream of messages becomes directed to at least one receiving application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for receiving, means for collating and means for processing utilize a plurality of processing nodes interconnected to form a network of processing nodes, the processing functionality of each node being defined by a relational expression in a standard relational language.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein streams of message tuples are passed between the plurality of nodes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, for two adjacent nodes in the network, node 1 and node 2, the output of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 1 is interpreted as a stream of message tuples by the input of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 2.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for receiving communicates with a queue manager.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sending application is a publisher and the receiving application is a subscriber.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the standard relational language is Structured Query Language.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a visual database tool is used to generate the relational expression which defines the functionality of a node.

9. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein each message tuple in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes has the same set of fields.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein, in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes, each message tuple in the stream does not necessarily have the same set of fields.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein fields used in a relational expression defining the functionality of a node but which are not defined in a particular message tuple of a stream input to the node are assigned a null value.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus is contained on a single data processing unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus is contained on a plurality of interconnected data processing units.

14. A method of providing an information service to a customer, using the apparatus of claim 1, comprising steps of:

(a) receiving criteria from a customer concerning which messages the customer wants to receive;

(b) receiving published messages from a publisher;

(c) comparing the published messages to the criteria received from the customer; and

(d) forwarding on to the customer published messages which meet the criteria received from the customer.

37. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the message broker data processing apparatus is located on an Internet server and at least one of the sending application and receiving application utilize a World Wide Web browser application.

15. A message broker data processing method for use in receiving messages from a sender application, processing the received messages and deciding which receiver application to forward the processed messages, comprising steps of:

receiving an incoming stream of messages from a sender application, with each message being arranged as a tuple having at least one field;

collating the incoming stream of messages with database data stored in a database, the database data being also arranged as tuples having at least one field; and

processing the stream of messages so that a resultant stream of messages becomes directed to at least one receiving application.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the steps of receiving, collating and processing utilize a plurality of processing nodes interconnected to form a network of processing nodes, the processing functionality of each node being defined by a relational expression in a standard relational language.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein streams of message tuples are passed between the plurality of nodes.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein, for two adjacent nodes in the network, node 1 and node 2, the output of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 1 is interpreted as a stream of message tuples by the input of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 2.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of receiving communicates with a queue manager.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the sending application is a publisher and the receiving application is a subscriber.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein the standard relational language is Structured Query Language.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein a visual database tool is used to generate the relational expression which defines the functionality of a node.

23. The method of claim 17 wherein each message tuple in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes has the same set of fields.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein, in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes, each message tuple in the stream does not necessarily have the same set of fields.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein fields used in a relational expression defining the functionality of a node but which are not defined in a particular message tuple of a stream input to the node are assigned a null value.

38. The method of claim 15 wherein the message broker data processing apparatus is located on an Internet server and at least one of the sending application and receiving application utilize a World Wide Web browser application.

26. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium for, when run on a data processing apparatus, carrying out a message broker data processing method for use in receiving messages from a sender application, processing the received messages and deciding which receiver application to forward the processed messages, comprising steps of:

receiving an incoming stream of messages from a sender application, with each message being arranged as a tuple having at least one field;

collating the incoming stream of messages with database data stored in a database, the database data being also arranged as tuples having at least one field; and

processing the stream of messages so that a resultant stream of messages becomes directed to at least one receiving application.

27. The product of claim 26 wherein the steps of receiving, collating and processing utilize a plurality of processing nodes interconnected to form a network of processing nodes, the processing functionality of each node being defined by a relational expression in a standard relational language.

28. The product of claim 27 wherein streams of message tuples are passed between the plurality of nodes.

29. The product of claim 28 wherein, for two adjacent nodes in the network, node 1 and node 2, the output of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 1 is interpreted as a stream of message tuples by the input of the relational expression defining the functionality of node 2.

30. The product of claim 26 wherein the step of receiving communicates with a queue manager.

31. The product of claim 26 wherein the sending application is a publisher and the receiving application is a subscriber.

32. The product of claim 27 wherein the standard relational language is Structured Query Language.

33. The product of claim 27 wherein a visual database tool is used to generate the relational expression which defines the functionality of a node.

34. The product of claim 28 wherein each message tuple in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes has the same set of fields.

35. The product of claim 28 wherein, in a stream of message tuples existing between two nodes, each message tuple in the stream does not necessarily have the same set of fields.

36. The product of claim 35 wherein fields used in a relational expression defining the functionality of a node but which are not defined in a particular message tuple of a stream input to the node are assigned a null value.

39. The product of claim 26 wherein the message broker data processing apparatus is located on an Internet server and at least one of the sending application and receiving application utilize a World Wide Web browser application.