Method and apparatus for automatically selecting a rule

• US 6,560,608 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2000
• Issued: 05/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liaison Technologies Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Contivo, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Leckie, Donald Albert, Tomm, Douglas Cameron
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/590,916
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automatically selecting a rule during the mapping process, and storing the rule independently of message type, is provided. The method and apparatus allow these rules to be inferred during the mapping process, and to be manipulated easily by a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

receiving input determining concepts for a plurality of business formats, wherein each concept has associated therewith a set of synonym fields from the plurality of business formats, the synonym fields being related through an abstract meaning;

building a synonym dictionary wherein each determined concept is mapped to its associated set of synonym fields;

associating a concept from the synonym dictionary with a target field in the target format; and

determining a synonym field from the source format for the target field based on the associated concept and the synonym dictionary.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the concept and determining the synonym field is performed for each target field in the target format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the synonym field comprises searching the synonym dictionary for synonym fields that are mapped to the concept associated with the target field and which match a source field in the source format.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising constructing a mapping to map the target field to any matching source fields in the source format.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting a rule that specifies a conversion procedure for converting source data in a source field in the mapping to target data in a target field in the mapping.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting the rule comprises determining a signature of the rule;

and searching a rule dictionary for a rule that matches the signature.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising first building the rule dictionary.

8. A method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a target field from the target message;

(b) identifying a concept associated with the received target field in a synonym dictionary comprising concepts having associated therewith a set of synonym fields related through an abstract meaning;

(c) receiving the set of synonym fields associated with the identified concept;

(d) determining each synonym field in the set of synonym fields that matches a source field from the source message; and

(e) mapping the received target field to each matched source field.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing steps (a) to (e) for each target field in the target message.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising first determining concepts for a plurality of business formats, wherein each concept has associated therewith a set of synonym fields from the plurality of business formats, and wherein the synonym fields are related through an abstract meaning;

and building a synonym dictionary wherein each determined concept is mapped to its associated set of synonym fields.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting a rule that specifies a conversion procedure for converting source data in source fields in the mapping to target data in target fields in the mapping.

12. A method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

determining a mapping that maps source and target fields in the source and target messages, respectively, based on an abstract meaning of the source and target fields;

determining a signature of a rule that specifies a conversion procedure for converting data from the source fields in the mapping to data in the target fields in the mapping; and

selecting a rule from a rules dictionary that matches the signature of the rule.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising prompting a user to create a new rule if there is no rule in the rules dictionary that matches the signature, wherein selecting the rule then comprises selecting the new rule.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein selecting the rule comprises, in the case of the rules dictionary having a plurality of rules that match the signature, displaying the plurality of rules to a user, and receiving a user'"'"'s selection of a rule from the plurality of rules.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising converting data from the source fields to data in the target fields based on the mapping and the selected rule.

16. A system for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform a method comprising;

receiving input determining concepts for a plurality of business formats, wherein each concept has associated therewith a set of synonym fields from the plurality of business formats, the synonym fields being related through an abstract meaning;

building a synonym dictionary wherein each determined concept is mapped to its associated set of synonym fields;

associating a concept from the synonym dictionary with a target field in the target format; and

determining a synonym field from the source format for the target field based on the associated concept and the synonym dictionary.

17. A system for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the system to perform a method comprising;

(a) receiving a target field from the target message;

(b) identifying a concept associated with the received target field in a synonym dictionary comprising concepts having associated therewith a set of synonym fields related through an abstract meaning;

(c) receiving the set of synonym fields associated with the identified concept;

(d) determining each synonym field in the set of synonym fields that matches a source field from the source message; and

(e) mapping the received target field to each matched source field.

18. A system for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the system to perform a method comprising;

determining a mapping that maps source and target fields in the source and target messages, respectively, based on an abstract meaning of the source and target fields;

determining a signature of a rule that specifies a conversion procedure for converting data from the source fields in the mapping to data in the target fields in the mapping; and

selecting a rule from a rules dictionary that matches the signature of the rule.

19. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

receiving input determining concepts for a plurality of business formats, wherein each concept has associated therewith a set of synonym fields from the plurality of business formats, the synonym fields being related through an abstract meaning;

building a synonym dictionary wherein each determined concept is mapped to its associated set of synonym fields;

associating a concept from the synonym dictionary with a target field in the target format; and

determining a synonym field from the source format for the target field based on the associated concept and the synonym dictionary.

20. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a target field from the target message;

(b) identifying a concept associated with the received target field in a synonym dictionary comprising concepts having associated therewith a set of synonym fields related through an abstract meaning;

(c) receiving the set of synonym fields associated with the identified concept;

(d) determining each synonym field in the set of synonym fields that matches a source field from the source message; and

(e) mapping the received target field to each matched source field.

21. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to perform a method for converting a source message in a source format to a target message in a target format, the method comprising:

determining a mapping that maps source and target fields in the source and target messages, respectively, based on an abstract meaning of the source and target fields;

determining a signature of a rule that specifies a conversion procedure for converting data from the source fields in the mapping to data in the target fields in the mapping; and

selecting a rule from a rules dictionary that matches the signature of the rule.