Method and system for distribution of application data to distributed databases of dissimilar formats

• US 6,601,072 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 07/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gerken, lll, John Kenyon
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CAM LINH T
• Application Number:
  US09/598,981
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/1, 707/4, 707/101, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A system and method for distribution of application program data to update a plurality of databases of dissimilar formats, including an application access program having a business object, a storage object and a data access object that is associated with a database. The business object creates data objects as needed and sends database access requests to the storage object. Each data access object registers with the storage object, and the storage object notifies each data access object when a data access request is received. The storage object then sends the data object to the data access objects. Data encapsulated in the data object is converted into a format for each database in which the data is to be stored. When a read request is received, data is read from a database that is designated as the primary database. When a write request is received, data is formatted into multiple formats and one format is written into each database.

Claims

1. A method for distributing application program data to a plurality of databases of dissimilar formats, said method comprising:

defining a business object to represent a software application that needs to write data to one of said plurality of databases;

defining a plurality of data access objects, each capable of writing data to one of said plurality of databases in its respective format;

defining a storage object to represent an interface between said business object and said plurality of data access objects;

in response to a write request to one of said plurality of databases from said business object, generating a data object for data to be written to one of said plurality of databases;

sending said data object to each of said plurality of data access objects by said storage object;

converting data encapsulated in said data object by said plurality of data access objects into a respective format appropriate for each of said plurality of databases; and

storing said encapsulated data into each of said plurality of databases according to its respective format by said corresponding data access objects.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising registering each data access object with said storage object by each data access object attaching to the storage object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a list of subscribing data access objects by said storage object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating step further includes sending a request for said data object to a data object factory by said business object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating step further includes generating said data object by said data object factory in response to said request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of databases include a proprietary database and a relational database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of databases include a proprietary database and an object-oriented database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of databases is locally stored on a computer processing system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a second database is stored remotely from said computer processing system and is accessible over a communications network.

10. A computer readable medium containing a program product for distributing program data to a plurality of databases of dissimilar formats, said program product comprising:

program instructions for defining a business object to represent a software application that needs to write data to one of said plurality of databases;

program instructions for defining a plurality of data access objects, each is capable of writing data to one of said plurality of databases in its respective format;

program instructions for defining a storage object to represent an interface between said business object and said plurality of data access objects;

in response to a write request to one of said plurality of databases from said business object, program instructions for generating a data object for data to be written to one of said plurality of databases;

program instructions for sending said data object to each of said plurality of data access objects by said storage object;

program instructions for converting data encapsulated in said data object by said plurality of data access objects into a respective format appropriate for each of said plurality of databases; and

program instructions for storing said encapsulated data into each of said plurality of databases according to its respective format by said corresponding data access objects.

11. The program product of claim 10, further comprising program instructions that register each data access object with the storage object by enabling each data access object to attach to said storage object.

12. The program product of claim 10, further comprising program instructions that maintain a list of subscribing data access objects by said storage object.

13. The program product of claim 10, wherein said generating step further includes sending a request for said data object to a data object factory by said business object.

14. The program product of claim 10, wherein said generating step further includes generating said data object by said data object factory in response to said request for said data object.

15. The program product of claim 10, wherein said plurality of databases include a proprietary database and a relational database.

16. The program product of claim 10, wherein said plurality of databases include a proprietary database and an object-oriented database.

17. The program product providing for the distribution of program data of claim 10, wherein one database is locally stored on a computer processing system.

18. The program product providing for the distribution of program data of claim 10, wherein each database is locally stored on a computer processing system.