System and method for providing a relational database backend

• US 6,681,229 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cason, Stanley P., Cohen, Ira H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HWANG, JOON H
• Application Number:
  US09/656,037
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100-103, 709/200-203, 709/328-332, 711/136, 711/137, 711/110
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A hybird Notes/DB2 environment provides a requisition catalog on the Web. Client browsers are connected to a GWA infrastructure including a first network dispatcher and a virtual cluster of Domino.Go servers. The network dispatcher sprays out browser requests among configured .nsf servers in virtual server cluster. Communications from this virtual server cluster are, in turn, dispatched by a second network dispatcher servers in a Domino cluster. External objects, primarily for a GUI, are served in a .dfs and include graphic files, Java files, HTML images and net.data macros. The catalog is built from supplier provided flat files. A front end is provided for business logic and validation, as also is a relation database backend. HTML forms are populated using relational database agents. A role table is used for controlling access both to Notes code and DB2 data. Large amounts of data is quickly transferred using an intermediate agent and window.

Claims

1. Method for managing access to a relational database from a front end of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time, comprising the steps of:

generating a database operation to said non-relational database in response to a form open event at an user interface to said document specific application;

interrupting in said user interface said database operation. inhibiting storage of data into said non-relational database, and substituting therefore a core application programming interface including a configuration class for defining valid connection indicia and a base class containing procedures for directly connecting to said relational database without connecting through an intermediary server; and

thereafter, responsive to a user request of said document specific application to view a document, directly reconstructing said document from said relational database.

2. The method of claim 1, said connection indicia including database name, user identifier, and user password.

3. The method of claim 1, said procedures including methods for connecting to and disconnecting from the database, for defining the number of rows to return at a time, for getting the next group of records, for reads, for inserts, for updates, for deletes, for commit, for rollback, and for signaling completion of data retrieval.

4. The method of claim 1, said core application programming interface further comprising a user profile class for managing a personnel database.

5. The method of claim 4, said user profile class including methods for selecting employee, inserting employee, updating employee, deleting employee, and clearing table.

6. System for managing access to a relational database from a front end of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time, comprising the steps of:

user interface means for generating in response to a Notes form open event a database operation to a non-relational database;

said user interface including interrupt means for interrupting said database operation, inhibiting storage of data to said non-relational database, and substituting therefore a core application programming interface including a configuration class for defining valid connection indicia and a base class containing procedures for directly connecting to said relational database;

without connecting through an intermediary server and

means responsive to a user reauest of said document specific aiplication to view a document, for directly reconstructing said document from said relational database.

7. The system of claim 6, said connection indicia including database name, user identifier, and user password.

8. The system of claim 6, said procedures including methods for connecting to and disconnecting from the database, for defining the number of rows to return at a time, for getting the next group of records, for reads, for inserts, for updates, for deletes, for commit, for rollback, and for signaling completion of data retrieval.

9. The system of claim 6, said core application programming interface further comprising a user profile class for managing a personnel database.

10. The system of claim 9, said user profile class including methods for selecting employee, inserting employee, updating employee, deleting employee, and clearing table.

11. A system for managing access to a relational database from a front end of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time, comprising:

a set of core application programming interfaces for connecting to said relational database;

a set of database application programming interfaces using said core interfaces for connecting to tables within said database;

a set of graphical application programming interfaces for connecting to a user interface, said user interface for generating a database operation to a non-relational database in response to a form open event at said user interface and for interrupting said database operation and substituting therefore a core application programming interface for defining valid connection indicia and for directly connecting to said relational datebase without connecting through an intermediary server

a set of business application programming interfaces for connecting to business logic procedures implementing a requisition catalog within a web environment; and

said set of business application programming interfaces responsive to a user request of said document specific application to view a document, for directly reconstructing said requisition catalog from said relational database.

12. A system for managing access from a front end of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time to a requisition catalog for an enterprise, comprising:

a relational database server for storing said requisition catalog;

a set of core application programming interfaces for connecting to said database;

a set of database application programming interfaces using said core interfaces for connecting to tables within said database;

a set of graphical application programming interfaces for connecting to a user interface, said user interface for generating a database operation to a non-relational database in response to a form open event at said user interface and for interrupting said database operation and substituting therefore a core application programming interface for defining valid connection indicia and for directly connecting to said relational database;

without connecting through an intermediary server, and

a set of business application programming interfaces for connecting to business logic procedures implementing a requisition catalog application within a web environment, said set of business application programming interfaces responsive to a user request of said document specific application to view a document, for directly reconstructing said requisition catalog from said relational database.

13. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps managing access to a relational database from a front end of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time, said method steps comprising:

generating a database operation to a non-relational database in response to a form open event at an user interface;

interrupting in said user interface said database operation and substituting therefore a core application programming interface including a configuration class for defining valid connection indicia and a base class containing procedure for directly connecting to said relational database without connecting through an intermediary server; and

responsive to a user request of said document specific application to view a document, directly reconstructing said document from said relational database.

14. A computer program product or computer program element for executing the steps comprising:

generating a database operation to a non-relational database in response to a form open event at an user interface of a document specific application having low data storage capability in a non-relational database and slow data access response time;

interrupting in said user interface said database operation and substituting therefore a core application programming interface including a configuration class for defining valid connection indicia and a base class containing procedures for connecting to said relational database; and

responsive to a user recuest of said document specific application to view a document, directly reconstructing said document from said relational database.