Virtual aggregate fields

• US 6,694,338 B1
• Filed: 08/29/2000
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Liaison Technologies Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Contivo, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US09/650,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/5, 707/6, 707/501, 707/100, 707/203, 707/4, 707/101, 707/201, 707/40, 707/202, 707/206, 709/218, 709/220, 709/223, 715/503, 715/511
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method comprising defining one or more aggregate virtual fields for a first document using meta-data associated with the first document is disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format, the method comprising:

selectively enabling one or more virtual aggregate fields in meta-data for at least one of the first and second documents, each virtual aggregate field being a virtual field which when enabled appears in the meta-data only, and which has an abstract meaning which links one or more fields of the first document with one or more fields of the second document;

defining mapping rules to map data from fields in the first document to fields in the second document; and

automatically generating a transform to convert the first document into the second document by applying the mapping miles to the meta-data and the enabled virtual aggregate fields.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising predefining the virtual aggregate fields including defining a map-from-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the second document from the one or more fields in the first document, and a map-to-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the first document from the one or more fields in the second document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein predefining the virtual aggregate fields comprises building a data structure for each virtual aggregate field, the data structure comprising a name data element which contains a name for the virtual aggregate field, a parent group data element that specifies a parent group for the virtual aggregate field, a participating fields data element that specifies the fields being linked, a map-to-data element that contains the map-to-code, and a map-from-data element that contains the map-from-code.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein selectively enabling the virtual aggregate fields comprises selectively enabling the virtual aggregate fields in the meta-data for the first document, in which case the transform executes the map-from-code.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein selectively enabling the virtual aggregate field comprises enabling the virtual aggregate fields in the second document, in which case the transform executes the map-to-code.

6. A method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format, the method comprising:

identifying one or more fields in the first document that map to one or more fields in the second document based on a meaning of the fields;

defining a virtual aggregate field based on the identified fields;

defining a map-from-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the second document from the one or more fields in the first document; and

defining a map-to-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the first document from the one or more fields in the second document.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising linking the virtual aggregate field to the map-from-code and the map-to-code through a data element in a data structure.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selectively enabling the virtual aggregate field in meta-data for the first or the second documents.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising defining mapping rules to map data from fields in the first document to fields in the second document.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising automatically generating a transform to convert the first document into the second document by applying the mapping rules to the meta-data and the enabled virtual aggregate field.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selectively enabling the virtual aggregate field comprises enabling the virtual aggregate field in the meta-data for the first document, in which case, the transform executes the map-from code.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein selectively enabling the virtual aggregate field comprises enabling the virtual aggregate field in the, second document, in which case, the transform executed the map-to-code.

13. A computer readable medium having stored therein a sequence of instructions which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format the method comprising:

selectively enabling one or more virtual aggregate fields in meta-data for at least one of the first and second documents, each virtual aggregate field being a virtual field which when enabled appears in the meta-data only, and which has an abstract meaning which links one or more fields of the first document with one or more fields of the second document;

defining mapping rules to map data from fields in the first document to fields in the second document; and

automatically generating a transform to convert the first document into the second document by applying the mapping rules to the meta-data and the enabled virtual aggregate fields.

14. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format, the method comprising:

identifying one or more fields in the first document that map to one or more fields in the second document based on a meaning of the fields;

defining a virtual aggregate field based on the identified fields;

defining a map-from-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the second document from the one or more fields in the first document; and

defining a map-to-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the first document from the one or more fields in the second document.

15. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to a processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format, the method comprising;

selectively enabling one or more virtual aggregate fields in meta-data for at least one of the first and second documents, each virtual aggregate field being a virtual field which when enabled appears in the meta-data only, and which has an abstract meaning which links one or more field of the first document with one or more fields of the second document;

defining mapping rules to map data from fields in the first document to fields in the second document; and

automatically generating a transform to convert the first document into the second document by applying the mapping rules to the meta-data and the enabled virtual aggregate fields.

16. A system comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to a processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method for transforming a first document in a first format to a second document in a second format, the method comprising;

identifying one or more fields in the first document that map to one or more fields in the second document based on a meaning of the fields;

defining a virtual aggregate field based on the identified fields;

defining at map-from-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the second document from the one or more fields in the first document; and

defining a map-to-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the first document from the one or more fields in the second document.

17. A system for transforming a first document in the first format to a second document in a second format, the system comprising:

means for selectively enabling one or more virtual aggregate fields in meta-data for at least one of the first and second documents each virtual aggregate field begin a virtual field which when enable appears in the meta-data only, and which has an abstract meaning which links one or more fields of the first document with one or more fields of the second document;

means for defining mapping rules to map data from fields in the first document to fields in the second document; and

means for automatically generating a transform to convert the first document into the second document by applying the mapping rules to the meta-data and the enabled virtual aggregate fields.

18. A system for transforming a first document in the first format to a second document in a second format, the system comprising:

means for identifying one or more fields in the first document that map to one or more fields in the second document based on a meaning of the fields;

means for defining a virtual aggregate field based on the identified fields;

means for defining a map-from-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the second document from the one or more fields in the first document; and

means for defining a map-to-code that specifies how to generate the one or more fields in the first document from the one or more fields in the second document.