Seamless importation of data

• US 6,718,332 B1
• Filed: 01/04/1999
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sthothra Bhasham, Sampath Kumar, Hosseini, Houshang Nayeb, Sitaraman, Aravind, Chu, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly, Anh
• Application Number:
  US09/225,263
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 707/204, 709/227, 709/238, 709/239, 709/246
• 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 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A data transfer interface for importing data from a source system to a target system, including a source data adapter having an attribute definition transcriber for generating transcribed data, and a target data adapter having a data format converter for converting the transcribed data from a first format to a second format. The data transfer interface may include a data validator to ensure that the user data selected for importation is valid before the data is transcribed. The source data adapter and the target data adapter may be configured for use with a communications architecture that allows the source data adapter and the target data adapter to receive and transmit user data as events on a data communications network.

Claims

1. A subscriber management system (SMS)data transfer interface, comprising:

an SMS data adapter comprising;

a first subscribing element configured to receive SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition described by a first description;

an attribute definition transcriber configured to transcribe said at least one attribute definition from said first description into a second description; and

a first publishing element configured to publish said SMS data including said at least one attribute definition having said second description; and

an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) data adapter comprising;

a second subscribing element configured to receive said SMS data including said at least one attribute definition having said second description;

a format converter configured to convert from said first format to a second format said SMS data including said at least one attribute definition having said second description; and

a second publishing element configured to publish said SMS data having said second format and at least one attribute definition having said second description.

2. The data transfer interface of claim 1, wherein said SMS data adapter further comprises a data validator for validating said at least one attribute definition.

3. The data transfer interface of claim 1, further including an SMS memory for storing said SMS data having said first format.

4. The data transfer interface of claim 3, further including an SMS data interface coupled to said SMS memory.

5. The data transfer interface of claim 4, further including an SMS trigger coupled to said SMS memory and to said SMS data interface.

6. The data transfer interface of claim 1, further including an AAA memory for storing said SMS data having said second format.

7. A method of importing subscriber management system (SMS) data from an SMS location to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) location, said SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a first description, said method comprising:

receiving the SMS data from the SMS location at a second location;

validating the SMS data;

transcribing the first description to a second description if the SMS data is valid;

transmitting the transcribed SMS data from the second location to a third location;

receiving the transcribed SMS data at the third location; and

converting the first format to a second format.

8. The method of claim 7, further including storing the SMS data in an SMS memory at the SMS location, wherein the SMS memory has a storage structure according to the first format.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein validating the SMS data includes checking whether said at least one attribute definition includes a value that matches an expected value type.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said expected value type is a character string.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said expected value type is a number.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said expected value type is a date.

13. The method of claim 7, further including transmitting the converted SMS data to an AAA memory at the AAA location, wherein the AAA memory has a storage structure according to said second format.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein converting the first format to said second format includes:

listing a reply attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with said reply attribute, said attribute ID corresponding to said reply attribute.

15. The method of claim 14, further including placing a reply attribute header before said first delimiter.

16. The method of 7, wherein converting the first format to said second format includes:

listing a check item attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with said check item attribute, said attribute ID corresponding to said check item attribute.

17. The method of claim 16, further including placing a check attribute header before said first delimiter.

18. A subscriber management system (SMS) data adapter for an SMS data transfer interface having an SMS database, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) database, and an AAA data adapter, the SMS data adapter comprising:

a subscribing element for receiving SMS data from the SMS database;

a data validator coupled to said subscribing element;

an attribute definition transcriber coupled to said data validator; and

a publishing element coupled to said attribute definition transcriber, wherein SMS data is published to the AAA data adapter.

19. The SMS data adapter of claim 18, wherein said subscribing element receives SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition.

20. The SMS data adapter of claim 19, wherein said data validator checks whether said at least one attribute definition includes a value that matches an expected value type.

21. The SMS data adapter of claim 20, wherein said attribute definition transcriber transcribes said at least one attribute definition from a first description to a second description.

22. The SMS data adapter of claim 18, wherein said subscribing element receives SMS data as an event.

23. The SMS data adapter of claim 18, wherein said publishing element transmits SMS data as an event.

24. An authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) data adapter for a subscriber management system (SMS) data transfer interface having an SMS database, an SMS data adapter, and an AAA database, the AAA data adapter comprising:

a subscribing element for receiving SMS data from the SMS data adapter;

a data format converter coupled to said subscribing element; and

a publishing element coupled to said data format converter, wherein SMS data is published to the AAA database.

25. The AAA data adapter of claim 24, wherein said subscribing element receives SMS data having a first format.

26. The AAA data adapter of claim 25, wherein said data format converter converts said SMS data from said first format to said second format.

27. The AAA data adapter of claim 24, wherein said SMS data is received by said subscribing element as an event.

28. An apparatus for importing subscriber management system (SMS) data from an SMS location to an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) location, the SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a first description, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving the SMS data from the SMS location at a second location;

means for validating the SMS data;

means for transcribing the first description to a second description if the SMS data is valid;

means for transmitting the transcribed SMS data from the second location to a third location;

means for receiving the transcribed SMS data at the third location; and

means for converting the first format to a second format.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising means for storing the SMS data in an SMS memory at the SMS location, wherein the SMS memory has a storage structure according to the first format.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein means for validating the SMS data includes means for checking whether the at least one attribute definition includes a value that matches an expected value type.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the expected value type is a character string.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the expected value type is a number.

33. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the expected value type is a date.

34. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising means for transmitting the converted SMS data to an AAA memory at the AAA location, wherein the AAA memory has a storage structure according to the second format.

35. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein means for converting the first format to the second format comprises:

means for listing a reply attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

means for equating an attribute ID with the reply attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the reply attribute.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein means for converting the first format to the second format further comprises means for placing a reply attribute header before the first delimiter.

37. The apparatus of 28, wherein means for converting the first format to the second format comprises:

means for listing a check item attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

means for equating an attribute ID with the check item attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the check item attribute.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein means for converting the first format to the second format further comprises means for placing a check attribute header before the first delimiter.

39. A method of subscriber management system (SMS) data adaptation for an SMS data transfer interface having an SMS database, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) database, and an AAA data adapter, the SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a first description, the method comprising:

receiving the SMS data from the SMS database;

validating the SMS data;

transcribing the first description to a second description if the SMS data is valid; and

transmitting the transcribed SMS data to the AAA data adapter.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein validating comprises checking whether the at least one attribute definition includes a value that matches an expected value type.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the expected value type is a character string.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the expected value type is a number.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the expected value type is a date.

44. A method of authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) data adaptation for a subscriber management system (SMS) data transfer interface having an SMS database, an SMS data adapter, and an AAA database, the transcribed SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a second description, the method comprising:

receiving the transcribed SMS data from the SMS data adapter;

converting the first format to a second format; and

transmitting the converted SMS data to the AAA database.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein converting comprises:

listing a reply attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with the reply attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the reply attribute.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein converting further comprises placing a reply attribute header before the first delimiter.

47. The method of 44, wherein converting comprises:

listing a check item attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with the check item attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the check item attribute.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein converting further comprises placing a check attribute header before the first delimiter.

49. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method of subscriber management system (SMS) data adaptation for an SMS data transfer interface having an SMS database, an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) database, and an AAA data adapter, the SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a first description, the method comprising:

receiving the SMS data from the SMS database;

validating the SMS data;

transcribing the first description to a second description if the SMS data is valid; and

transmitting the transcribed SMS data to the AAA data adapter.

50. The computer-readable medium of claim 49, wherein validating comprises checking whether the at least one attribute definition includes a value that matches an expected value type.

51. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the expected value type is a character string.

52. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the expected value type is a number.

53. The computer-readable medium of claim 50, wherein the expected value type is a date.

54. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing a method of authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) data adaptation for a subscriber management system (SMS) data transfer interface having an SMS database, an SMS data adapter, and an AAA database, the transcribed SMS data having a first format and at least one attribute definition having a second description, the method comprising:

receiving the transcribed SMS data from the SMS data adapter;

converting the first format to a second format; and

transmitting the converted SMS data to the AAA database.

55. The computer-readable medium of claim 54, wherein converting comprises:

listing a reply attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with the reply attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the reply attribute.

56. The computer-readable medium of claim 55, wherein converting further comprises placing a reply attribute header before the first delimiter.

57. The computer-readable medium of 54, wherein converting comprises:

listing a check item attribute corresponding to the SMS data between a first delimiter and a second delimiter; and

equating an attribute ID with the check item attribute, the attribute ID corresponding to the check item attribute.

58. The computer-readable medium of claim 57, wherein converting further comprises placing a check attribute header before the first delimiter.