System and method for disconnected database access by heterogeneous clients

• US 6,772,159 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lei, Hui, Blount, Marion L., Tait, Carl D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US09/511,974
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/101
• 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 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

There is provided a system and method for representing a data subset of server data. According to the method, a folder definition is generated for the data subset. The generation of the folder definition includes the substeps of identifying portions of the server data to be included in the data subset, generating declarations of value constraints and usage constraints with respect to at least some of the data of the data subset, and generating parameters to be supplied or selected by a user of a client device for further identifying the portions of the server data to be included in the data subset. The declarations are used for enforcing the value constraints and the usage constraints in subsequent renderings of the data subset on a client device. A folder instance is then generated based on the folder definition and parameters provided by a user of a client device or by default. The provided parameters (user provided or default) correspond to the generated parameters. The generation of the folder instance includes the substeps of generating the data subset from the identified portions of the server data and the parameters, and including the declarations of value constraints and usage constraints in the folder instance with the data subset.

Claims

1. A method for representing a data subset of server data, comprising the steps of:

identifying portions of the server data to be included in the data subset;

providing declarations of value constraints and usage constraints with respect to at least some of the data of the data subset, the declarations for enforcing the value constraints and the usage constraints in subsequent renderings of the data subset on a client device;

generating an instance of the data subset based on the identified portions and the declarations, the instance comprising the identified portions of the server data and the declarations;

providing the instance of the data subset to a client device;

rendering the data subset on the client device so as to enforce to the value constraints and the usage constraints;

modifying data of the data subset rendered on the client device, subject to the value constraints and the usage constraints; and

integrating client device modifications into the server data.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of disconnecting from a server corresponding to the server data or a proxy corresponding to the server, by the client device, prior to said step of rendering the data subset on the client device.

3. A method for providing data subsets of server data to a plurality of heterogeneous client devices, comprising the steps of:

identifying portions of the server data to be included in each of the data subsets;

providing declarations of value constraints and usage constraints with respect to at least some of the data of at least some of the data subsets;

generating each of the data subsets so as to be associated with the respective declarations;

rendering each of the data subsets on the plurality of heterogeneous client devices so as to enforce the respective declarations of the value constraints and the usage constraints;

modifying data of the data subset rendered on at least one of the plurality of heterogeneous client devices, subject to the value constraints and the usage constraints; and

integrating client device modifications into the server data.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said generating step comprises the step of generating each of the data subsets as an integrated unit with the respective declarations.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the integrated unit is a structured document.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of providing declarations of value constraints comprises the step of determining a range of values for at least one particular element of data.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of providing the declarations of the usage constraints comprises the step of determining permissible record level operations for a given data subset.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the permissible record level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of providing the declarations of the usage constraints comprises the step of determining permissible field level operations for a given data subset.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the permissible field level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

11. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of disconnecting from a server corresponding to the server data or a proxy corresponding to the server, by a given client device, prior to said step of rendering a given data subset on the given client device.

21. The method according to claim 3, further comprising establishing a connection between the at least one of the plurality of heterogeneous client devices and a server corresponding to the server data prior to integrating the client device modifications into the server data.

12. A system for providing portions of server data to a plurality of heterogeneous client devices, comprising:

a declaration generating device adapted to generate declarations of value constraints and usage constraints with respect to at least some of the data of at least some of a plurality of data subsets corresponding to the portions of the server data;

a subsetting device adapted to generate the plurality of data subsets so as to be associated with the respective declarations;

a browser adapted to render each of the plurality of data subsets on the plurality of heterogeneous client devices so as to enforce the respective declarations of the value constraints and the usage constraints, and to modify data of the data subset rendered on at least one of the plurality of heterogeneous client devices, subject to the value constraints and the usage constraints; and

a reintegration module adapted to integrate client device modifications into the server data.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said subsetting device generates each of the data subsets as an integrated unit with the respective declarations.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the integrated unit is a structured document.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein said declaration generating device, in generating the value constraints, is further adapted to determine a range of values for at least one particular element of data.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein said declaration generating device, in generating the usage constraints, is further adapted to determine permissible record level operations for a given data subset.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the permissible record level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein said declaration generating device, in generating the usage constraints, is further adapted to determine permissible field level operations for a given data subset.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the permissible field level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein at least said browser is disposed on a given client device, the given client device being disconnected from a server corresponding to the server data or a proxy corresponding to the server prior to the browser rendering a given data subset.

22. The system according to claim 12, wherein a connection is established between the at least one of the plurality of heterogeneous client devices and a server corresponding to the server data prior to integrating the client device modifications into the server data.

23. A method for providing a data subset of server data to a client device, comprising the steps of:

generating a folder definition corresponding to the data subset comprising data, parameters, operations, and constraints, wherein the data and the parameters specifies portions of a table to be included in the folder definition;

generating a folder instance of the data subset comprising an instance of the operations and the constraints of the folder definition, and a dataset comprising a table element for the table specified in the folder definition;

providing the folder instance to the client device;

rendering the folder instance of the data subset on the client device so as to enforce the respective declarations of the value constraints and the usage constraints;

modifying the folder instance of the data subset rendered on the client device, subject to the value constraints and the usage constraints; and

integrating the folder instance of the data subset comprising client device modifications into the server data.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein generating each of the data subsets comprises generating each of the data subsets as an integrated unit with the respective declarations.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the integrated unit is a structured document.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein constraints specify a range of values for at least one particular element of data.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein operations comprise permissible record level operations for a given data subset.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the permissible record level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein operations comprise permissible field level operations for a given data subset.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the permissible field level operations comprise insert, delete, modify, and sort.

31. The method according to claim 23, further comprising disconnecting from a server corresponding to the server data or a proxy corresponding to the server, by a given client device, prior to said step of rendering.