Data storage system having a unified container layer for an active data store

• US 6,996,570 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Noble, Gary Paul, Stretton, Peter John
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, SHEREE N
• Application Number:
  US10/231,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/200, 707/204, 707/9, 707/10, 707/126, 707/100, 709/225, 719313-317
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries

Abstract

The present invention provides a data storage system, method and computer program product having an active data store and a data communication mechanism comprising a unified container layer for validating both externally-generated data and data generated within the active data store, wherein the unified container layer transmits and receives data using the data communication mechanism. In a preferred embodiment, the active data store is an entity-relationship-attribute data store which comprises a relational database. The unified container layer may validate data using a syntax checker and a semantics checker, which may comprise a rules engine. Preferably, the data communication mechanism is one of a publish/subscribe system, a synchronous communication system, and an asynchronous communication system.

Claims

1. A data storage system, comprising:

an active data store comprising stored data;

a rules engine adapted to apply at least one rule to modify data of the stored data in the active data store,

a unified container layer adapted to transmit and receive data using a data communication mechanism and further adapted to publish a message to a broker located external to the data storage system by transmitting the message across the data communications mechanism to the broker,

said message being derived from the data of the stored data in the active data store that had been modified by the rules engine,

said message being received from the active data store by the unified container layer,

said unified container layer adapted to validate both externally-generated data and data of the active data store generated by the rules engine,

a first list of subscribers being stored in a data store of the broker,

each subscriber listed on the first list of subscribers subscribing to a topic associated with the message and adapted to receive the message published from the broker,

said unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers,

said unified container layer adapted to receive the message published from the broker due to the unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers,

said unified container layer adapted to process the published message received from the broker and to transmit the processed published message to the active data store;

said unified container layer comprising a sender and a receiver such that the sender and the receiver are adapted to communicate using the data communication mechanism;

said unified container layer further comprising a validator and a filter, wherein the unified container layer is adapted to process the published message received from the broker by having the published message validated by the validator and by having the validated published message filtered by the filter;

said data communication mechanism further adapted to receive data from application inputs and user inputs such that no direct access to the active data store is permitted for said inputs;

said data communication mechanism comprising a publish and subscribe data communication mechanism;

said data communication mechanism adapted to participate in data communication with said broker, using said publish and subscribe mechanism, in which said broker acts as a bus by;

(1) receiving published messages by means of transmissions across said data communication mechanism, and (2) making said published messages available to subscribers by transmission of said published messages across said data communication mechanism, wherein said subscribers comprise an application or system that has registered as a first subscriber with said broker, wherein said first subscriber is on said first list of subscribers;

said broker adapted to examine subscription data in its data store and determine that said data storage system has subscribed to the topic associated with the message, as has a second data storage system;

said broker adapted to transmit the message to said subscribers, including to said data storage system, to said second data storage system, and to other subscribers, said other subscribers including applications and databases.

2. The data storage system of claim 1,

wherein the stored data comprises a first entity and a second entity connected to each other by a relationship,

wherein the first entity comprises a first attribute having a first plurality of values,

wherein the second entity comprises a second attribute having a second plurality of values,

wherein the relationship comprises a third attribute having a third plurality of values, and

wherein the rules engine is adapted to apply the at least one rule to at least one attribute of the first attribute, the second attribute, and the third attribute to generate the message.

3. The data storage system of claim 2, wherein the rules engine is adapted to apply the at least one rule to the third attribute to generate the message.

4. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the unified container layer is further adapted to process the published message received from the broker by compressing or decompressing the published message.

5. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the unified container layer is further adapted to process the published message received from the broker by encrypting or decrypting the published message.

6. A method for operating a data storage system that includes a unified container layer, an active data store comprising stored data, and a rules engine, said method comprising:

applying by the rules engine at least one rule to modify data of the stored data in the active data store;

receiving, by the unified container layer from the active data store, a message derived from the data of the stored data in the active data store that had been modified by the rules engine, said unified container layer adapted to transmit and receive data using a data communication mechanism;

publishing, by the unified container layer, the message to a broker located external to the data storage system by transmitting the message across the data communications mechanism to the broker, wherein a first list of subscribers is stored in a data store of the broker, each subscriber listed on the first list of subscribers subscribing to a topic associated with the message and adapted to receive the message published from the broker, said unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers, said unified container layer adapted to validate both externally-generated data and data of the active data store generated by the rules engine;

receiving, by the unified container layer, the message published from the broker due to the unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers; and

processing, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker and transmitting the processed published message to the active data store;

said unified container layer comprising a sender and a receiver such that the sender and the receiver are adapted to communicate using the data communication mechanism;

said unified container layer further comprising a validator and a filter, wherein the unified container layer is adapted to process the published message received from the broker by having the published message validated by the validator and by having the validated published message filtered by the filter;

said data communication mechanism further adapted to receive data from application inputs and user inputs such that no direct access to the active data store is permitted for said inputs;

said data communication mechanism comprising a publish and subscribe data communication mechanism;

said data communication mechanism adapted to participate in data communication with said broker, using said publish and subscribe mechanism, in which said broker acts as a bus by;

(1) receiving published messages by means of transmissions across said data communication mechanism, and (2) making said published messages available to subscribers by transmission of said published messages across said data communication mechanism, wherein said subscribers comprise an application or system that has registered as a first subscriber with said broker, wherein said first subscriber is on said first list of subscribers;

said broker adapted to examine subscription data in its data store and determine that said data storage system has subscribed to the topic associated with the message, as has a second data storage system;

said broker adapted to transmit the message to said subscribers, including to said data storage system, to said second data storage system, and to other subscribers, said other subscribers including applications and databases.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the stored data comprises a first entity and a second entity connected to each other by a relationship,

wherein the first entity comprises a first attribute having a first plurality of values,

wherein the second entity comprises a second attribute having a second plurality of values,

wherein the relationship comprises a third attribute having a third plurality of values, and

wherein the method further comprises applying, by the rules engine, the at least one rule to at least one attribute of the first attribute, the second attribute, and the third attribute to generate the message.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises applying, by the rules engine, the at least one rule to the third attribute to generate the message.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said processing further comprises compressing or decompressing, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said processing further comprises encrypting or decrypting, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker.

11. A computer program product, comprising computer program instructions tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, said instructions when loaded into a computer system and executed cause said computer system to operate a data storage system by performing a method, said data storage system including a unified container layer, an active data store comprising stored data, and a rules engine, said method comprising:

applying by the rules engine at least one rule to modify data of the stored data in the active data store;

receiving, by the unified container layer from the active data store, a message derived from the data of the stored data in the active data store that had been modified by the rules engine, said unified container layer adapted to transmit and receive data using a data communication mechanism;

publishing, by the unified container layer, the message to a broker located external to the data storage system by transmitting the message across the data communications mechanism to the broker, wherein a first list of subscribers is stored in a data store of the broker, each subscriber listed on the first list of subscribers subscribing to a topic associated with the message and adapted to receive the message published from the broker, said unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers, said unified container layer adapted to validate both externally-generated data and data of the active data store generated by the rules engine;

receiving, by the unified container layer, the message published from the broker due to the unified container layer being listed on the first list of subscribers; and

processing, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker and transmitting the processed published message to the active data store;

said unified container layer comprising a sender and a receiver such that the sender and the receiver are adapted to communicate using the data communication mechanism;

said unified container layer further comprising a validator and a filter, wherein the unified container layer is adapted to process the published message received from the broker by having the published message validated by the validator and by having the validated published message filtered by the filter;

said data communication mechanism further adapted to receive data from application inputs and user inputs such that no direct access to the active data store is permitted for said inputs;

said data communication mechanism comprising a publish and subscribe data communication mechanism;

said data communication mechanism adapted to participate in data communication with said broker, using said publish and subscribe mechanism, in which said broker acts as a bus by;

(1) receiving published messages by means of transmissions across said data communication mechanism, and (2) making said published messages available to subscribers by transmission of said published messages across said data communication mechanism, wherein said subscribers comprise an application or system that has registered as a first subscriber with said broker, wherein said first subscriber is on said first list of subscribers;

said broker adapted to examine subscription data in its data store and determine that said data storage system has subscribed to the topic associated with the message, as has a second data storage system;

said broker adapted to transmit the message to said subscribers, including to said data storage system, to said second data storage system, and to other subscribers, said other subscribers including applications and databases.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises applying, by the rules engine, the at least one rule to the third attribute to generate the message.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said processing further comprises compressing or decompressing, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said processing further comprises encrypting or decrypting, by the unified container layer, the published message received from the broker.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

receiving, by the unified container layer, an external message from outside the data storage system, wherein a second list of subscribers who subscribe to a topic associated with the external message is stored in the data store of the broker;

publishing, by the unified container layer, the external message to the broker;

receiving, by the unified container layer, the published external message from the broker;

processing, by the unified container layer, the published external message received from the broker by having the published external message validated by the validator and by having the validated published external message filtered by the filter; and

transmitting, by the unified container layer, the processed published external message to the subscribers on the second list of subscribers.