Methods and apparatus for enterprise application integration

• US 7,058,637 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Objectstore Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Metatomix, Inc. (ESW Capital, LLC)
• Inventors: Angelo, Robert F., Azmi, Amir, Kumar, Ashok, Britton, Colin P., Kaufman, Noah W., Bajpai, Chandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABEL JALIL, NEVEEN
• Application Number:
  US09/917,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,775 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707100-101, 707/104.1, 707/513, 707/8, 709/217, 709/219, 705/8, 717/146
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/213 with details for schema evolution support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2462 Approximate or statistical queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• 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 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for enterprise application integration that uses “connectors” that can be instantiated via downloading (e.g., using Java® or other such technologies) to provide interfaces to respective disparate database systems. The databases systems may comprise any variety of now or heretofore known systems, e.g. SAP, Oracle, and so forth. The connectors can, for example, translate between a native language (or API) of the respective database systems and an internal language/protocol of the enterprise application integration system. To this end, the connectors can utilize a scripting language to access the respective database systems. Data retrieved from the database systems can be stored in a central data store in the form of RDF triplets, from which directed graphs can be generated for to generate presentations consolidated from the multiple database systems.

Claims

1. A digital data processing method for enterprise application integration comprising

storing, in a data store, RDF triplets representing transactional information received from each of a plurality of databases,

displaying on a browser a markup language document that

(i) generates one or more queries for application to the data store,

(ii) presents, via the browser, content generated from the data store in response to the one or more queries,

where the markup language document identifies user interface components to display said content

wherein the method further comprises:

storing in the data store a query for application to at least one of the databases

applying the query to one or more of the plurality of databases using respective applications program interfaces (“

API”

),

retrieving information from the one or more databases in response to the applied query,

converting that retrieved information into said RDF triplets.

2. A digital data processing method for enterprise application integration comprising

storing, in a data store, RDF triplets representing transactional information received from each of a plurality of databases,

displaying on a browser a markup language document that

(i) generates one or more queries for application to the data store in response to one or more user selections and/or responses to user-input controls specified by that document,

(ii) presents, via the browser, content generated from the data store in response to the one or more queries,

where the markup language document identifies user interface components to display said content,

storing in the data store one or more further queries for application to at least one of the databases,

applying any of said queries to one or more of the plurality of databases using respective applications program interfaces (“

API”

),

retrieving information from the one or more databases in response to the applied query,

converting that retrieved information into said RDF triplets,

responding to an applied query by generating a directed graph from the RDF triplets,

parsing the directed graph and presenting content generated therefrom via the browser.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the parsing step includes parsing the directed graph and presenting therefrom consolidated information plural ones of the databases.