Architecture to enable search gateways as part of federated search

• US 7,113,939 B2
• Filed: 09/21/1999
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Yaung, Alan Tsu-I, Lee, Taejae, Vo, Mimi Phuong-Thao, Summers, Robert Nelson, Huang, Mei-Ing W., Chou, Kehsing J., Soetarman, Basuki N., Tse, Siucheong Kenny
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, HUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US09/399,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,562 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103, 707/10, 707/3, 707/4, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.X
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An architecture to enable search gateways as part of a federated search supports searching for data in one or more heterogeneous data sources. The one or more heterogeneous data sources are within a computer system. Initially, a request for data is received at a federated data source. From the federated data source, data is retrieved from one or more of one or more terminal data repositories or one or more search gateway data sources.

Claims

1. A method of searching for data in heterogeneous data sources with a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a reciuest for data at a given federated data source; and

from the given federated data source, retrieving data from a plurality of datastores, including;

data from one or more terminal data repositories,

data, with a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more other federated data sources, and

data, without a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more search gateway data sources;

the given federated data source providing a unified schema conceptual view of;

(a) the data from the plurality of datastores, (b) the data from the terminal data repositories, and (c) the data and schema conceptual view from the other federated data sources,

wherein said one or more search gateway data sources is a Domino Extended Search (DES).

2. An apparatus for searching for data in one or more heterogeneous data sources, comprising:

a computer system accessing said one or more heterogeneous data sources; and

one or more computer programs, performed by the computer system, for;

receiving a reciuest for data at a given federated data source; and

from the given federated data source, retrieving data from a plurality of datastores, including;

data from one or more terminal data repositories,

data, with a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more other federated data sources, and

data, without a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more search gateway data sources;

the given federated data source providing a unified schema conceptual view of;

(a) the data from the plurality of datastores, (b) the data from the terminal data repositories, and (c) the data and schema conceptual view from the other federated data sources,

wherein said one or more search gateway data sources is a Domino Extended Search (DES).

3. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps for searching for data in one or more heterogeneous data sources within a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving a request for data at a given federated data source; and

from the given federated data source, retrieving data from a plurality of datastores, including;

data from one or more terminal data repositories,

data, with a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more other federated data sources, and

data, without a schema conceptual view of the data, from one or more search gateway data sources;

the given federated data source providing a unified schema conceptual view of;

(a) the data from the plurality of datastores, (b) the data from the terminal data repositories, and (c) the data and schema conceptual view from the other federated data sources,

wherein said one or more search gateway data sources is a Domino Extended Search (DES).