Methods and systems for relating a data definition file and a data model for distributed computing

• US 7,188,332 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Borland Software Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Charisius, Dietrich, Aptus, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nahar; Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US09/839,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,146 Days
• Field of Search: 717/104, 717/105
• US Class Current: 717/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/35 model driven
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/75 Structural analysis for program understanding

Abstract

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool which allows a developer to visually depict an existing data definition file containing data elements and relationships between the data elements by generating an XML structure diagram from the existing data definition file. Using methods and systems consistent with the present invention, the improved software development tool also allows the developer to generate a data definition file from an existing XML structure diagram.

Claims

1. A computerized method in a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to automatically generate a data model from a data definition file containing a data structure with a plurality of data elements, each data element having a name and a definition;

generating a diagram for each data element, the diagrams having names corresponding to the data elements;

determining whether an attribute in the data structure is associated with one of the data elements;

when it is determined that an attribute in the data structure is associated with one of the data elements,

displaying a graphical representation of the attribute with the diagram corresponding to the one data element;

synchronizing a textual representation with the graphical representation so that a modification in one representation is automatically visible in the other representation;

determining whether the data structure includes a reference between two of the data elements;

when it is determined that the data structure includes a reference between two elements,

displaying a reference link from the diagram associated with a first of the two elements to the diagram associated with a second of the two elements;

determining whether the data structure includes a group attribute identifying at least one of to data elements as group attribute member;

when it is determined that the data structure includes a group attribute,

displaying a group symbol;

displaying a first link between the group symbol and the diagram that is associated with the identified at least one data element; and

displaying a second link between the group symbol and the diagram of the data element having the associated group attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data model is an XML structure diagram.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data definition file is a Document Type Definition file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data definition file is an XML schema file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the data structure includes a reference between two of the data elements comprises the step of determining whether the name of the second element is within the definition of the first data element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the second link further comprises the step of determining whether the data element has the associated group attribute.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining whether the data element has the associated group attribute comprises the step of determining whether the group attribute is within the definition of the data element.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing information used to generate the data model in a graphical view file.

9. A computerized method in a data processing system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to automatically generate a data definition file from a graphical representation having a plurality of data element diagrams, each data element diagram having a name;

synchronizing a textual representation with the graphical representation so that a modification in one representation is automatically visible in the other representation;

adding a data element identifier in the data definition file for each data element diagram in the graphical representation;

adding the name of each data element diagram to the corresponding data element identifier;

determining whether an attribute is associated with one of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that an attribute is associated with one of the data element diagrams,

adding the attribute to the data element identifier for the one data element diagram;

determining whether the graphical representation has a reference link between two of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that the graphical representation has a reference link between two data element diagrams,

adding a reference to the data element identifier corresponding to one of the two data element diagrams to reflect a link between the two data element diagrams;

determining whether the graphical representation has a group symbol;

when it is determined that the graphical representation has a group symbol,

determining whether the group symbol is a destination in a first link with a first of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that the group symbol is a destination in a first link with a first of the data element diagrams,

adding a group definition to the data definition file that includes the name of the first data element diagram;

determining whether the group symbol is a source in a second link with a second of the data element diagrams; and

when it is determined that the group symbol is a source in a second link with a second of the data element diagrams,

adding to the data element identifier corresponding to the second element diagram a reference corresponding to the group definition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphical representation corresponds to an XML structure diagram.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the data definition file corresponds to a Document Type Definition file.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the data definition file corresponds to an XML schema file.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of adding a reference to the data element identifier comprises the steps of:

identifying one of two data element diagrams as a source of the reference link and the other as a destination of the reference link; and

adding the name of the destination to the data element identifier corresponding to the source.

14. A computer-readable storage medium containing software instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to automatically generate a data model from a data definition file containing a data structure with a plurality of data elements, each data element having a name and a definition;

generating a diagram for each data element, the diagrams having names corresponding to the data elements;

determining whether an attribute in the data structure is associated with one of the data elements;

when it is determined that an attribute in the data structure is associated with one of the data elements,

displaying a graphical representation of the attribute with the diagram corresponding to the one data element;

synchronizing a textual representation with the graphical representation so that a modification in one representation is automatically visible in the other representation;

determining whether the data structure includes a reference between two of the data elements;

when it is determined that the data structure includes a reference between two elements,

displaying a reference link from the diagram associated with a first of the two elements to the diagram associated with a second of the two elements;

determining whether the data structure includes a group attribute identifying at least one of the data elements as group attribute member;

when it is determined that the data structure includes a group attribute,

displaying a group symbol;

displaying a first link between the group symbol and the diagram that is associated with the identified at least one data element; and

displaying a second link between the group symbol and the diagram of the data element having the associated group attribute.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the data model is an XML structure diagram.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the data definition file is a Document Type Definition file.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the data definition file is an XML schema file.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the step of determining whether the data structure includes a reference between two of the data elements comprises the step of determining whether the name of the second element is within the definition of the first data element.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the step of displaying the second link further comprises the step of determining whether the data element has the associated group attribute.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the step of determining whether the data element has the associated group attribute comprises the step of determining whether the group attribute is within the definition of the data element.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises the step of storing information used to generate the data model in a graphical view file.

22. A computer-readable storage medium containing software instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to automatically generate a data definition file from a graphical representation having a plurality of data element diagrams, each data element diagram having a name;

synchronizing a textual representation with the graphical representation so that a modification in one representation is automatically visible in the other representation;

adding a data element identifier in the data definition file for each data element diagram to the graphical representation;

adding the name of each data element diagram to the corresponding data element identifier;

determining whether an attribute is associated with one of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that an attribute is associated with one of the data element diagrams,

adding the attribute to the data element identifier for the one data element diagram;

determining whether the graphical representation has a reference link between two of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that, the graphical representation has a reference link between two data element diagrams,

adding a reference to the data element identifier corresponding to one of the two data element diagrams to reflect a link between the two data element diagrams;

determining whether the graphical representation has a group symbol;

when it is determined that the graphical representation has a group symbol,

determining whether the group symbol is a destination in a first link with a first of the data element diagrams;

when it is determined that the group symbol is a destination in a first link with a first of the data element diagrams,

adding a group definition to the data definition file that includes the name of the first data element diagram;

determining whether the group symbol is a source in a second link with a second of the data element diagrams; and

when it is determined that the group symbol is a source in a second link with a second of the data element diagrams,

adding to the data element identifier corresponding to the second element diagram a reference corresponding to the group definition.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the graphical representation corresponds to an XML structure diagram.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the data definition file corresponds to a Document Type Definition file.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the data definition file corresponds to an XML schema file.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein the step of adding a reference to the data element identifier comprises the steps of:

identifying one of two data element diagrams as a source of the reference link and the other as a destination of the reference link; and

adding the name of the destination to the data element identifier corresponding to the source.

27. A data processing system comprising:

a secondary storage device comprising a first data definition file having first data elements and relationships between the first data elements;

a memory device further comprising a program that receives a first request to display a first graphical representation of the first data definition file such that the first graphical representation has first data element diagrams and relationships between the first data element diagrams reflecting the first data elements and the relationships between the first data elements contained in the first data definition file, that displays the first graphical representation responsive to receiving the first request that displays a second graphical representation having second data element diagrams and relationships between the second data element diagrams, that receives a second request to automatically generate a second data definition file from the second graphical representation such that the second data definition file has second data elements and relationships between the second data elements reflecting the second data element diagrams and the relationships between the second data element diagrams of the second graphical representation, and that automatically generates the second data definition file responsive to receiving the second request;

that synchronizes a textual representation with the graphical representations so that a modification in each representation is automatically visible in the other representation; and

a processor for running the program.

28. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the first data definition, file corresponds to a Document Type Definition file.

29. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the second data definition file corresponds to a Document Type Definition file.

30. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the program further stores the second graphical representation in a second graphical view file on the secondary storage device.

31. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the program further stores the second data definition file on the secondary storage device.

32. The data processing system of claim 27, wherein the secondary storage device further comprises an XML data structure module that includes XML constructs corresponding to a Document Type Definition specification.

33. The data processing system of claim 32, wherein the program uses the XML constructs to add the plurality of data element identifiers to the first data definition file and to parse the plurality of data elements contained in the second data definition file.