Method and apparatus for generating service oriented state data mapping between extensible meta-data model and state data including logical abstraction

• US 7,287,037 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: An, Lianjun, Joseph, Joshy, Maguire, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US10/652,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 2, 707100-1041, 717104-105, 717/108, 717/116, 717/121, 717/123, 717/165, 703/22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating service state data and extensible meta-data information with a service oriented state data generator (SSDG) comprising: establishing a platform independent, extensible meta-data model for the meta-data information; obtaining state data schema based on a service state data description; defining an extensible set of meta-data attributes and templates corresponding to the meta data based on requirements of a service; and utilizing the meta-data model and based on the state data schema and the attributes, generating service state data based on the service state data schema; and The service state data including at least one of: state data, state data logical mapping, state data physical mapping, meta-data associated with the service state data and meta-data model correlations associated with the meta-data.

Claims

1. A method for generating service'"'"'s state data and extensible meta-data information with a service oriented state data generator (SSDG) comprising:

establishing a platform independent, extensible meta-data model for said meta-data information;

obtaining state data schema based on a service state data description, said meta-data model supported with a drag and drop window system wherein a service developer can annotate said state data schema by drag and drop meta-data information;

defining an extensible set of meta-data attributes and templates corresponding to said meta data based on requirements of a service, wherein said defining meta-data attributes includes defining extensible service state data constraints and defining one or more relationships among said state data of a service, wherein said extensible service state data constraints include at least one of;

constraints on mutability of said state data of a service;

constraints on validity of said state data of a service including life time constraints; and

constraints cardinality of said state data of a service;

utilizing said meta-data model and based on said state data schema and said attributes, generating state data of a service based on said service'"'"'s state data schema; and

said state data of a service including at least one of;

state data (temporal or fixed), state data logical mapping, state data physical mapping, meta-data associated with said service'"'"'s state data and meta-data model correlations associated with said meta-data; and

enabling a user to define a mapping between meta-data and state data of a service;

said data mapping including at least one of a logical abstraction of said state data of a service wherein the abstraction holds references to real service instance data, and a direct mapping comprises a direct mapping to state data of a service;

wherein said meta-data modeling provides flexibility in generating said state data of a service by providing versioning, compatibility, and a flexible design process and a standard code generation, and said meta-data modeling is indicative of schema or meta-data for said service state meta-data.

2. The method of claim 1 further including generating code to enable said service to support a query on said state data of a service and notification on change of state data of a service.

3. The method of claim 1 further including generating code to enable said service to provide access mechanisms on said state data of a service.

4. The method of claim 1 further including creating state data of a service from any data definition schema;

wherein said data definition schema include at least one of XML Schema, DTD, RELAX NG custom schema definition languages, derivatives of said schema.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said meta-data models employ a common language including XML or a derivative thereof for describing said meta-data that is extensible to support additional meta-data features.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining meta-data attributes includes extensible service state data qualifiers and:

defining notification qualifiers on said state data of a service to indicate whether a change in said service state data promulgates notification;

defining security requirements on said service state data discovery and notification; and

defining transaction qualifiers of said state data of a service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining meta-data attributes includes defining extensible service state data access mechanisms, wherein said extensible service state data access mechanisms include:

a flexible callback mechanism on said state data of a service and expression through said meta-data;

a data push mechanism for service state data update and expression through said meta-data;

other extensible data access mechanisms on said state data of a service, including direct access to said state data of a service held in a database or direct access to state data through SNMP, CIM, Web services; and

extensible custom template mechanisms for data access based on requirements of a service.

8. The method of claim 1 further including generating pluggable extension mechanisms for meta-data attributes.

9. The method of claim 1 further including obtaining service developer feedback on meta-data generation for said state data of a service;

based on said meta-data attributes.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said service developer feedback is provided through custom dialog boxes;

wherein said service developer can pass parameters to said service oriented state data generator; and

wherein said service developer can provide templates to guide said generating and said mapping.

11. The method of claim 1 further including a service developer creating a relationship between selected state data of a service.

12. The method of claim 1 further including validating software code based on said generating to ensure that said code is compatible with said meta-data model and said state data schema.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said generator is configured as a pluggable framework to facilitate use as an eclipse plug in or included with other user interfaces frameworks.

14. A system for generating service state data and extensible meta-data information with a service oriented state data generator (SSDG) comprising:

a tool set configured to establish a platform independent, extensible meta-data model for said meta-data information;

a the tool set configured to obtain state data schema based on a service state data description, said meta-data model supported with a drag and drop window system wherein a service developer can annotate said state data schema by drag and drop meta-data information;

a the tool set configured to define an extensible set of meta-data attributes and templates corresponding to said meta data based on requirements of a service, wherein said defining meta-data attributes includes defining extensible service state data constraints and defining one or more relationships among said state data of a service, wherein said extensible service state data constraints include at least one of;

constraints on mutability of said state data of a service;

constraints on validity of said state data of a service including life time constraints; and

constraints cardinality of said state data of a service;

a the tool set configured to utilize the tool set configured to utilize said meta-data model and based on said state data schema and said attributes, generating state data of a service based on said service state data schema; and

said state data of a service including at least one of;

state data, state data logical mapping, state data physical mapping, meta-data associated with said state data of a service and meta-data model correlations associated with said meta-data; and

the tool set configured to enable a user to define a mapping between meta-data and state data of a service;

said data mapping including at least one of a logical abstraction of said state data of a service wherein the abstraction holds references to real service instance data, and a direct mapping comprises a direct mapping to state data of a service;

wherein said meta-data modeling provides flexibility in generating said state data of a service by providing versioning, compatibility, and a flexible design process and a standard code generation, and said meta-data modeling is indicative of schema or meta-data for said service state meta-data.

15. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer-readable computer program code, said code including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method for generating service state data and extensible meta-data information with a service oriented state data generator (SSDG), the method comprising:

establishing a platform independent, extensible meta-data model for said meta-data information;

obtaining state data schema based on a service state data description, said meta-data model supported with a drag and drop window system wherein a service developer can annotate said state data schema by drag and drop meta-data information;

defining an extensible set of meta-data attributes and templates corresponding to said meta data based on requirements of a service, wherein said defining meta-data attributes includes defining extensible service state data constraints and defining one or more relationships among said state data of a service, wherein said extensible service state data constraints include at least one of;

constraints on mutability of said state data of a service;

constraints on validity of said state data of a service including life time constraints; and

constraints cardinality of said state data of a service;

utilizing said meta-data model and based on said state data schema and said attributes, generating state data of a service based on said service state data schema; and

said state data of a service including at least one of;

state data, state data logical mapping, state data physical mapping, meta-data associated with said state data of a service and meta-data model correlations associated with said meta-data; and

enabling a user to define a mapping between meta-data and state data of a service;

said data mapping including at least one of a logical abstraction of said state data of a service wherein the abstraction holds references to real service instance data, and a direct mapping comprises a direct mapping to state data of a service;

wherein said meta-data modeling provides flexibility in generating said state data of a service by providing versioning, compatibility, and a flexible design process and a standard code generation, and said meta-data modeling is indicative of schema or meta-data for said service state meta-data.