Enterprise link for a software database

• US 7,454,423 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Powers, Craig R., Gardner, Kenneth C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N
• Application Number:
  US10/237,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20040049477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/1, 707/100, 707/2, 707/3, 707/203, 707/103.X, 707/104.1, 709/232, 709/200, 709/203, 709/224, 709/231, 709/246, 709/220, 709/223, 709/310, 709/315, 705/40, 705/35, 370/351, 726/8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

An enterprise link for a software database is coupled to existing enterprise systems within an organization and also to an active data cache. The enterprise link contains an active designer whereby a user is able to create one or more data flow definitions on how to operate on data stored in the enterprise systems as the data in those systems changes. The transformed data is transmitted to a data flow service in the enterprise link in real-time where it is made available to end-users in the active data cache.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least two enterprise applications installed in sites across an organization;

an enterprise link coupled to the at least two enterprise applications over a network, the enterprise link configured for real-time integration of disparate data from the at least two enterprise applications, the enterprise link continuously accepting data feeds from the at least two enterprise applications, and reformatting, synchronizing, and consolidating the disparate data;

a data flow service coupled to the at least two enterprise applications and the enterprise link, the data flow service containing data flow plans for processing the disparate data received from the at least two enterprise applications through to the enterprise link in real-time, as soon as the data appears; and

a data cache coupled to receive and store the reformatted, synchronized, and consolidated data from the enterprise link, wherein changes to the data in the data cache occur at a rate substantially matched with real-time data changes occurring in the at least two enterprise applications.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a message queuing system to enable the at least two enterprise applications to exchange data.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the message queueing system comprises a message queue server, the at least two enterprise applications being coupled to the message queue server over the network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the enterprise link is configured to continuously accept data from the message queue server.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the data is transmitted through the network to the enterprise link from the at least two enterprise applications in real-time via Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) requests.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the data is transmitted through the network to the enterprise link from the at least two enterprise applications in real-time via Application Programming Interface (API) calls.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the data is transmitted through the network to the enterprise link from the at least two enterprise applications in real-time via Web Service calls.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a designer component to create one or more lists of data flow plans, the data flow plans determining how to operate on the data received by the enterprise link.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a message queueing system to enable the at least two enterprise applications to exchange information.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the message queueing system comprises a message queue server, the at least two enterprise applications being coupled to the message queue server over the network.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the enterprise link is further operable to replicate existing metadata in the at least two enterprise applications.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting data from an enterprise computing runtime environment that includes at least two enterprise applications to an enterprise link, the data being transmitted through to the enterprise link via a network connection as soon as the data appears in the enterprise computing runtime environment;

integrating the data by the enterprise link immediately upon receiving the data from the enterprise computing runtime environment, the integrating including transforming the data in accordance with a set of data flow definitions that specify operations to be performed on the data;

transmitting the integrated data to an active data cache that stores the integrated data, wherein data changes occur in the active data cache at a rate synchronous with real-time data changes occurring in the enterprise computing runtime environment; and

making the integrated data stored in the active data cache accessible to an end-user via a user interface at the rate.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the transforming comprises reformatting the data so as to be compatible with a specific format.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the transforming comprises synchronizing the data.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the data is transmitted from the enterprise computing runtime environment to the enterprise link utilizing a message queueing system.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the data is transmitted from the enterprise computing runtime environment to the enterprise link via Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) requests.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the data is transmitted from the enterprise computing runtime environment to the enterprise link via Application Programming Interface (API) calls.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the data is transmitted from the enterprise computing runtime environment to the enterprise link via Web Service calls.

19. A method comprising:

transmitting data generated responsive to an event occurring in an enterprise system of an organization to an enterprise link through a message queuing system as soon as the data is generated, the enterprise system including at least two enterprise applications;

transforming the data by a data flow service in the enterprise link in accordance with a set of data flow plans that specify one or more data operations, the transforming commencing immediately upon receiving the data from the enterprise system, the transforming producing one or more data sets;

transmitting the one or more data sets to a data cache as soon as the one or more data sets are produced in the enterprise link;

storing the one or more data sets in the data cache, data changes occurring in the data cache at a rate that substantially matches real-time data generation in the enterprise system;

providing user accessibility to the data stored in the data cache as the data changes in real-time in the data cache.