Method and computer program product for managing data consistency

• US 7,480,708 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 01/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Muehl, Gordon, Irle, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger; Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shin; Kyung H
• Application Number:
  US10/328,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/225, 707/100, 707/205, 713/200, 713/182
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for managing data consistency within a network of computer systems. The method includes, in a network, storing tables of level indicators and associated ownership entities in network systems, generating a data item in a first network system, associating the data item with one of the level indicators, and storing the level indicator with the generated data item.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a first ownership entity that is in a first network system, the method comprising:

storing a table that associates level indicators to ownership entities in one or more network systems;

generating a data item and storing the data item in a first system of the one or more network systems;

associating the data item with a first level indicator from the table, the first level indicator assigning ownership responsibility for the data item to the first ownership entity;

storing the first level indicator in the first system as a tag with the data item; and

associating the data item with a second level indicator and storing the second level indicator in the first system, the second level indicator assigning ownership responsibility for the data item to a second ownership entity;

wherein the first and second level indicators assign hierarchical ownership responsibility for the data item to the first and second ownership entities.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second ownership entities comprises a network system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in a second network system, requesting the data item that was generated in the first network system;

receiving the data item and level indicators associated with the data item from the first network system;

searching a lookup table stored in the second network system for the level indicators associated with the data item; and

determining ownership entities of the data item as a result of the search.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second level indicators comprise metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second level indicators represent more than one network system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network systems include an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each level indicator maps to an ownership entity residing in a network of ERP systems.

8. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product being executable by one or more data processing apparatus in a first ownership entity in a first network system to:

store a table that associates level indicators to ownership entities in one or more network systems;

generate a data item and store the data item in a first system of the one or more network systems;

associate the data item with a first level indicator from the table, the first level indicator assigning ownership responsibility for the data item the first ownership entity;

store the first level indicator in the first system as a tag with the data item; and

associate the data item with a second level indicator and store the second level indicator in the first system, the second level indicator assigning ownership responsibility for the data item to a second ownership entity;

wherein the first and second level indicators assign hierarchical ownership responsibility for the data item to the first and second ownership entities.

9. The product of claim 8, further comprising instructions to:

request a second data item that was generated in a second network system;

receive the second data item and a level indicator associated with the second data item from the second network system;

search the table for the level indicator associated with the second data item; and

determine an ownership entity of the second data item as a result of the search.

10. The product of claim 8, wherein the first and second level indicators comprise metadata.

11. The product of claim 8, wherein the first and second level indicators represent more than one network system.

12. The product of claim 8, wherein the one or more network systems comprise an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

13. The product of claim 8, wherein each level indicator maps to an ownership entity residing in a network of ERP systems.

14. The product of claim 8, wherein each ownership entity comprises a network system.