Synchronizing centralized data store from distributed independent data stores using fixed application programming interfaces

• US 7,484,219 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mitra, Kanchan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US10/301,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20040103098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,259 Days
• Field of Search: 719/316, 719/328, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.Z, 707/100, 707/101
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A data transfer protocol utilizes a set of actions for affecting different objects that are stored in a data store. The data transfer protocol supports a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that are applicable to the different objects. With the APIs, the data transfer protocol may synchronize a centralized data store with independent data stores. The data transfer protocol may support data that is hierarchical while maintaining referential integrity. Node objects may vary from nightly bulk uploads to interactive users uploading or querying smaller portions of the database. The data transfer protocol provides the semantics to carry out these operations with a fixed number of APIs for any arbitrary database. The data uploads may be sparse depending on what the remote data store holds and need not be in serial order.

Claims

1. A method, executing within a computer having a processor and a memory, for updating a central data store that comprises a plurality of objects, said central data store including data-driven behavior that performs actions upon receiving required respective data, the method comprising:

(a) specifying a data schema as a data structure that describes a relationship between the plurality of objects, the data schema being specific to a supported service;

(b) identifying one of the plurality of objects as an object for updating;

(c) annotating at least one action attribute of a plurality of actions to the object of the plurality of objects in order to add an operation that can be performed on a data portion of the object, wherein each action is general such that it can be applied to any of the plurality of objects;

(d) receiving data structured in conformance with said data schema and including said at least one action attribute; and

(e) said central data store performing one or more of said actions for all objects for which said respective action attribute applies based on the relationship described in the data schema.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one action of said plurality of actions is updating the data of the annotated object to which the action has been annotated.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein only data of the identified object is updated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an object of the plurality of objects is a reference object that identifies another object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step is performed using an application programming interface (API), and wherein said application programming interface together with said at least one action attribute carry out said data-driven behavior using received data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least two actions are invoked when said data is transmitted using a batch process implemented based on the application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said central data store includes a fixed number of application programming interfaces.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the application programming interface is selected from the group consisting of a SubmitBatch, a SubmitBatchSync, a FindkecentBatchIDs, and QueryBatchResults.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a first object of said plurality of objects is annotated with a first action attribute and a second object of said plurality of objects is annotated with a second action attribute.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of actions are selected from the group consisting of a None action, an Update action, and UpdateAttributes action, a Delete action, a Replace action, a ReplaceAttributes action, a Query action, and a QueryAttributes action.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the Query action is associated with a QueryTrait attribute, wherein a scope of search identified by the Query action is restricted to the QueryTrait attribute.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of actions are updating actions for updating the data of a plurality of respective objects, and wherein said plurality of actions are performed in batch.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data schema describes a hierarchical relationship between the plurality of objects.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data schema is specified for a firm object, and wherein the firm object is related to a permission object and at least one manager object.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one manager object is selected from the group consisting of a userManager object, a portfolioManager object, a webManager object, a storageManager object, and a statisticsManager object.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the data schema is specified for a user object, wherein the user node object is related to a permissions object and at least one reference object, and wherein the at least one reference object identifies another object.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the another object is selected from the group consisting of a document object and a portfolio object.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein referential integrity is maintained for the at least one reference object.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving a request to delete an object from the data store;

removing a reference object that references an other object and the object to be deleted; and

deleting the object.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising referencing another object that has not been created;

creating the another object.

21. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable actions for updating a central data store that comprises a plurality of objects, said central data store including data-driven behavior that performs actions upon receiving required respective data, comprising steps of:

(a) specifying a data schema as a data structure that describes a relationship between the plurality of objects, the data schema being specific to a supported service;

(b) identifying one of the plurality of objects as an object for updating;

(c) annotating at least one action attribute of a plurality of actions to the object of the plurality of objects in order to add an operation that can be performed on a data portion of the object, wherein each action is general such that it can be applied to any of the plurality of objects;

(d) receiving data structured in conformance with said data schema and including said at least one action attribute; and

(e) said central data store performing one or more of said actions for all objects for which said respective action attribute applies based on the relationship described in the data schema.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein said receiving step is performed using an application programming interface (API), and wherein said application programming interface together with said at least one action attribute carry out said data-driven behavior based on received data.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein at least two actions are invoked when said data are transmitted using a batch process implemented based on the application programming interface.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein referential integrity is maintained for at least one reference object.

25. A data store system that supports synchronizing stored information, the data store system including data-driven behavior that performs actions upon receiving required respective data, the data store system comprising:

a storage device that stores at least one object;

a data structure that represents the at least one object and that is located on the storage device, the data structure having a data schema that is specific to a supported service;

a data transfer protocol interface, the data transfer protocol interface supporting a data transfer protocol, the data transfer protocol interface comprising;

an action module that supports a group of actions that are invoked upon being transferred data structured in conformance with said data schema for at least one said object; and

an application programming interface (API) module that supports a group of application programming interfaces for transferring data, the group of application programming interfaces being agnostic to the type of data being transferred,

wherein at least one action of the group of actions is invoked upon receiving the transferred data.

26. The data store system of claim 25, wherein said group of actions are selected from the group consisting of a None action, an Update action, and UpdateAttributes action, a Delete action, a Replace action, a ReplaceAttributes action, a Query action, and a QueryAttributes action.

27. The data store system of claim 25, wherein the group of application programming interfaces is selected from the group consisting of a SubmitBatch, a SubmitBatchSync, a FindRecentBatchIDs, and QueryBatchResults.

28. The data store system of claim 25, wherein the data store is defined as a data schema.

29. The data store system of claim 25, wherein the data transfer protocol interface further comprises:

a Web Services Description Language service definition module that supports a service and that conforms to the data transfer protocol.

30. A method, executing within a computer having a processor and a memory, of updating a central data store that comprises a plurality of objects, the central data store including data driven behavior that performs actions upon receiving required respective data, the method comprising:

(a) specifying a data schema as a data structure that describes a relationship between the plurality of objects, the data schema being specific to a supported service;

(b) identifying one of the plurality of objects as an object for updating;

(c) annotating at least one action attribute of a plurality of actions to the object of the plurality of objects in order to add an operation tat can be performed on a data portion of the object, wherein each action is general such that it can be applied to any of the plurality of objects;

(d) receiving data structured in conformance with said data schema and including said at least one action attribute; and

(e) said central data store using an application programming interface to deliver said data as a batch to all objects having the respective action attribute in order to invoke said at least one action.