Synchronization operations involving entity identifiers

• US 7,523,141 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Shah, Darshatkumar A., Sartor, Jeremie Emilio Marcel Marie, Makismenka, Andrei, Novik, Lev, Shah, Ashish B., Padgett, Neil Leonard
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Uyen T.
• Application Number:
  US11/497,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20080028000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 707/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for identity mapping in synchronization systems. For example, entities can be mapped across various entity stores, such that an entity in one store can be identified with an entity in another store even if such entities are of different types. When entities are being synchronized across various entity stores, new or updated entity identities (and associated metadata) can be supplied to these stores as part of the same operation as that used for supplying changes during synchronization: entities can be merged and associated identity information and metadata can be changed accordingly; entities can be resurrected and new identity information can be created; metadata can be utilized even though entities are deleted, and so on.

Claims

1. A system for synchronizing entity stores, comprising:

a local entity store configured to maintain at least one local entity of a first type;

a remote entity store configured to maintain at least one remote entity of a second type different from the first type; and

a module for synchronizing entities, wherein said module synchronizes one of (a) said at least one local entity of said first type with said at least one remote entity of said second type and (b) said at least one remote entity of said second type with said at least one local entity of said first type, by performing an atomic transaction comprising a synchronization operation, an entity identity operation to automatically update entity identity relationships based on the synchronization operation, and a metadata operation to automatically update metadata stored in association with one or more entities based on the synchronization operation.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said module persists in a programming platform and is accessible via a synchronization application programming interface.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said synchronization operation merges a first entity, including one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, with a second entity to generate a merged entity, and wherein said entity identity operation assigns an identity of the first entity or second entity as a primary identity of the merged entity.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said synchronization operation resurrects a previously deleted entity in one of said local entity store and remote entity store and wherein said identity operation one of (a) assigns a new identity to said previously deleted entity and (b) maintains an original identity for said previously deleted entity.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said synchronization operation deletes one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, in response said metadata operation maintains metadata associated with said one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, respectively.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an application programming interface that is configured for synchronization using said module, wherein said interface provides for selecting said synchronization operation, wherein said entity identity operation performs maintenance of identity mapping of entities in said local entity store and said remote entity store pursuant to said selection of said synchronization operation.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an additional entity store, wherein one of said local entity store and said remote entity store is synchronized with said additional entity store.

8. A method for synchronizing entity stores, comprising:

accessing a local entity store configured to maintain at least one local entity of a first type;

accessing a remote entity store configured to maintain at least one remote entity of a second type different from the first type; and

synchronizing one of (a) said at least one local entity of said first type with said at least one remote entity of said second type and (b) said at least one remote entity of said second type with said at least one local entity of said first type by performing an atomic transaction comprising a synchronization operation, an entity identity operation to automatically update entity identity relationships based on the synchronization operation, and a metadata operation.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising providing access to configure said synchronizing via a synchronization application programming interface associated with a programming platform.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising synchronizing by merging a first entity, including one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, with a second entity to create a merged entity, in response said entity identity operation assigning an identity of the first entity or second entity as a primary identity of the merged entity.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising performing said synchronization operation that resurrects a previously deleted entity in one of said local entity store and remote entity store and performing said identity operation that one of (a) assigns a new identity to said previously deleted entity and (b) maintains an original identity for said previously deleted entity.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising synchronizing by deleting one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, in response said metadata operation maintains metadata associated with said one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, respectively.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising providing an application programming interface that is configured for synchronization using a synchronization module, wherein said interface provides for selecting said synchronization operation, wherein said entity identity operation performs maintenance of identity mapping of entities in said local entity store and said remote entity store pursuant to said selection of said synchronization operation.

14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising synchronizing an additional store with at least one of said local entity store and said remote store.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions tangibly embodied on the computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer executable instructions are executable by a computer to perform acts for synchronizing entity stores, wherein the acts comprise:

accessing a local entity store configured to maintain at least one local entity of a first type;

accessing a remote entity store configured to maintain at least one remote entity of a second type different from the first type; and

synchronizing one of (a) said at least one local entity of said first type with said at least one remote entity of said second type and (b) said at least one remote entity of said second type with said at least one local entity of said first type by performing an atomic transaction comprising a synchronization operation, an entity identify operation to automatically update entity identity relationships based on the synchronization operation, and a metadata operation.

16. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions that are executable by a computer to perform an act of providing access to configure said synchronizing via a synchronization application programming interface associated with a programming platform.

17. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions that are executable by a computer to perform acts of synchronizing by merging a first entity, including one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, with a second entity to create a merged entity, in response said entity identity operation assigning an identity of the first entity or second entity as a primary identity of the merged entity.

18. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions that are executable by a computer to perform acts of performing said synchronization operation that resurrects a previously deleted entity in one of said local entity store and remote entity store and performing said identity operation that one of (a) assigns a new identity to said previously deleted entity and (b) maintains an original identity for said previously deleted entity.

19. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions that are executable by a computer to perform acts of synchronizing by deleting one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, in response said metadata operation maintains metadata associated with said one of said at least one local entity and at least one remote entity, respectively.

20. The computer readable storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising computer executable instructions that are executable by a computer to perform acts of providing an application programming interface that is configured for synchronization using a synchronization module, wherein said interface provides for selecting said synchronization operation, wherein said entity identity operation performs maintenance of identity mapping of entities in said local entity store and said remote entity store pursuant to said selection of said synchronization operation.