State transition logic for a persistent object graph

• US 7,526,501 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Daniel G., Albahari, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/550,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103.R, 707/103.Y, 707/103.X, 707/103.Z, 710/53, 711/3, 711/126, 711141-146, 345/557, 709/234
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or a method that facilitates handling a change associated with a database. An interface that can receive data associated with a change to data via an object graph. A state transition logic component that can maintain the change related to the object graph utilizing a context and a respective set of rules, the context employs metadata to view the object graph with an abstraction of at least one of an entity and a relationship.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates handling a change associated with a database, comprising at least a processor executing the following components:

an interface that receives data associated with a change to an object graph that is a cached view of the database; and

a state transition logic component that maintains the change related to the object graph utilizing a context and a respective set of rules, wherein a rules component enforces the following set of rules to the object graph;

     1) a detached object cannot be related to a non-detached object; and

     2) a deleted object cannot be related to a non-deleted object, the context employs metadata to view the object graph with an abstraction of at least one of an entity or a relationship.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

the entity is a real-world object with independent existence and is an instance of the entity type;

or the relationship is an instance of the relationship type and expresses a linkage between instances of two or more entity types.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an association relationship that models and implements a peer-to-peer relationship between at least two entities.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a containment relationship that models and implements a parent-child relationship between at least two entities.

5. The system of claim 1, the object graph utilizes a buffer to tabulate the change, such change is maintained by the context.

6. The system of claim 1, the change is at least one of flushed to the database or discarded.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising the rules component employs at least one of the following operations:

1) add an object;

     2) delete object;

     3) accept change;

or

     4) reject change.

8. The system of claim 7, the operation add an object is implemented to at least one of the following:

an object that is detached;

an object that is already added;

an object that is unchanged/modified;

or an object that is deleted.

9. The system of claim 7, the operation delete object is implemented to at least one of the following:

an object that is unchanged/modified;

or an object that is in a state of at least one of added, deleted, or detached.

10. The system of claim 7, further including a transitive add operation that provides a creation of a relationship between a detached object and a non-detached object which transitions the detached object to an added state.

11. The system of claim 7, further including a child deletion operation that provides a deletion of a relationship in a parent-child relationship will delete the child.

12. The system of claim 7, further including a re-parenting relationship operation that provides a creation of a new parent-child relationship to a child object which participates in an existing parent-child relationship, the existing parent-child relationship is cauterized based on the creation of the new parent-child relationship.

13. The system of claim 7, further including a re-adding deleted object operation that provides at least one of an addition of a deleted object to a context, or an addition of a deleted object via a relationship that transitions the object back to an unchanged state.

14. The system of claim 1, the state transition logic component utilizes an object state transition with the following states:

an added state;

a detached state;

a deleted state, an unchanged state; and

a modified state.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising the following:

an accept between the added state and the unchanged state;

at least one of a modify, an accept, or a reject between the unchanged state and the modified state;

at least one of a delete and an add between the added state and the detached state;

an accept between the detached state and the deleted state;

at least one of an add, a reject, and a delete between the unchanged state and the deleted state;

or a delete between the deleted state and the modified state.

16. A computer-implemented method that facilitates maintaining a manipulation associated with data, comprising:

receiving data associated with a change to an object graph related to a database, wherein the change to the object graph is executed by a processor; and

maintaining and handling the change to the object graph utilizing a context and respective set of rules, wherein the rules are

     1) a detached object cannot be related to a non-detached object; and

     2) a deleted object cannot be related to a non-deleted object, the context employs metadata to view the object graph with an abstraction of at least one of an entity or a relationship.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising employing at least one of the following operations:

1) add an object;

     2) delete object;

     3) accept change;

     4) reject change.

18. A computer-implemented system that facilitates maintaining a manipulation associated with data, comprising the following components stored in computer memory and executable by a processor:

means for receiving data associated with a change to data in a database via an object graph executed by a processor, the object graph is a cached view of the database; and

means for maintaining the change related to the object graph utilizing a processor, a context and a respective set of rules, wherein the rules are

     1) a detached object cannot be related to a non-detached object; and

     2) a deleted object cannot be related to a non-deleted object, the context employs metadata to view the object graph with an abstraction of at least one of an entity or a relationship.