Distributed report processing system and methods

• US 7,565,394 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2001
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: First Rate, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ReportEdge, LLC
• Inventors: Collins, Roland E. III, Stewart, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Serrao; Ranodhi N
• Application Number:
  US09/949,304
• Time in Patent Office: 2,874 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/201, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A distributed report processing system. The system includes a management server and a queue server in communication with the management server. The system also includes a plurality of report generators in communication with the management server and the queue server.

Claims

1. A distributed report processing system, comprising:

a management server configured to receive an electronic request from an application server and to generate a plurality of report requests, wherein the application server is configured to permit a user to configure at least one report request parameter including customizing a graphical feature of a report, adding a table of contents to a report package, selecting an account, setting a date on which a report is scheduled to run, requesting a single report, or requesting a report package;

a queue server in electronic communication with the management server, wherein the queue server is configured to receive the plurality of report requests;

a plurality of report generators in electronic communication with the management server and the queue server, wherein the report generators are configured to pull the plurality of report requests from the queue server in accordance with report generation logic including at least one parameter formatted in an XML-equivalent structured data format configured for parsing by the report generators, wherein the report generators are configured in a distributed arrangement such that the report generators create a plurality of formatted output reports in parallel, wherein the formatted output reports are in at least one electronic file, wherein the report generators each have a central processing unit and each of the report generators is configured to operate independently of the other report generators to generate reports simultaneously with the other report generators, and wherein the management server stores the formatted output reports; and

at least one memory device operatively associated with at least one of the management server, the queue server, or the plurality of report generators.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the queue server includes a data storage device, the data storage device having message queue logic.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the report generators includes a data storage device, the data storage device having:

parameter parsing logic;

report generation logic; and

report output logic.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the report generators is adapted for communication with an application database server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server is adapted to communicate with an application server.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the management server includes a data storage device, the data storage device having:

report request generation logic;

report request submission and queue interface logic;

request storage; and

report storage.

6. A system, comprising:

an application server configured to permit a user to configure at least one report request parameter including customizing a graphical feature of a report, adding a table of contents to a report package, selecting an account, setting a date on which a report is scheduled to run, requesting a single report, or requesting a report package; and

a distributed report processing system in electronic communication with the application server, the distributed report processing system including;

a management server configured to receive an electronic request from the application server and to generate a plurality of report requests;

a queue server in electronic communication with the management server, wherein the queue server is configured to receive the plurality of report requests;

a plurality of report generators in electronic communication with the management server and the queue server, wherein the report generators are configured to receive at least one of the plurality of report requests, wherein the report generators are configured in a distributed arrangement such that the report generators create a plurality of formatted output reports in parallel, wherein the report generators are configured to pull the plurality of report requests from the queue server in accordance with report generation logic including at least one parameter formatted in an XML-equivalent structured data format configured for parsing by the report generators, wherein the formatted output reports are in at least one electronic file, wherein the report generators each have a central processing unit, and wherein the management server stores the formatted output reports; and

at least one memory device operatively associated with at least one of the management server, the queue server, or the plurality of report generators.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising an application database server in electronic communication with the application server and the distributed report processing system.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the report generators includes a data storage device, the data storage device having:

parameter parsing logic;

report generation logic; and

report output logic.

10. A distributed report processing system, comprising:

a management server configured to receive an electronic request from an application server and to generate a plurality of report requests, wherein the management server includes a data storage device having report request generation logic, report request submission and queue interface logic, request storage, and report storage, wherein the application server is configured to permit a user to configure at least one report request parameter including customizing a graphical feature of a report, adding a table of contents to a report package, selecting an account, setting a date on which a report is scheduled to run, requesting a single report, or requesting a report package;

a queue server in electronic communication with the management server, wherein the queue server is configured to receive the plurality of report requests and wherein the queue server includes a data storage device having message queue logic;

a plurality of report generators in electronic communication with the management server and the queue server, wherein the report generators are configured to receive at least one of the plurality of report requests, wherein the report generators are configured in a distributed arrangement such that the report generators create a plurality of formatted output reports in parallel in accordance with report generation logic including at least one parameter formatted in an XML-equivalent structured data format configured for parsing by the report generators, wherein the formatted output reports are in at least one electronic file, wherein the report generators each have a central processing unit, wherein the management server stores the formatted output reports, wherein each of the report generators includes a data storage device having parameter parsing logic, report generation logic, and report output logic;

an application database server in electronic communication with at least one of the report generators and in communication with the management server; and

at least one memory device operatively associated with at least one of the management server, the queue server, the application database server, or the plurality of report generators.