Valid transformation expressions for structured data

• US 7,640,260 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gudgin, Martin, Kaler, Christopher G., Box, Donald F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B
• Application Number:
  US11/299,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 715/513, 715/234
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/226 Validation

Abstract

Structuring a data structure that is of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation, in a manner that permits selected components of the data structure to be optionally transformed while retaining the ability to validate the data structure. The data structure includes information that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur on at least one component of the data structure while still being valid.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method for formulating a data structure of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation, permitting components of the data structure to be optionally transformed while retaining the ability to validate the data structure, the method comprising:

an act of formulating a data structure that includes a plurality of components, wherein the data structure is of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation; and

an act of adding transformation information to the data structure that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur on at least one component of the data structure, such that after the one or more transformations occur, which cause the data structure to be transformed in contravention of the particular schema, the data structure, including the at least one transformed component, is still enabled to be validated with the added transformation information according to the particular schema without modifying the at least one transformed component and even though the data structure having the one or more transformations causes the data structure to be transformed in contravention of the particular schema.

2. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transformation information is first transformation information, the at least one component is a first component of the data structure, and the one or more transformations are first one or more transformations, the method further comprising:

an act of adding second transformation information to the data structure that is sufficient to identify a second one or more transformations that may occur on a second component of the data structure, wherein the second one or more transformations has at least one transformation that is not the same as the first one or more transformations.

3. A method, performed by a processor of a computer, for accessing a data structure of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation, permitting components of the data structure to be optionally transformed while retaining the ability to validate the data structure, the method comprising:

an act of the processor accessing a data structure that is stored in memory of the computer and that includes a plurality of components, wherein the data structure is of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation, wherein one or more of the plurality of components is transformed such that the data structure is in contravention of the particular schema;

an act of the processor identifying transformation information in the accessed data structure that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur on at least one component of the data structure such that the data structure, including the at least one transformed component, is enabled to be validated with the identified transformation information according to the particular schema, even when the data structure is transformed in contravention of the particular schema, and without modifying the at least one transformed component of the data structure; and

an act of the processor validating the data structure based on the transformation information included in the data structure.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the data structure is a hierarchically structured data structure in which any given one of the plurality of components may have zero or more child components that are also part of the plurality of components.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the data structure is a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) envelope.

6. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the transformation information in the data structure that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur comprises an expressed identification of the one or more transformations that may be used without any external information to identify at least one of the one or more transformations.

7. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the transformation information in the data structure that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur comprises an expression correlated to the one or more transformations, wherein the expression may be used with information external to the data structure to identify the one or more transformations.

8. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the transformation information in the data structure that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur comprises an expression of the identity of the at least one component of the data structure, wherein the expression of the component identity implies the identity of the one or more transformations with or without the presence of information external to the data structure.

9. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the transformation information is first transformation information, the at least one component is a first component of the data structure, and the one or more transformations are first one or more transformations, the method further comprising:

an act of identifying second transformation information in the data structure that is sufficient to identify a second one or more transformations that may occur on a second component of the data structure, wherein the second one or more transformations has at least one transformation that is not the same as the first one or more transformations.

10. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the one or more transformations are a plurality of transformations including at least a first transformation and a second transformation, the method further comprising:

an act of identifying a first context for a permitted use of the first transformation; and

an act of identifying a second context for a permitted use of the second transformation.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the permitted use of the first transformation is that the first transformation may be used in one or more stages of existence of the data structure.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the data structure is a message that is subject to transformation at various stages of transmission from a source to a destination, wherein the one or more stages of the existence of the data structure comprising one or more stages of the various stages of the transmission.

13. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the one or more transformations include a transformation category that includes a plurality of specific autonomous transformations.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the plurality of specific autonomous transformations includes a plurality of compression transformations.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the plurality of specifically autonomous transformations includes a plurality of digital signing transformations.

16. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the plurality of specifically autonomous transformations includes a plurality of encryption transformations.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon a protocol configured to include the following acts:

an act of generating data structures comprising;

an act of formulating data structures that includes a plurality of components, wherein the data structure is of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation, and

an act of adding transformation information to data structures that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that occur on at least one component of the data structure, such that after the one or more transformations occur, which cause the data structure to be transformed in contravention of the particular schema, the data structure, including the at least one transformed component, is still enabled to be validated with the added transformation information according to the particular schema without modifying the at least one transformed component and even though the data structure having the one or more transformations causes the data structure to be transformed in contravention of the particular schema; and

an act of accessing data structures comprising;

an act of accessing data structures that includes a plurality of components, wherein the data structure is of a particular type that has a particular schema used for validation wherein one or more of the plurality of components is transformed such that the data structure is in contravention of the particular schema; and

an act of identifying transformation information in the accessed data structures that is sufficient to identify one or more transformations that may occur on at least one component of the data structure such that the data structure, including the at least one transformed component, may be validated with the identified transformation information according to the particular schema, even when the data structure is transformed in contravention of the particular schema, and without modifying the at least one transformed component of the data structure.