Systems and methods for fragment-based serialization

• US 7,702,637 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ponnekanti, Nagavamsi, Rangarajan, Srikumar, Zwilling, Michael J., Terek, F. Soner, Kalhan, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E
• Assistant Examiner(s): COLAN, GIOVANNA B
• Application Number:
  US11/154,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• Field of Search: 395/611, 395/601, 395/612, 707/100, 707/103.R, 707/1, 707/101, 709/226, 709/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90348 by searching ordered data, e.g. alpha-numerically ordered data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4493 Object persistence

Abstract

A method and system for fragment-based serialization places one or more object members in fragments. Fragments may comprise a header and a payload. A header can provide useful information about the fragment, such as an indication of fragment type and an indication of fragment length. A payload may comprise one or more members of an object. Primitive members may be stored in a Binary Fragment with a record format payload. LOB and FS members may be stored in fragments that have a Value Type field for setting forth additional properties of the fragment. Collections may be stored in a series of fragments, a first fragment to indicate a start of a collection, one or more second fragments to serialize collection elements, and a Terminator Fragment to indicate the end of a collection. Fragment-serialized objects minimize storage overhead while providing fast instantiation and low-cost location and updating.

Claims

1. A method for storing or transmitting a data object made of one or more data members, comprising:

dividing a plurality of sequentially located bytes in a computing device into at least one header section and at least one payload section;

representing at least one data member in the payload section, said at least one data member being associated with a data type, the data type having multiple sub-types, the data type being associated with a value type, the data type specifying a predefined type of the at least one data members, the value type further specifying the predefined type of the at least one data member as one of the multiple sub-types of the data type of the at least one data member, and describing the at least one data member by including at least one attribute of the at least one data member, the at least one data member having a length and having a related data member, the related data member being locatable by locator information;

representing the data type of the at least one data member in the header section;

representing the value type of the at least one data member in the header section, the at least one data member being associated with the value type;

representing the length of the at least one data member in the header section, the length being required in the header section by at least one of the represented data type and the represented value type;

representing the locator information of the at least one data member in the header section, the locator information being required in the header section by at least one of the represented data type and the represented value type;

placing the at least one data member in the payload section in a record format, wherein the record format defines a predictable location for said at least one data member in relation to any other members in the payload section; and

storing the data object with the at least one data member in the payload section thereof and the data type, value type, length, and locator information in the header section thereof in a computer-readable storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data member is associated with a primitive data type.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising representing a payload length in the header section.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

further dividing the plurality of sequentially located bytes into at least one second header section and at least one second payload section, wherein said at least one second header section and said at least one second payload section are located proximally to each other; and

representing location information for the at least one second data member in the at least one second payload section, wherein the location information specifies a location of a location type; and

identifying the location type in the second header section.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing a LOB type data member in the at least one second payload section.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising placing a FS type data member in the at least one second payload section.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising representing a payload length in the at least one second header section.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

further dividing the plurality of sequentially located bytes into at least one second header section; and

marking with said at least one second header section the start of a collection of related data members located substantially proximally to said at least one second header section.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising indicating in said at least one second header section whether the collection of related data members is ordered or unordered.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

further dividing the plurality of sequentially located bytes into at least one second header section; and

marking with said at least one second header section the end of the data object.

11. A computer readable storage medium bearing instructions for storing or transmitting a data object made of one or more data members, comprising:

instructions for dividing a plurality of sequentially located bytes in a computing device into at least one header section and at least one payload section;

instructions for representing at least one data member in the payload section, said at least one data member being associated with a data type, the data type having multiple sub-types, the data type being associated with a value type, the data type specifying a predefined type of the at least one data member, the value type further specifying the predefined type of the at least one data member as one of the multiple sub-types of the data type of the at least one data member, and describing the at least one data member by including at least one attribute of the at least one data member, the at least one data member having a length and having a related data member, the related data member being locatable by locator information;

instructions for representing the data type of the at least one data member in the header section;

instructions for representing the value type of the at least one data member in the header section, the at least one data member being associated with the value type;

instructions for representing the length of the at least one data member in the header section, the length being required in the header section by at least one of the represented data type and the represented value type;

instructions for representing the locator information of the at least one data member in the header section, the locator information being required in the header section by at least one of the represented data type and the represented value type; and

instructions for placing the at least one data member in the payload section in a record format, wherein the record format defines a predictable location for said at least one data member in relation to any other members in the payload section.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the at least one data member is associated with a primitive data type.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions for representing a payload length in the header section.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

instructions for further dividing the plurality of sequentially located bytes into at least one second header section and at least one second payload section, wherein said at least one second header section and said at least one second payload section are located proximally to each other;

instructions for representing location information for the at least one second data member in the at least one second payload section, wherein the location information specifies a location of a location type; and

instructions for identifying the location type in the second header section.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions for representing a payload length in the at least one second header section.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising:

instructions for further dividing the plurality of sequentially located bytes into at least one second header section; and

instructions for marking with said at least one second header section the start of a collection of related data members located substantially proximally to said at least one second header section.