Support for multiple data stores

• US 7,711,818 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Chi-Cheng, Tsang, Andy M., Remahl, Thomas B.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US09/998,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20020143943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,077 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/229, 709/239, 709/225, 709/217, 705/30, 705/14, 705/1
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Technology is disclosed for supporting multiple data stores. The set of data stores can be of a uniform type, or the various data stores can be different types (e.g. Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), Structured Query Language (SQL), etc.). One implementation of the disclosed technology is with an Identity System. Another implementation is with an integrated Identity System and Access System. Various embodiments of the present invention utilize different means to separate the business logic of a system from the data access logic so that different types of data stores can be used without changing the business logic.

Claims

1. A method of supporting multiple data stores for an integrated access system and identity system, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at said integrated access system and identity system, said integrated access system and identity system supporting a plurality of data stores, each data store having a dedicated agent for interacting with the data store and a profile mapping one-to-one with the dedicated agent and representing configuration information for the data store;

determining based on the profiles which data stores can service said request;

creating a temporary proxy with one or more pointers to agents associated with said data stores that can service said request;

accessing data stores that can service said request via the agent for the one or more data stores from the temporary proxy;

reporting via the temporary proxy information based on said step of accessing; and

terminating the temporary proxy.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading data.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of accessing includes writing data.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of reporting includes confirming a write action.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of data stores includes Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include at least one LDAP directory and at least one Structured Query Language (SQL) database.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include different types of data stores.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store; and

said step of reporting includes translating said first data to a first format and translating said second data to said first format.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

prior to said translating, said first data is in a different format than said second data.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein:

said first data store is a first type of data store; and

said second data store is a second type of data store.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store; and

said step of reporting includes combining said first data with said second data.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein:

said first data store is a first type of data store; and

said second data store is a second type of data store.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of accessing includes multiple read and write operations to said data stores in response to said request.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said data stores store disjoint namespaces.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

each said data store stores a different portion of a directory.

16. A method of supporting multiple data stores, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to access one or more of a plurality of data stores, each data store having a profile representing configuration information for the data store;

determining based on the profiles which data stores can service said request, each data store is associated with a separate agent, wherein each agent is mapped one-to-one with the profile for the associated data store;

creating a temporary proxy with one or more pointers to agents associated with said data stores that can service said request;

accessing said data stores that can service said request by communicating with said associated agents via the temporary proxy; and

reporting information based on said step of accessing.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said step of determining includes querying the profile for each data store.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said step of receiving is performed by a database manager;

said step of determining is performed by said database manager;

said step of creating is performed by said database manager; and

said step of accessing is not performed by said database manager.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

each data store is associated with a connection manager for communicating with said data store.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said step of determining includes querying the profile for each data store;

said step of receiving is performed by a database manager;

said step of determining is performed by said database manager;

said step of creating is performed by said database manager;

said step of accessing is not performed by said database manager; and

each data store is associated with a connection manager for communicating with said data store.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include different types of data stores.

22. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store; and

said step of reporting includes translating said first data to a first format and translating said second data to said first format, prior to said translating, said first data is in a different format than said second data.

23. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store;

said first data store is a first type of data store;

said second data store is a second type of data store; and

said step of reporting includes combining said first data with said second.

24. A method according to claim 16, wherein:

said steps of receiving, determining, accessing and reporting are performed by an Identity System.

25. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at said integrated access system and identity system, said integrated access system and identity system supporting a plurality of data stores, each data store having a dedicated agent for interacting with the data store and a profile mapping one-to-one with the dedicated agent and representing configuration information for the data store;

determining based on the profiles which data stores can service said request;

creating a temporary proxy with one or more pointers to agents associated with said data stores that can service said request;

accessing data stores that can service said request via the agent for the one or more data stores from the temporary proxy;

reporting via the temporary proxy information based on said step of accessing; and

terminating the temporary proxy.

26. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 25, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include different types of data stores.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store; and

said step of reporting includes translating said first data to a first format and translating said second data to said first format.

28. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to access one or more of a plurality of data stores, each data store having a profile representing configuration information for the data store;

determining based on the profiles which data stores can service said request, each data store is associated with a separate agent, wherein each agent is mapped one-to-one with the profile for the associated data store;

creating a temporary proxy with one or more pointers to agents associated with said data stores that can service said request;

accessing said data stores that can service said request by communicating with said associated agents via the temporary proxy; and

reporting information based on said step of accessing.

29. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 28, wherein:

said step of receiving is performed by a database manager;

said step of determining is performed by said database manager;

said step of creating is performed by said database manager; and

said step of accessing is not performed by said database manager.

30. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 28, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include different types of data stores.

31. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 28, wherein:

said step of accessing includes reading first data from a first data store and reading second data from a second data store; and

said step of reporting includes translating said first data to a first format and translating said second data to said first format, prior to said translating, said first data is in a different format than said second data.

32. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 28, wherein:

said steps of receiving, determining, accessing and reporting are performed by an Identity System.

33. An apparatus that supports multiple data stores, comprising:

a communication interface;

one or more processors in communication with said communication interface, said one or more processor programmed to perform a method comprising the steps of;

receiving a request to access one or more of a plurality of data stores, each data store having a dedicated agent for interacting with the data store and a profile mapping one-to-one with the dedicated agent and representing configuration information for the data store;

determining based on the profiles which data stores can service said request,

creating a temporary proxy having knowledge of agents for the data stores can service said request;

using said proxy to access said data stores that can service said request via the agents,

reporting information based on said step of accessing, and

terminating the temporary proxy.

34. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:

said plurality of data stores include different types of data stores.

35. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said step of using includes the steps of:

reading first data from a first data store; and

reading second data from a second data store, said step of reporting includes translating said first data to a first format and translating said second data to said first format, said first data is in a different format than said second data prior to said translating.

36. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:

said steps of receiving, determining, creating and reporting are performed by an integrated Identity System and Access System.

37. An apparatus according to claim 33, wherein:

said step of using includes said proxy communicating with separate agent for each of said data stores that can service said request.

38. A system that supports multiple data stores, comprising:

a set of profiles, each profile associated with one of said data stores and wherein each profile represents configuration information for the data store;

a set of agents, each agent associated with one of said data stores and adapted to facilitate communications with the data store;

a temporary proxy; and

a database manager, said database manager in communication with said profiles, wherein said database manager is adapted to receive a request to access one or more of the data stores, determine based on the profiles which data store can service the request and wherein said database manager creates said proxy in response to the request to access said data stores and causes said proxy to be in communication with agents associated with data stores that can service said request based on the profiles.

39. A system according to claim 38, wherein:

said database manager is part of an integrated Identity System and Access System.

40. A system according to claim 38, wherein:

said multiple data stores include different types of data stores.