Automatic instance data mapping generation

• US 7,743,020 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2005
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wells, Keith Allen, Speicher, Steven Keith, Kratky, Jan Joseph, Kelly, Kevin Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moser; Bruce M
• Application Number:
  US11/266,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/102, 707/999.2, 707/999.102, 717/168, 717/172, 717/182
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to create a migration mapping definition based upon computer program changes and use the migration mapping definition to migrate instance data from an older software version format to a newer software version format. A developer uses edit commands, such as mouse commands and keyboard commands, to update a computer program. For example, a software developer may upgrade “Application XYZ” from version 1.0 to version 2.0 in order to include a simpler approach to import images, as well as the ability to import newer image format types. As a developer updates a computer program using edit commands, the edit commands are stored in a migration mapping definition. In turn, the migration mapping definition is deployed, along with the updated computer program, to an end user. The end user then uses the migration mapping definition to migrate instance data generated by the original computer program to instance data that is usable by the updated computer program.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

invoking an edit command tracker for tracking one or more edit commands initiated by a developer;

receiving one of the edit commands initiated by the developer that modifies a first version of a computer program;

updating the first version of the computer program using the received edit command, the updating resulting in a second version of the computer program that is different than the first version of the computer program;

storing the received edit command into a migration mapping definition, the migration mapping definition utilized to migrate original instance data that is useable by the first version of the computer program to migrated instance data that is useable by the second version of the computer program;

deploying the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program to an end user, wherein the deploying results in the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program being stored on a computer system corresponding to the end user;

retrieving the original instance data located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

loading the migration mapping definition into a migration engine located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

converting the original instance data to the migrated instance data using the migration engine and the migration mapping definition at the end user'"'"'s computer system; and

in response to the converting, displaying the migrated instance data using the second version of the computer program at the end user'"'"'s computer system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the converting further comprises:

identifying a first element in the original instance data;

determining that the first element is included in the migration mapping definition;

locating, in response to the determination, a transformer based upon the migration mapping definition; and

generating the migrated instance data using the transformer.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

identifying a second element in the original instance data;

determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition; and

copying data corresponding to the second element to the migrated instance data in response to determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the converting and the displaying are performed using a model-driven framework.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving one or more changes from a developer in response to the developer verifying the migration mapping definition; and

including the one or more changes in the migration mapping definition.

6. An information handling system comprising:

one or more first processors;

a first memory accessible by at least one of the first processors;

a nonvolatile storage area accessible by at least one of the first processors;

a first set of instructions stored in the first memory and executed by at least one of the first processors in order to perform actions of;

invoking an edit command tracker for tracking one or more edit commands initiated by a developer;

receiving one of the edit commands initiated by the developer that modifies a first version of a computer program;

updating the first version of the computer program using the received edit command, the updating resulting in a second version of the computer program that is different than the first version of the computer program;

storing the received edit command into a migration mapping definition, the migration mapping definition utilized to migrate original instance data that is useable by the first version of the computer program to migrated instance data that is useable by the second version of the computer program; and

deploying the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program to an end user;

an end user'"'"'s computer system, wherein the end user'"'"'s computer system includes a second processor and a second set of instructions executed by the second processor in order to perform actions of;

storing the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program in memory located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

retrieving the original instance data located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

loading the migration mapping definition into a migration engine located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

converting the original instance data to the migrated instance data using the migration engine and the migration mapping definition at the end user'"'"'s computer system; and

in response to the converting, displaying, on a display, the migrated instance data using the second version of the computer program at the end user'"'"'s computer system.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the second set of instructions further performs actions of:

identifying a first element in the original instance data;

determining that the first element is included in the migration mapping definition;

locating, in response to the determination, a transformer based upon the migration mapping definition; and

generating the migrated instance data using the transformer.

8. The information handling system of claim 7 wherein the second set of instructions further performs actions of:

identifying a second element in the original instance data;

determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition; and

copying data corresponding to the second element to the migrated instance data in response to determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition.

9. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the converting and the displaying are performed using a model-driven framework.

10. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the first set of instructions further performs actions of:

receiving one or more changes from a developer in response to the developer verifying the migration mapping definition; and

including the one or more changes in the migration mapping definition.

11. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by a first information handling system and a second information handling system:

causes the first information handling system to perform actions that include;

invoking an edit command tracker for tracking one or more edit commands initiated by a developer;

receiving one of the edit commands initiated by the developer that modifies a first version of a computer program;

updating the first version of the computer program using the received edit command, the updating resulting in a second version of the computer program that is different than the first version of the computer program;

storing the received edit command into a migration mapping definition, the migration mapping definition utilized to migrate original instance data that is useable by the first version of the computer program to migrated instance data that is useable by the second version of the computer program; and

deploying the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program to an end user;

causes the second information handling system to perform actions that include;

storing the migration mapping definition and the second version of the computer program in memory located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

retrieving the original instance data located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

loading the migration mapping definition into a migration engine located at the end user'"'"'s computer system;

converting the original instance data to the migrated instance data using the migration engine and the migration mapping definition at the end user'"'"'s computer system; and

in response to the converting, displaying the migrated instance data using the second version of the computer program at the end user'"'"'s computer system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the second information handling system further performs actions of:

identifying a first element in the original instance data;

determining that the first element is included in the migration mapping definition;

locating, in response to the determination, a transformer based upon the migration mapping definition; and

generating the migrated instance data using the transformer.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the second information handling system further performs actions of:

identifying a second element in the original instance data;

determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition; and

copying data corresponding to the second element to the migrated instance data in response to determining that the second element is not included in the migration mapping definition.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the converting and the displaying are performed using a model-driven framework.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the first information handling system further performs actions of:

receiving one or more changes from a developer in response to the developer verifying the migration mapping definition; and

including the one or more changes in the migration mapping definition.