Methods and apparatus for enterprise application integration

• US 7,831,604 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Objectstore Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Amir Azmi, Ashok Kumar, Chandra Bajpai, Colin P. Britton, Noah W. Kaufman, Robert F. Angelo
• Inventors: Azmi, Amir, Kumar, Ashok, Angelo, Robert F., Britton, Colin P., Kaufman, Noah W., Bajpai, Chandra
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casanova; Jorge A
• Application Number:
  US11/927,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/4, 707/104, 707/736, 707/755, 707/999.002, 707/999.004, 707/999.204
• US Class Current: 707/755
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/213 with details for schema evolution support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/214 Database migration support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2462 Approximate or statistical queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method for enterprise application integration that uses “connectors” that can be instantiated via downloading (e.g., using Java® or other such technologies) to provide interfaces to respective disparate database systems. The databases systems may comprise any variety of now or heretofore known systems, e.g. SAP, Oracle, and so forth. The connectors can, for example, translate between a native language (or API) of the respective database systems and an internal language/protocol of the enterprise application integration system. To this end, the connectors can utilize a scripting language to access the respective database systems. Data retrieved from the database systems can be stored in a central data store in the form of RDF triplets, from which directed graphs can be generated for to generate presentations consolidated from the multiple database systems.

Claims

1. A digital data processing method for enterprise application integration comprising:

A. electronically downloading to one or more digital data processors functionality that effects information transfers between a first database and a second database and between the first database and a third database,

B. executing the functionality on the one or more digital data processors to effect transferring information between the first database and the second database, the transferring step including at least;

(i) receiving information from the second database using an application program interface (“

API”

) associated therewith,

(ii) transforming at least some of the information received from the second database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets, and

(iii) transmitting those RDF triplets to the first database;

C. executing the functionality on the one or more digital data processors to effect transferring information between the first database and the third database, the transferring step including at least;

(i) receiving the information from the third database using an application program interface (“

API”

) different than the API associated with the second database,

(ii) transforming at least some of the information received from the third database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets, and

(iii) transmitting those RDF triplets to the first database;

D. wherein the first database stores the RDF triplets from the second and third databases for query, for coalescence, or for use in generating directed graphs that can be analyzed to discern answers to queries for information reflected by the RDF triplets and originating from any of the second and third databases.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the information transferred between the first database and the second database comprises requests for data and responses thereto.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the step of transferring information between the first database and the second database includes at least:

(i) transmitting one or more requests for data to the second database,

(ii) receiving one or more responses from the second database using an application program interface (“

API”

),

(iii) transforming the one or more responses from the second database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets, and

(iv) transmitting those RDF triplets to the first database.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the information transferred between the first database and the third database comprises requests for data and responses thereto.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step of transferring information between the first database and the third database includes at least:

(i) transmitting one or more requests for data to the third database,

(ii) receiving one or more responses from the third database using an application program interface (“

API”

) different than the API used by the second database,

(iii) transforming the one or more responses from the third database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets, and

(iv) transmitting those RDF triplets to the first database.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the RDF triplets have objects through which related predicates and subjects can be referenced.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the RDF triplets have objects that comprise any of a literal or an identifier.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the RDF triplets represent any of marketing information or an e-commerce or other transaction.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the functionality comprises a servlet executing within a virtual machine environment in the digital data processor.

10. A digital data processing method for enterprise application integration comprising:

A. electronically downloading to one or more digital data processors functionality that effects information transfers between a first database and a second database and between the first database and a third database,

B. storing a query for application to at least one of the second database and third database,

C. executing the functionality on the one or more digital data processors to effect transferring information between the first database and the second database, the transferring step including;

(i) applying a query to the second database using an application program interface (“

API”

) associated therewith,

(ii) receiving information from the second database using the API in response to the query,

(iii) transforming at least some of the information received from the second database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets,

(iv) caching said RDF triplets for subsequent transfer to the first database,

(v) transmitting the RDF triplets to the first database;

D. executing the functionality on the one or more digital data processors to effect transferring information between the first database and the third database, the transferring step including;

(i) applying a query to the third database using an application program interface

(“

API”

) associated therewith and different than the API used by the second database,

(ii) receiving information from the third database using the API of the third database in response to the query,

(iii) transforming at least some of the information received from the third database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets,

(iv) caching the RDF triplets for subsequent transfer to the first database,

(v) transmitting the RDF triplets to the first database,

E. wherein the first database stores the RDF triplets from the second and third databases for query, coalescence, or for use in generating directed graphs that can be analyzed to discern answers to queries for information reflected by the RDF triplets and originating from any of the second and third databases.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the RDF triplets include at least one of:

a subject that comprises any of a literal value, reference value and uniform identification number (“

URI”

),

a predicate that comprises a URI such that related data being transferred between the first and second databases is represented by URI'"'"'s in a hierarchical ordering,

an object that relates a predicate and subject comprising any of a literal or identifier.

12. A digital data processing method for enterprise application integration comprising:

A. electronically downloading to one or more digital data processors functionality that effects information transfers between a first database and a second database,

B. executing the functionality on the one or more digital data processors to effect transferring information between the first database and the second database, the transferring step including at least;

(i) originating, with the one or more digital data processors, one or more requests for data,

(ii) storing, with the one or more digital data processors, one or more requests for data,

(iii) applying to the second database, using the one or more digital data processors and an application program interface (“

API”

) associated with the second database, the one or more requests originated by the one or more digital data processors and/or the one or more requests stored by the one or more digital data processors, and

(iv) re-applying to the second database, using the one or more digital data processors and the API associated with the second database, the one or more requests originated by the one or more digital data processors and/or the one or more requests stored by the one or more digital data processors,

(v) receiving one or more responses from the second database to the one or more requests from any of steps (iii) and (iv),

(vi) transforming the one or more responses received from the second database into resource definition format (“

RDF”

) triplets, and

(vii) transmitting the RDF triplets to the first database,

wherein the first database stores the RDF triplets from the second database for query, coalescence, or for use in generating directed graphs that can be analyzed to discern answers to queries for information reflected by the RDF triplets and originating from at least the second database.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more stored requests for data are received by the one or more digital data processors from the first database.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the transferring step further includes translating the one or more responses from the API of the second database to a protocol associated with the first database.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the RDF triplets have subjects that comprise any of a literal value, reference value and uniform resource identifier (“

URI”

).

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the RDF triplets have predicates that comprise a URI, such that related data being transferred between the first and second databases and/or between the first and third databases is represented by URIs in a hierarchical ordering.