System and method for translating and executing update requests

• US 7,895,226 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2007
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Koch, Wolfgang M, Liebich, Gunther Albert, Wildhagen, Andreas, Karstens, Jan, Brendle, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly; Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US11/987,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20090144252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9, 707/999.104, 707/999.107, 707/999.201, 707/E17.006, 707/E17.032, 715/751, 715/229, 715/762, 715/963, 715/971
• US Class Current: 707/760
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24528 Standardisation; Simplification
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Methods and systems for converting standardized, structured update requests into native business object commands are provided. The structured update requests may be defined in a business object-specific structured query language (BQL). A BQL engine may translate the structured update request into a command formatted for use by the appropriate business object or a programming interface in communication with the business object.

Claims

1. A method for executing a data operation request in a business system, comprising:

receiving, from a frontend application, a data operation request for an operation to be performed by at least one of a plurality of backend applications, the data operation request specifying a business object, a node in the business object, and a data operation to be performed on data related to the business object node, the data operation request defined in a structured query language as a first query;

extracting identifiers corresponding to the business object, the node within the business object, and the specific data operation to be performed from the first query;

translating for any one of the plurality of backend applications the extracted information into a native command, the native command defined in a format native to the identified business object and the identified node, wherein the identified business object indicates to which one of a plurality of backend applications the native command is to be sent, wherein the translating comprises;

creating a virtual table, each row of the virtual table listing the business object, the business object node, and an assignment of a value to an attribute of the business object node; and

for each row in the virtual table, mapping the entries in the row to parameters expected by a backend application;

sending the native command to the identified backend application containing the business object;

performing the data operation on the data related to the specified business object node contained in the at least one of the plurality of backend applications;

receiving an indication from the identified backend application that processing of the command completed, wherein the indication is in a format native to the backend application;

transforming the format of the received indication into a format expected by the frontend application; and

presenting the transformed indication to the frontend application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping the entries in the row comprises assigning each entry to a field in a native command template.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating an indexed view of data stored in the business object based on the results of executing the command.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indexed view is updated to remove data deleted when the native command is executed.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the indexed view is updated to add data created when the native command is executed.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the indexed view is updated to reflect changes to data caused by execution of the native command.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the backend application is accessed via a client proxy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein translating the extracted information into a native command comprises:

for each row in the virtual table, creating a client proxy command using the entries listed in the row.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the extracted information into a native command comprises:

based on the identified data operation, generating multiple native commands for execution by the backend application to perform the identified data operation.

9. A computer system, comprising:

an input device to receive a structured language query related to a data operation request;

a processor configured to;

extract identifiers corresponding to a business object, a business object node, and a data operation to be performed on data related to the business object node referenced by the structured language query;

using the extracted identifiers to indicate a backend application that contains the business object and business object node from a plurality of backend applications;

translate for the indicated backend application the extracted identifiers related to the business object, the business object node, and the data operation into a native command, the native command specifying the business object, the business object node, and the data operation to be performed in a language native to the backend application, wherein the translating comprises

create a virtual table, each row of the virtual table listing the business object, the business object node, and an assignment of a value to an attribute of the business object node; and

for each row in the virtual table, map the entries in the row to parameters expected by a backend application; and

an output to send the native command to the backend application.

10. The computer system of claim 9, comprising a fast search infrastructure to index data stored in the backend application.

11. The computer system of claim 10, comprising a local client proxy to execute the native command.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the input is in communication with a client application displayed in a portal user interface, the client application to create the structured update request.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a data operation request for an operation to be performed by at least one of a plurality of backend applications, the data operation request specifying a business object, a node in the business object, and a data operation to be performed on data related to the business object node, the data operation request defined in a structured query language as a first query;

extracting identifiers corresponding to the business object, the node within the business object, and the specific data operation to be performed from the first query;

translating for any one of the plurality of backend applications the extracted information into a native command, the native command defined in a format native to the identified business object and the identified node, wherein the identified business object indicates to which one of a plurality of backend applications the native command is to be sent, wherein the translating comprises;

creating a virtual table, each row of the virtual table listing the business object, the business object node, and an assignment of a value to an attribute of the business object node; and

for each row in the virtual table, mapping the entries in the row to parameters expected by a backend application;

sending the native command to the identified backend application contained in the business object;

performing the data operation on the data related to the specified business object node in the at least one of the plurality of backend applications;

receiving an indication from the identified backend application that processing of the command completed, wherein the indication is in a format native to the backend application;

transforming the format of the received indication into a format expected by the frontend application; and

presenting the transformed indication to the frontend application.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein mapping the entries in the row comprises assigning each entry to a field in a native command template.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising updating an indexed view of data stored in the business object based on the results of executing the command.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indexed view is updated to remove data deleted when the native command is executed.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indexed view is updated to add data created when the native command is executed.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the indexed view is updated to reflect changes to data caused by execution of the native command.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the backend application is accessed via a client proxy.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein translating the extracted information into a native command comprises:

for each row in the virtual table, creating a client proxy command using the entries listed in the row.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein translating the extracted information into a native command comprises:

generating multiple native commands for execution by the backend application to perform the identified data operation.