Streaming conversion

• US 7,925,556 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2004
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Duncan, Randall L., Whipple, Stephen D., Oxler, Kenneth L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Colbert; Ella
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson; John A
• Application Number:
  US10/781,377
• Time in Patent Office: 2,610 Days
• Field of Search: 705/40, 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A system for streaming conversion of data from a first system to a second system. The system comprises an extractor component, a translator component, and a loader component. The extractor component is operable to extract a unit of data from the first system. The translator component is operable to convert the unit of data from a first data format compatible with the first system to a second data format compatible with the second system. The loader component is operable to load the unit of data converted to the second data format into the second system, the extractor, the translator, and loader components operable for conversion of the unit of data during normal operation of the first and second systems.

Claims

1. A system for streaming conversion of data from a first system to a second system, comprising:

an extractor component that extracts a unit of data from a data store associated with the first system;

a translator component that converts the unit of data from a first data format compatible with the first system to a second data format compatible with the second system;

a loader component that loads the unit of data converted to the second data format into a data store associated with the second system, and the extractor, the translator, and loader components convert the unit of data during normal operation of the first and second systems, wherein the normal operation comprises operating, by a component other than the extractor component, the translator component, and the loader component, on data from the first system other than the unit of data from the first system during the conversion of the unit of data from the first data format to the second data format, and wherein the extractor, translator, and loader components extract, convert, and load generally in parallel; and

a conversion database that maintains a schedule table comprising information indicating the time each of multiple units of data in the data store associated with the first system are to be converted; and

a master controller that instructs the extractor component to extract the unit of data from the data store associated with the first system based on the information in the schedule table.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the extractor component reads the unit of data from the first system to extract the data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unit of data is further defined as an account having a portion of data in a first file and a portion of data in a second file, both the first and second files associated with the first system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unit of data is identified in the first system as converted to the second system after the loader component loads the unit of data into the second system.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a hierarchy component that translates a hierarchy associated with the unit of data from the first data format to the second data format.

6. A method of streaming conversion of data from a first system to a second system, comprising:

extracting a unit of data from a database associated with the first system;

translating the unit of data from a first format accessible by the first system to a second format accessible by the second system;

loading the translated unit of data into a database associated with the second system;

normally accessing data other than the unit of data from the first and second systems, wherein normally accessing comprises at least one other system accessing data other than the unit of data during the extraction, translation, and loading of the unit of data and, wherein the extracting, translating, and loading are performed generally in parallel; and

instructing, by a master controller, to extract the unit of data from the database associated with the first system based on a schedule table that indicates a time each of multiple units of data in the database associated with the first system are to be converted.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

extracting a second unit of data from the database associated with the first system while translating the unit of data; and

translating the second unit of data from the first format to the second format while loading the unit of data into the database associated with the second system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second systems are defined as billing systems.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first system is further defined as a legacy billing system.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising locking the unit of data in the database associated with the first system to restrict access to the unit of data during the extracting, translating, and loading.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating an auditing component regarding a status of conversion of the unit of data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising notifying a data warehouse that the unit of data has been converted to the second system.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the first system is further defined as a first billing system, the second system is further defined as a second billing system, and the unit of data is at least a portion of a customer account, and wherein the method further comprises:

extracting unbilled usage related to the customer account from the first billing system;

updating, for other systems, the location of the customer account to the second billing system;

posting, by one of the other systems, unbilled usage related to the customer account to the first billing system after updating the location of the customer account to the second billing system;

extracting the subsequently posted unbilled usage from the first billing system;

comparing the unbilled usage from the second billing system to the unbilled usage extracted from the first billing system to identify new unbilled usage related to the customer account; and

loading the new unbilled usage to the second billing system.

14. A system for streaming conversion of data, comprising:

a first system having data in a first format;

a second system having data in a second format;

a data warehouse in communication with the first and second systems and that stores portions of data from the first and second systems;

an auditing system that monitors changes to data in the first and second systems;

an enterprise system maintaining standards related to data in the first and second systems;

an extractor component that extracts a unit of data from the first system;

a translator component that converts the unit of data from the first format compatible with the first system to the second format compatible with the second system;

a loader component that loads the unit of data converted to the second format into the second system, and the extractor, the translator, and the loader components extract, convert, and load the unit of data during normal operation of the first and second systems, wherein the normal operation comprises operating on a second unit of the data from the first system during the conversion of the unit of data from the first system, wherein the extractor, translator, and loader components extract, translate, and load generally in parallel, and wherein the loader component instructs the first system to close the unit of data in the first format to prevent access to the unit of data in the first format after the unit of data converted to the second format has been successfully loaded;

an audit component that notifies the audit system regarding the conversion of the unit of data;

a master controller that blocks access to the unit of data during the conversion process; and

a warehouse component that notifies the data warehouse regarding the conversion of the unit of data to the second system.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a controller that parallelizes conversion of the unit of data by directing the extractor component, the translator component, and the loader component.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the audit component and the warehouse component are operably coupled to the controller.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a hierarchy component in communication with the controller and that translates hierarchy information related to the single customer.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the controller promotes locking only a portion of data of the first system related to the unit of data such that the first system operates with the second portion of the data of the first system during the conversion of the unit of data to the second system.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second portion of data of the first system is further defined as the data of the first system other than the unit of data.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and second systems are further defined as billing systems and wherein the unit of data is further defined as account information for a customer.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the unit of data is further defined as account information for a single customer.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the unit of data comprises billing history for a single customer.

23. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a plurality of extractor components, wherein each extractor unit of the plurality of extractor components extracts separate units of data from the first system and writes the extracted units of data to a file;

a plurality of translator components, wherein each translator component of the plurality of translator components reads one of the units of data from the file and converts the unit of data from the first format compatible with the first system to the second format compatible with the second system; and

a queue used by the plurality of extractors and plurality of translators that coordinates the extraction and translation of the units of data.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the unit of data comprises billing history for a single customer.