Run-time architecture for enterprise integration with transformation generation

• US 7,930,293 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2005
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hellman, Ziv Z., Israel, Eliezer, Yuval, Tom Y., Yitzhaki, Guy, Fox, Joshua, Meir, Rannen, Schreiber, Marcel Zvi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jalil; Neveen Abel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoffler; Raheem
• Application Number:
  US11/029,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20050149484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,296 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An enterprise application system including a run-time transformation server, and a message broker for routing and transforming data in the form of messages between a source application and a target application, including a plug-in for preparing requests to the run-time transformation server and for processing responses from the run-time transformation server. A method is also described and claimed.

Claims

1. An ontology modeler implemented in a data processing system, the ontology modeler comprising:

a class builder for generating and editing classes within an ontology model, wherein the class builder generates classes within the ontology model by executing computer usable program code;

to identify, by a processor, a first table within a source relational database schema, the first table comprising at least one first column and at least one first row;

to identify, by a processor, a second table within a target relational database schema, the second table comprising at least one second column and at least one second row; and

to map, by a processor, the first table and the second table onto a common ontology model, wherein the first table is a first ontological class within the common ontology model, and wherein the second table is a second ontological class within the common ontology model;

a property builder for generating and editing properties of classes within the ontology model, wherein the property builder generates properties of the classes within the ontology model by executing computer usable program code;

to identify, by a processor, each of the at least one first column as a set properties of the first class, and to identify, by a processor, each of the at least one second column as a set properties of the second class;

a business rules builder for generating and editing business rules involving properties of classes within the ontology model, wherein the business rules generates business rules within the ontology model by executing computer usable program code;

to express, by a processor, dependencies among the set of properties of the first class, dependencies among the set of properties of the second class, and dependencies between the set of properties of the first class and the set of properties of the second class, wherein the business rules are selected from the group consisting of arithmetic dependencies among numeric data, string dependencies among character string data, and look-up tables; and

a test instance builder for generating and editing test instances of classes in the ontology model, wherein said test instance builder includes a test instance builder user interface for indicating values for properties of a test instance, and a test instance validator for validating test instances, wherein said test instance validator checks for inconsistencies with regard to property values of test instances.

2. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein said property builder generates one-to-one properties.

3. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein said property builder generates one-to-many properties.

4. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein said class builder includes a class builder user interface for designating that a given class is one of a subclass or a superclass of another class, and wherein the subclass of a particular class inherits properties of the particular class.

5. The ontology modeler of claim 4 further comprising a dependency analyzer for analyzing an impact of removal or modification of an inheritance relationship among classes of the ontology model.

6. The ontology modeler of claim 1 further comprising a dependency analyzer for analyzing an impact of removal of a given class or a given property on the ontology model.

7. The ontology modeler of claim 1 further comprising a dependency analyzer for analyzing an impact, on the ontology model, of modification of the target or the source of a given property.

8. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein the business rules include a constraint among class properties whose targets are fundamental data types.

9. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint involves a composition of properties.

10. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a regular expression.

11. The ontology modeler of claim 10 wherein the regular expression is an arithmetic expression.

12. The ontology modeler of claim 10 wherein the regular expression is a logical expression.

13. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a text string operation.

14. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a date function.

15. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a time function.

16. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a look-up table.

17. The ontology modeler of claim 8 wherein the constraint uses a branching condition.

18. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein the business rules include an equivalence between properties.

19. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein the business rules include an equivalence between properties and compositions of properties.

20. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein the business rules include a declaration declaring that a designated property of a class is unique, wherein distinct instances of the class have different values of the designated property.

21. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein the business rules include a declaration that a designated property of a class is required, wherein an instance of the class is not valid unless a value is specified for the designated property.

22. The ontology modeler of claim 1 further comprising a display tool for displaying a test instance of classes in the ontology model.

23. The ontology modeler of claim 22 wherein said display tool displays values of test instance properties that are fundamental data types.

24. The ontology modeler of claim 1 further comprising a test instance importer for importing test instances of classes in the ontology model from an external data source.

25. The ontology modeler of claim 1 further comprising a reporting tool for reporting inconsistencies with regard to property values of text instances.

26. The ontology modeler of claim 1 wherein said test instance validator checks for inconsistencies with respect to the business rules.

27. The ontology modeler of claim 26 further comprising a reporting tool for reporting inconsistencies with respect to the business rules.

28. The ontology modeler of claim 12 wherein said class builder generates a class of classes, the class of classes being a class, the instances of which are classes.

29. The ontology modeler of claim 28 wherein properties of a class of classes serve as metadata for the instances.

30. The ontology modeler of claim 28 wherein properties of a class of classes are used for privilege management of the instances.

31. A method, implemented in a data processing system, for building ontology models, the method comprising:

generating classes within an ontology model, wherein the generating classes comprises;

identifying, by a processor, a first table within a source relational database schema, the first table comprising at least one first column and at least one first row;

identifying, by the processor, a second table within a target relational database schema, the second table comprising at least one second column and at least one second row; and

mapping, by the processor, the first table and the second table onto a common ontology model, wherein the first table is a first ontological class within the common ontology model, and the second wherein the second table is a second ontological class within the common ontology model;

generating properties of classes within the ontology model, wherein the generating properties comprises;

identifying, by the processor, each of the at least one first column as a set properties of the first class, and identifying, by the processor, each of the at least one second column as a set properties of the second class;

generating business rules involving properties of classes, wherein the generating of business rules comprises;

expressing, by the processor, dependencies among the set of properties of the first class, dependencies among the set of properties of the second class, and dependencies between the set of properties of the first class and the set of properties of the second class, wherein the business rules are selected from the group consisting of arithmetic dependencies among numeric data, string dependencies among character string data, and look-up tables; and

generating a test instance for generating and editing test instances of classes in the ontology model, wherein said test instance builder includes a test instance builder user interface for indicating values for properties of a test instance, and generating a test instance validator for validating test instances, wherein said test instance validator checks for inconsistencies with regard to property values of test instances.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising:

editing classes within an ontology model;

editing properties of classes within the ontology model; and

editing business rules involving properties of classes within the ontology model.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein said generating properties generates one-to-one properties.

34. The method of claim 31 wherein said generating properties generates one-to-many properties.

35. The method of claim 31 further comprising designating that a given class is one of a subclass or a superclass of another class, and wherein the subclass of a particular class inherits properties of the particular class.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising analyzing an impact of removal or modification of an inheritance relationship among classes of the ontology model.

37. The method of claim 31 further comprising analyzing an impact, on the ontology model, of removal of a given class or a given property.

38. The method of claim 31 further comprising analyzing an impact, on the ontology model, of modification of the source or the target of a given property.

39. The method of claim 31 wherein the business rules include a constraint among class properties whose targets are fundamental data types.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint involves a composition of properties.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a regular expression.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein the regular expression is an arithmetic expression.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein the regular expression is a logical expression.

44. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a text string operation.

45. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a date function.

46. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a time function.

47. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a look-up table.

48. The method of claim 39 wherein the constraint uses a branching condition.

49. The method of claim 31 wherein the business rules include an equivalence between properties.

50. The method of claim 31 wherein the business rules include an equivalence between properties and compositions of properties.

51. The method of claim 31 wherein the business rules include a declaration declaring that a designated property of a class is unique, wherein distinct instances of the class have different values of the designated property.

52. The method of claim 31 wherein the business rules include a declaration that a designated property of a class is required, wherein an instance of the class is not valid unless a value is specified for the designated property.

53. The method of claim 31 further comprising displaying a test instance of classes in the ontology model.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein said displaying displays values of test instance properties that are fundamental data types.

55. The method of claim 31 further comprising importing test instances of classes in the ontology model from an external data source.

56. The method of claim 31 further comprising generating test instances of classes in the ontology model.

57. The method of claim 31 further comprising reporting inconsistencies with regard to property values of text instances.

58. The method of claim 31 further comprising checking for inconsistencies with respect to the business rules.

59. The method of claim 58 further comprising reporting inconsistencies with respect to the business rules.

60. The method of claim 31 wherein said generating classes comprises generating a class of classes, the class of classes being a class, the instances of which are classes.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein properties of the class of classes serve as metadata for the instances.

62. The method of claim 60 wherein properties of a class of classes are used for privilege management of the instances.