Extensible data provider querying and scheduling system

• US 8,122,000 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2010
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vaughan, Christopher M., Yeung, Carlos, Gupta, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): LEROUX, ETIENNE PIERRE
• Application Number:
  US12/959,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: 707/2, 707/706, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/706
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

Embodiments provide an independent layer between an application user interface and various data sources so that both the user interface and data sources can be added to, removed, or modified without affecting the other. The independent layer provides scalability to allow data sources and data providers to be plugged into a system in an easy manner. In one or more embodiments, the independent layer provides a common set of query APIs that can be used by client applications to make queries on one or more data sources. The independent layer then communicates the queries to one or more data providers associated with individual data sources. Queries are executed on the data sources and results are returned back up through the data providers and independent layer for consumption by a client application. In at least some embodiments, the client application comprises a web browser that makes use of the independent layer.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media;

a querying/scheduling system embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the querying/scheduling system being configured to enable one or more applications to access different data sources and have data stored in the data sources returned to the one or more applications;

the querying/scheduling system comprising a data model that is configured to create one or more data providers that are knowledgeable of how to access data stored in an associated data source, at least some of the data providers created on a thread that is a same thread as the data model and

the querying/scheduling system being extensible and configured to enable one or more extensible data providers to be plugged into the querying/scheduling system effective to query one or more associated extensible data sources using one or more query methods, at least some of the query methods being different than a common query method used by the data model to query the one or more extensible data providers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more applications comprise a Web browser application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said different data sources comprise both local data sources and remote data sources.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some individual data sources store data in different formats and are configured to have their own specific access mechanisms of which said one or more applications are unaware.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the querying/scheduling system is configured to enable access to the different data sources by presenting a common set of application program interfaces (APIs) that is configured to be used to access the different data sources.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more applications comprise a Web browser application and said different data sources comprise both local data sources and remote data sources.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some other data providers are configured to be created on a background thread that is different from a thread on which the data model is created.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said one or more applications expose a callback interface that is configured to be used to return search results;

said data model exposes an interface that includes a Query() method that is configured to be called by said one or more applications to conduct a search of one or more data sources;

said one or more data providers expose an interface that includes a Query() method that is configured to be used to query an associated data source.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said one or more applications are configured to issue asynchronous calls to the data model'"'"'s Query( )method.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said one or more applications are configured to include parameters in a call to the data model'"'"'s Query( )method, wherein said parameters comprise one or more of:

a list of class IDs associated with individual data providers that are desired to be queried;

a subject that is utilized in the query;

a number of desired results;

properties of data that is to be returned;

a sort or relevancy order; and

/or

a data model call back which serves as a pointer to said one or more applications'"'"' callback interface.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the data model is configured to produce a query ID that is returned to said one or more applications responsive to receiving an application'"'"'s query.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the querying/scheduling system is extensible to allow data providers to be plugged into the system to access new data sources.

13. A system comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media;

an extensible querying/scheduling system embodied on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the querying/scheduling system being configured to present a common access mechanism that is configured to be used by a Web browser to access different data sources and have data stored in the data sources returned to the Web browser, wherein at least some individual data sources store data in different formats and are configured to have their own specific access mechanisms of which said Web browser is unaware, wherein

the querying/scheduling system comprises a data model that is configured to create one or more data providers, individual data providers being associated with individual data sources and being knowledgeable of how to access data stored in an associated data source, the one or more data providers being configured to receive queries for data from the extensible query/scheduling system, at least some of the data providers configured to execute queries using a different thread than the data model, and

at least some of the data providers created on a thread that is a same thread as the data model.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said data sources comprise both local data sources and remote data sources;

said local data sources comprising one or more of;

a favorites data source, a history data source, and/or an RSS data source; and

said remote data sources comprising one or more third-party search provider sources.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a Web browser and with a data model, a search query, wherein the data model exposes an access mechanism that is configured to be used to access different data sources storing different types of data, wherein said different data sources comprise one or more of a favorites data source, a history data source, and/or an RSS data source;

ascertaining one or more data providers identified in the search query, wherein at least some of the data providers are configured to be created on a thread that is a same thread as the data model;

issuing the search query to one or more identified data providers;

conducting a search query of one or more data sources associated with said one or more data providers, at least one of the said one or more data providers utilizing multiple threads;

receiving search results with the data model; and

returning the search results to the Web browser.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said different data sources comprise one or more remote data sources.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said receiving, from a Web browser, is performed responsive to a search text being entered in a user interface associated with the Web browser.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said receiving, from a Web browser, is performed responsive to an action associated with an interface provided by the Web browser.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said conducting is performed by a data provider executing a particular search query on an associated data source.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said conducting is performed by using an indexing mechanism that executes a particular search query for a data provider on an associated data source.