Electronic data interchange (EDI) data dictionary management and versioning system

• US 8,161,078 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gaurav, Suraj, Machiraju, Surendra
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAM, CHRISTYANN R
• Application Number:
  US11/533,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,036 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/88 Mark-up to mark-up conversion conversion for visualization in web browsing G06F16/9577
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

An EDI data dictionary management and versioning system is provided having reusable EDI building blocks that are stored in relational format. Reusable EDI elements include, but are not limited to, data types, simple data elements, composite data elements, segments and loops. Storage of EDI building blocks is performed such that building blocks of new Schema are compared to existing building blocks to encourage re-use of building blocks, and to avoid duplicating blocks in storage. An EDI data dictionary editor tool is also provided that hides the complexity of an additional type system, such as an XSD Schema representing a TSD, so that only the EDI elements pertaining to the relevant TSD are displayed so that users are relieved from knowing about the additional type system.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating an electronic data interchange (EDI) schema for entry into a data store that stores a plurality of EDI schema as a plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, the method performed by executing computer instructions upon one or more computer processors, the method including:

receiving at least one schema representing EDI transaction set definition (TSD) information, the at least one schema comprising a root node, the root node comprising one or more blocks, and each of the one or more blocks comprising one of a segment and a loop;

storing the at least one schema in computer storage media;

determining whether the received schema is an XML EDI schema;

when the received schema is not an XML EDI schema, generating an XML EDI schema representation of the received schema;

determining a plurality of EDI schema elements that comprise the at least one schema by parsing the XML EDI schema which is one of the received XML EDI schema or the generated XML EDI schema;

for each EDI schema element of the plurality of EDI schema elements, performing a structural equivalence analysis of the each EDI schema element to the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

determining from the structural equivalence analysis whether the each EDI schema element has the same structure as any version of the pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

when the each EDI schema element has the same structure, re-using the corresponding pre-existing EDI schema element by creating a reference to the pre-existing EDI schema element in the data store; and

when the each EDI schema element does not have the same structure as any of the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, adding a new EDI schema element to the data store.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

translating the at least one schema to an extensible markup language (XML) representation of the EDI TSD information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining includes determining at least one of a data type, simple data element, composite data element, segment or loop that comprise the at least one schema.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the structural equivalence analysis comprises abstracting element names such that elements with different names but having similar structures are considered equivalent.

5. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer readable storage media having encoded thereon computer executable instructions for performing the method of evaluating an electronic data interchange (EDI) schema for entry into a data store that stores a plurality of EDI schema as a plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, the method including:

receiving at least one schema representing EDI transaction set definition (TSD) information, the at least one schema comprising a root node, the root node comprising one or more blocks, and each of the one or more blocks comprising one of a segment and a loop;

storing the at least one schema in computer storage media;

determining whether the received schema is an XML EDI schema;

when the received schema is not an XML EDI schema, generating an XML EDI schema representation of the received schema;

determining a plurality of EDI schema elements that comprise the at least one schema by parsing the XML EDI schema which is one of the received XML EDI schema or the generated XML EDI schema;

for each EDI schema element of the plurality of EDI schema elements, performing a structural equivalence analysis of the each EDI schema element to the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

determining from the structural equivalence analysis whether the each EDI schema element has the same structure as any version of the pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

when the each EDI schema element has the same structure, re-using the corresponding pre-existing EDI schema element by creating a reference to the pre-existing EDI schema element in the data store; and

when the each EDI schema element does not have the same structure as any of the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, adding a new EDI schema element to the data store.

6. A computing device comprising one or more computer processors, computer system memory, and one or more computer-readable storage media which have encoded thereon computer instructions which, when executed upon the one or more computer processors, performs the method of evaluating an electronic data interchange (EDI) schema for entry into a data store that stores a plurality of EDI schema as a plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, the method including:

receiving at least one schema representing EDI transaction set definition (TSD) information, the at least one schema comprising a root node, the root node comprising one or more blocks, and each of the one or more blocks comprising one of a segment and a loop;

storing the at least one schema in computer storage media;

determining whether the received schema is an XML EDI schema;

when the received schema is not an XML EDI schema, generating an XML EDI schema representation of the received schema;

determining a plurality of EDI schema elements that comprise the at least one schema by parsing the XML EDI schema which is one of the received XML EDI schema or the generated XML EDI schema;

for each EDI schema element of the plurality of EDI schema elements, performing a structural equivalence analysis of the each EDI schema element to the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

determining from the structural equivalence analysis whether the each EDI schema element has the same structure as any version of the pre-existing EDI schema elements in the data store;

when the each EDI schema element has the same structure, re-using the corresponding pre-existing EDI schema element by creating a reference to the pre-existing EDI schema element in the data store; and

when the each EDI schema element does not have the same structure as any of the plurality of pre-existing EDI schema elements, adding a new EDI schema element to the data store.