Data structure versioning for data management systems and methods

• US 8,316,058 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Tse-Hsin Jason, Miao, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel Jr, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arjomandi, Noosha
• Application Number:
  US13/099,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20110208781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 707/793, 706/55
• US Class Current: 707/793
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems

Abstract

In one of many possible implementations, an exemplary method comprises maintaining a baseline data structure comprising a plurality of baseline data records and a base set of relationships between the baseline data records, providing, for access by an external party, a customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records and a customizable set of relationships between the copies of the baseline data records, fixing the base set of relationships in the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party, and defining the customizable set of relationships in the customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a baseline data structure comprising a plurality of baseline data records and a base set of relationships between the baseline data records;

providing, for access by an external party, a customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records and a customizable set of relationships between the copies of the baseline data records;

fixing the base set of relationships in the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party; and

defining the customizable set of relationships in the customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party;

wherein;

the baseline data structure comprises one or more fixed-type map records that represent the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records included in the baseline data structure, the fixed-type map records indicating that the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records included in the baseline data structure are unchangeable by the external party; and

the customizable data structure comprises one or more customizable-type map records that represent the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records included in the customizable data structure, the customizable-type map records indicating that the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records included in the customizable data structure are changeable by the external party.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the customizable data structure by creating the copies of the baseline data records and defining the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records based on a predefined heuristic and on the baseline data structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input provided by the external party; and

modifying the customizable set of data relationships based on the user input to represent a custom set of data relationships.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting at least one difference between the baseline data structure and the customizable data structure; and

updating the customizable data structure based on the at least one detected difference.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the updating includes at least one of:

synchronizing the customizable data structure with the baseline data structure; and

inserting a notification of the at least one detected difference in the customizable data structure.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising propagating an update made to the baseline data structure from the baseline data structure to the customizable data structure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing different users associated with the external party with access to different sections of the customizable data structure based on permission settings.

8. The method of claim 1, tangibly embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

9. A method comprising:

maintaining a baseline data structure comprising a plurality of baseline data records and a base set of relationships between the baseline data records;

providing, for access by an external party, a customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records and a customizable set of relationships between the copies of the baseline data records;

fixing the base set of relationships in the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party;

defining the customizable set of relationships in the customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party;

creating a copy of the baseline data structure, the copy comprising copies of the baseline data records and the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records;

providing, for access by the external party, a second customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records included in the copy of the baseline data structure and a second customizable set of relationships between the copies of baseline data records included in the copy of the baseline data structure;

fixing the base set of relationships in the copy of the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party; and

defining the second customizable set of relationships in the second customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the customizable set of data relationships and the second customizable set of data relationships are independently customizable by the external party to represent different custom sets of data relationships.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the baseline data structure comprises data indicative of the copy of the baseline data structure.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising propagating a change made to the baseline data structure from the baseline data structure to the copy of the baseline data structure.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating the customizable data structure by creating the copies of the baseline data records and defining the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records based on a predefined heuristic and on the baseline data structure.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving user input provided by the external party; and

modifying the customizable set of data relationships based on the user input to represent a custom set of data relationships.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting at least one difference between the baseline data structure and the customizable data structure; and

updating the customizable data structure based on the at least one detected difference.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the updating includes at least one of:

synchronizing the customizable data structure with the baseline data structure; and

inserting a notification of the at least one detected difference in the customizable data structure.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising propagating an update made to the baseline data structure from the baseline data structure to the customizable data structure.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing different users associated with the external party with access to different sections of the customizable data structure based on permission settings.

19. A system comprising:

instructions stored in at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to

maintain a baseline data structure comprising a plurality of baseline data records and a base set of relationships between the baseline data records,

provide, for access by an external party, a customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records and a customizable set of relationships between the copies of the baseline data records,

fix the base set of relationships in the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party, and

define the customizable set of relationships in the customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party;

wherein;

the baseline data structure comprises one or more fixed-type map records that represent the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records included in the baseline data structure, the fixed-type map records indicating that the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records included in the baseline data structure are unchangeable by the external party; and

the customizable data structure comprises one or more customizable-type map records that represent the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records included in the customizable data structure, the customizable-type map records indicating that the customizable set of data relationships between the copies of the baseline data records included in the customizable data structure are changeable by the external party.

20. A system comprising:

instructions stored in at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to

maintain a baseline data structure comprising a plurality of baseline data records and a base set of relationships between the baseline data records,

provide, for access by an external party, a customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records and a customizable set of relationships between the copies of the baseline data records,

fix the base set of relationships in the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party,

define the customizable set of relationships in the customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party,

create a copy of the baseline data structure, the copy comprising copies of the baseline data records and the base set of data relationships between the baseline data records,

provide, for access by the external party, a second customizable data structure comprising copies of the baseline data records included in the copy of the baseline data structure and a second customizable set of relationships between the copies of baseline data records included in the copy of the baseline data structure,

fix the base set of relationships in the copy of the baseline data structure to be unchangeable by the external party, and

define the second customizable set of relationships in the second customizable data structure to be changeable by the external party.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the customizable set of data relationships and the second customizable set of data relationships are independently customizable by the external party to represent different custom sets of data relationships.