Platform for data aggregation, communication, rule evaluation, and combinations thereof, using templated auto-generation

• US 8,402,081 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritone Alpha, Inc. (Veritone Media)
• Original Assignee: Atigeo LLC
• Inventors: Sandoval, Michael, Jonas, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): RECEK, JASON D
• Application Number:
  US12/392,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 707/269, 709201-203
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide platforms for data aggregation, communication, rule evaluation, and combinations thereof. The platform may include three distinct functional layers; a core layer, an adaptive layer and an intelligence layer. Furthermore, the platform may include a data block, messaging block, rule block, or combinations thereof. Generally, the platform may facilitate data acquisition, storage, and manipulation between and among clients and data sources in a generic manner. That is, clients may communicate and make requests independent of a target system or database type. The platform may process the communications and requests in a manner suitable to the target system or database type. The platform may also evaluate rules received from the clients in a manner generic to the client application. Instances of the platform for a given application may be efficiently created using a template-based mechanism. In this manner, the platform may be used to support a variety of end user applications in a flexible, scalable manner.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with one or more databases, the method comprising:

receiving a first call for a target database, wherein the target database is configured to use a first querying language, the call including a command and a payload, the command being generic and not specific to the first querying language, the payload including at least one first method element, at least one first parameter associated with the first method element and a first trigger indicator;

processing the payload to unpack the at least one first method element and at least one first parameter;

calling the target database using the first method element and the at least one parameter responsive to encountering the trigger indicator;

receiving a second call for a second target database, wherein the second target database is configured to use a second querying language different from the first querying language, the second call including the command and a second payload, the second payload including at least a second method element, at least a second parameter associated with the second method element and at least a second trigger indicator, the second method name being specific to the second database;

processing the second payload to unpack the at least second method element and at least second parameter; and

calling the second target database using the second method element and second parameter responsive to encountering the trigger indicator.

2. The method of communicating according to claim 1 wherein the act of processing the second payload occurs after the act of processing the first payload and a same programming interface receives both the first and second payload during runtime.

3. The method of communicating according to claim 1 wherein the act of processing the second payload occurs without recompiling the programming interface.

4. The method of communicating according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an indicator, separately from the receipt of the command and the payload, of a type of target database for which the call is directed;

traversing the payload and a template specific to the first target database configured to use the first querying language; and

formatting the at least one first method element and parameter in a manner dictated by the template to generate the call specific to the first querying language for the first target database.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the indicator comprises a portion of a web.config file.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein the indicator is included in a SOAP header.

7. The method according to claim 4 wherein the template comprises an XML schema.

8. The method of communicating according to claim 4 further comprising:

receiving a second call for a second target database, wherein the second target database is configured to use a second querying language different from the first querying language, the second call including the command and a second payload, the second payload including at least a second method element, at least a second parameter associated with the second method element and at least a second trigger indicator, the second method name being specific to the second database;

processing the second payload to unpack the at least second method element and at least second parameter;

traversing a second template specific to the second querying language for the target database and formatting the unpacked method and parameter according to the second template to generate a second call specific to the second querying language for the target database; and

calling the second target database with the second call responsive to encountering the trigger indicator.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the act of calling the first database and the act of calling the second database are performed by a same engine during runtime.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the acts of calling the first and second database are performed without a need to recompile the engine.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the payload comprises an XML schema.

12. A method for communicating with a plurality of databases, each configured to use a different querying languages, the method comprising:

transmitting a first call including a command and a payload to a data engine, the command and the payload being generic and not specific to any of the querying languages;

transmitting a first indicator of a first target database type for the first call to the data engine, the data engine configured to process the payload according to a first template specific to the first target database type configured to use a first querying language to generate a function call specific to the first target database type, wherein the first template specifies at least one object used by the first target database type and a data format for the at least one object in accordance with the first querying language;

transmitting a second call including the command and the payload to the data engine; and

transmitting a second indicator of a second target database type for the second call to the data engine, the data engine configured to process the payload responsive to the second indicator according to a second template specific to the second target database type configured to use a second querying language, different from the first querying language, to generate a second function call specific to the second target database type, wherein the second template specifies at least one object used by the second target database type and a data format for the at least one object used by the second target database in accordance with the second querying language.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the data engine is configured to operate without a need to recompile between processing the first and second calls.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the first and second indicators are contained in SOAP headers and the first and second templates each comprise respective XML schemas.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to communicate with one or more databases, the computer readable medium storing instructions for:

receiving a call for a target database configured to use a first querying language, the call including a command and a first payload, the command being generic and not specific to the first querying language, the first payload including at least one first method element, at least one first parameter associated with the method element and a first trigger indicator;

processing the payload to unpack the at least one first method element and at least one first parameter element; and

calling the target database using the first method element and the at least one parameter responsive to encountering the first trigger indicator;

receiving a second call for a second target database configured to use a second querying language different from the first querying language, the second call including the command and a second payload, the second payload including at least a second method element, at least a second parameter associated with the second method element and at least a second trigger indicator, the second method name being specific to the second database;

processing the second payload to unpack the at least second method element and at least second parameter; and

calling the second target database using the second method element and second parameter responsive to encountering the trigger indicator; and

wherein the instructions for processing the second payload and the first payload are executable during runtime without a need to recompile the computer readable instructions between processing acts.

16. A system for communicating with one or more databases, the system comprising:

a first target database configured to use a first querying language;

a second target database configured to use a second querying language;

a template memory storing at least one first data template specifying at least one object used by the first target database and a data format for the at least one object in accordance with the first querying language, the template memory further storing at least a second data template specifying at least one object used by the second target database and a data format for the at least one object used by the second target database in accordance with the second querying language;

a data engine coupled to the first target database and the schema repository, the data engine configured to receive a payload for the first target database, load the at least one data template, traverse the data payload and the first data template, format the data payload in accordance with the first data template to generate an executable for the first target database, and transmit the executable to the first target database, the data engine further configured to receive the payload and an indication the second querying language is desired, the data engine configured to load the second data template responsive to the indication of the second querying language and format the payload in accordance with the second data template to generate an executable for the second target database without a need to recompile the data engine.