Schema-based dynamic parse/build engine for parsing multi-format messages

• US 8,555,262 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2010
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa USA, Inc. (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Singh, Thakur L., Garrison, Sara K., Carlson, Mark, Singh, Kamlakar, Devassey, Shajen
• Primary Examiner(s): DAO, THUY CHAN
• Application Number:
  US12/707,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

A parse/build engine that can handle multi-format financial messages. The engine converts the different format messages into a common format, and the common format message is then processed by the business service application. A parser examines the message and determines an appropriate schema for the particular format of message received. The schema is a data structure in a schema registry that includes a grammar structure for the received format as well as pointers to handlers for converting the different fields of the message into the internal message format using the grammar structure (the “grammar” can include field sequence, field type, length, character encoding, optional and required fields, etc.). The handlers are individually compiled. As formats change, new formats or changes to old formats can be dynamically added to the parse/build engine by loading new schema and handlers.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a processor, for building an output message from a common internal message format object, the method comprising:

determining a schema for the output message, the output message comprising a plurality of fields;

retrieving a plurality of handlers based on said schema, each handler being code for building at least one field of said plurality of fields of the output message from said common internal message format object, each of said handlers being separately compiled; and

translating said common internal message format object into said output message using said handlers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said output message comprises a hierarchical structure of possible fields, wherein said translating is only done for fields in said output message corresponding to fields that are populated in said common internal message format object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each message field included in said schema is identified by an object ID, said object ID being an index pointing to a particular location in said common internal message format object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said object ID is an eight-byte number.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically loading one of said handlers without recompiling the other handlers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a subsequent schema from said translating; and

iterating the process of claim 15 for said subsequent schema on said output message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the schema is determined based on a field in the common internal message format object.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing said common internal message format object by a business services application.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining any fields in said output message that are not in said common internal message format object; and

removing said fields that are not in said common internal message format object from said output message.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining any fields in said output message that are not in said common internal message format object; and

setting said fields that are not in said common internal message format object to null in said output message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said output message relates to an electronic payment transaction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the output message is an ISO 8583 message, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting the output message to an issuer that participates in the electronic payment transaction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the output message is an XML message, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting the output message wirelessly to a client that participates in the electronic payment transaction.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

identifying a first electronic payment transaction processor;

identifying a second electronic payment transaction processor;

determining that the first electronic payment transaction processor is unavailable; and

transmitting the output message to the second electronic payment transaction processor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the scheme determined for the output message corresponds to a message format compatible with the second electronic payment transaction processor.

16. An engine configured to build messages, the engine having executable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium and further comprising:

a plurality of handlers stored in a handler table, each handler being code for building at least one field of an output message using grammar for said at least one field, each of said handlers being separately compiled;

a plurality of schemas stored in a schema table for different types of output messages, each schema in the schema table pointing to at least one of said handlers stored in the handler table and containing a grammar definition for one or more fields of the output message; and

code for a common internal message format object, said handlers being configured to populate the output message with fields from the common internal message format object.

17. The engine of claim 16, wherein said handlers further comprise code for translating a value from the common internal message format object to a format compatible with the output message.

18. The engine of claim 16, wherein a field in said common internal message format object determines a format of the output message.

19. The engine of claim 16, wherein the output message format is determined by a destination for the output message.

20. An apparatus for building an output message from a common internal message format object, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to said processor, said memory comprising instructions that when executed by said processor cause the processor to;

determine a schema for the output message, the output message comprising a plurality of fields;

retrieve a plurality of handlers based on said schema, each handler being code for building at least one field of said plurality of fields of the output message from said common internal message format object, each of said handlers being separately compiled; and

translate said common internal message format object into said output message using said handlers.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising instructions which cause the processor to dynamically load one of said handlers without recompiling the other handlers.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising instructions which cause the processor to determine the schema based on a field in the common internal message format object.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising instructions which cause the processor to determine any fields in said output message that are not in said common internal message format object and to remove said fields that are not in said common internal message format object from said output message.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising instructions which cause the processor to determine an output message format based on a destination of the output message.