Data synchronization interface

• US 9,203,923 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Horel, Gerald, Yu, Julie, Truitt, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US10/218,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20030051047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,858 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/219, 709/231, 709/232, 709/246, 709/245, 709/227, 709/230, 345/710, 719/328, 370/469, 726/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/31 Distributed metering or calculation of charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/41 Billing record details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure of call data record [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0164 Billing record, e.g. Call Data Record [CDR], Toll Ticket[TT], Automatic Message Accounting [AMA], Call Line Identifier [CLI], details, i.e. parameters, identifiers, structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2026 Wireless network, e.g. GSM, PCS, TACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/70 Administration aspects, modify settings or limits or counter-check correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7072 Validate charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/96 Distributed calculation of charges, e.g. in different nodes like for mobiles between HLR and VLR, or between the terminal and the billing function
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Systems and methods consistent with the present invention provide an interface to facilitate the communication between systems. A source system translates data into an XML format and transmits the data to a synchronizer interface tool. The synchronizer tool stores the data in a persistent intermediate storage, such as a queue, allowing the source system to go offline or perform other tasks while the data is transmitted to the target system. The synchronizer tool initiates the transmission of the data to the target system. If the target system indicates that it received the data, then the synchronizer tool sends an acknowledgement to the source system indicating the data was received. If the target system does not receive the transmission, the synchronizer tool maintains the data in the persistent intermediate storage and reinitiates transmission of the data to the target system.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing information, comprising:

receiving the information from a source system in a common format;

storing the information;

initiating a transmission of the information in the common format to a target system while retaining the information;

receiving a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

sending an acknowledgement to the source system upon receiving the target system acknowledgement,

wherein the information comprises a command directed toward the target system, and

further wherein the target system sending the target system acknowledgement indicates the command was processed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the common format comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the target system comprises a database and the information comprises data for replication in the database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to receiving an indication that the transmission of information to the target system was unsuccessful, reinitiating the transmission of the information to the target system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein receiving further comprises receiving the information from multiple source systems associated with multiple target systems; and

wherein initiating further comprises initiating the transmission of the information from the multiple source systems to the associated multiple target systems.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a source system acknowledgement indicating the acknowledgement was received; and

removing the stored information based on the source system acknowledgement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the information further comprises receiving the information after translation by the source system from an initial format readable by the source system.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the information from the common format to a final format readable by the target system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the information after receiving the target system acknowledgement.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising directly interacting with a subsystem of the target system to replicate the information in the target system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the interacting comprises initiating the command by direct access to the subsystem of the target system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the subsystem of the target system comprises a database, and wherein the interacting further comprises data replication in the database in correspondence with the information received from the source system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the interacting comprises sending the command to a processor of the target system for execution.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the subsystem of the target system comprises a database, and wherein the interacting further comprises data replication in the database in correspondence with the information received from the source system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the source system and the target system correspond to different relational database management systems (RDBMSs).

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

formatting the target system acknowledgement into a format readable by the source system,

wherein the sending the acknowledgment to the source system comprises sending the formatted target system acknowledgment.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the format readable by the source system comprises an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

18. A synchronization interface, comprising:

a connection to a source system and a target system;

a storage to store information from the source system;

a processor configured to receive the information from the source system in a common format, to store the information in the storage, to initiate a transmission of the information in the common format to the target system, to receive a target system acknowledgement from the target system, and to send an acknowledgement to the source system in response to receiving the target system acknowledgement,

wherein the information comprises a command directed toward the target system, and

further wherein the target system sending the target system acknowledgement indicates the command was processed.

19. The synchronization interface from claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to reinitiate the transmission of data to the target system responsive to an indication that the transmission of the information to the target system was unsuccessful.

20. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the information from multiple source systems associated with multiple target systems, and to initiate the transmission of the information from the multiple source systems to the associated multiple target systems.

21. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a source system acknowledgement indicating the acknowledgement was received, and to remove the information from the storage.

22. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the information received from the source system in the common format comprises information translated by the source system from an initial format readable by the source system.

23. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to translate the information received from the source system from the common format to a final format readable by the target system.

24. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to maintain the information received from the source system in the storage independent of the connection with the source system, and wherein the processor is further configured to remove the information received from the source system from the storage after receiving the target system acknowledgement.

25. The synchronization interface of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to directly interact with a subsystem of the target system to replicate the information in the target system.

26. The synchronization interface of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate the command by direct access to the subsystem of the target system.

27. The synchronization interface of claim 26, wherein the subsystem of the target system comprises a database, and wherein the processor is further configured to replicate data in the database in correspondence with the information received from the source system.

28. The synchronization interface of claim 25, wherein the information received from the source system comprises the command directed toward the target system, wherein the target system acknowledgement indicates the command was processed, and wherein the processor is further configured to send the command to the processor of the target system for execution.

29. The synchronization interface of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to send the command to a processor of the target system for execution.

30. A system for synchronizing information, comprising:

means for receiving information from a source system in a common format;

means for storing the information;

means for initiating a transmission of the information in the common format to a target system while retaining the information;

means for receiving a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

means for sending an acknowledgement to the source system upon receiving the target system acknowledgement,

wherein the information comprises a command directed toward the target system, and

further wherein the target system sending the target system acknowledgement indicates the command was processed.

31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to synchronize information, comprising:

computer-executable instructions, comprising;

at least one instruction for causing a computer to receive information from a source system in a common format;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to store the information;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to initiate a transmission of the information in the common format to a target system while retaining the information;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to receive a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

at least one instruction for causing the computer to send an acknowledgement to the source system upon receiving the target system acknowledgement,

wherein the information comprises a command directed toward the target system, and

wherein the target system sending the target system acknowledgement indicates the command was processed.

32. A method of synchronizing information, comprising:

receiving information, in a common format compatible with both a source system and a target system, from the source system for delivery to the target system, wherein the source system and the target system correspond to different relational database management systems (RDBMSs);

transmitting the received information to the target system;

receiving a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

sending an acknowledgement to the source system that indicates the target system received the information.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the RDBMS of the source and target systems include one or more of (i) different database languages, or (ii) different table formats.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the different table formats of the source and target systems include different field structures and/or record structures.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the common format compatible with both the source system and the target system corresponds to Extensible Markup Language (XML).

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the target system sending the target system acknowledgement indicates the information was processed.

37. A synchronizer tool, comprising:

means for receiving information, in a common format compatible with both a source system and a target system, from the source system for delivery to the target system, wherein the source system and the target system correspond to different relational database management systems (RDBMSs);

means for transmitting the received information to the target system;

means for receiving a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

means for sending an acknowledgement to the source system that indicates the target system received the information.

38. A synchronizer tool, comprising:

a processor coupled to an interface that is configured to;

receive information, in a common format compatible with both a source system and a target system, from the source system for delivery to the target system, wherein the source system and the target system correspond to different relational database management systems (RDBMSs);

transmit the received information to the target system;

receive a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

send an acknowledgement to the source system that indicates the target system received the information.

39. A non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to synchronize information, comprising:

at least one instruction for causing a computer to receive information, in a common format compatible with both a source system and a target system, from the source system for delivery to the target system, wherein the source system and the target system correspond to different relational database management systems (RDBMSs);

at least one instruction for causing the computer to transmit the received information to the target system;

at least one instruction for causing the computer to receive a target system acknowledgement indicating the target system received the information; and

at least one instruction for causing the computer to send an acknowledgement to the source system that indicates the target system received the information.