Defining a set of data across mutiple databases using variables and functions

• US 9,372,909 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, BAI DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/748,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,325 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/212 with details for data modelling support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/244 Grouping and aggregation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/278 Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

A method for defining grouping of data, across multiple data sources using variables and functions, may include defining grouping of data corresponding to one or more entities across multiple data sources, using a generic language that relates to multiple entities. The method may include providing access to the data based on Data-Dependent Routing (DDR), using variables and functions defined by the generic language. According to example embodiments, the system may include a user interface to receive one or more statements belonging to the generic language and present data accessed via the one or more statements. The system may also include a processor to execute statements and to provide access to the data. The system may further include a server to host the multiple data sources.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving key data;

receiving a statement belonging to a generic language relating to a plurality of entities, the statement comprising a plurality of variables defined by the generic language;

defining, based on the statement and the key data, a grouping of data across a plurality of databases, the grouping of data corresponding to at least one entity;

providing, based on the statement and the key data and on data-dependent routing, access to the grouping of data, the access to the grouping of data is provided to a user without prior knowledge, by the user, of the plurality of databases; and

providing, using the generic language, access to the grouping of data corresponding to the at least one entity against a plurality of reference points in time.

2. The method of claim 1, further providing access to the data using functions defined by the generic language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of databases use more than one database schema.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the statement defines an arbitrary number of databases, and wherein a syntax of the generic language remains the same when defining grouping of data corresponding to the plurality of entities.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user is provided with locations within the plurality of databases containing the data corresponding to the at least one entity.

6. The method of claim 1, further enabling a user to capture the data corresponding to the at least one entity across the plurality of databases, using the generic language.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

confirming a syntactic accuracy of the received statement, wherein the confirming includes analyzing the grammatical structure of the received statement.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

transforming the received statement into function components, wherein the transforming includes;

turning the received statement into a syntax tree;

identifying a definition embedded in the received statement using the syntax tree; and

identifying a first rule embedded in the received statement using the syntax tree, the first rule mapping to a first database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the definition is an identifier number relating a noun embedded in the received statement.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the definition is identifying based on a received location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first rule maps to the first database and a plurality of other databases.

12. The method of claim 8, further including:

identifying a second rule embedded in the received statement using the syntax tree, the second rule mapping to a second database;

accessing the first database in the plurality of databases based on the first rule; and

accessing the second database in the plurality of database based on the second rule, wherein the second database is different than the first database.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the defining of the grouping of data is based on the definition and the first rule.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of databases includes a database, a third party server, and a data source located in a cluster of host servers.

15. The method of claim 1, further including:

normalizing the received statement by capitalizing each letter in the received key data.

16. A system comprising:

a user interface to receive at least one statement belonging to a generic language relating to a plurality of entities;

the user interface to present data accessed via the at least one statement belonging to the generic language; and

a processor to;

execute the at least one statement belonging to the generic language to define grouping of the data across a plurality of databases, the grouping of data corresponding to at least one entity;

provide access to the data, based on data-dependent routing, using functions defined by the generic language and received in the at least one statement, wherein the access to the data is provided to a user without prior knowledge, by the user, of the plurality of databases; and

provide access, using the generic language, to the data corresponding to the at least one entity against a plurality of reference points in time.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising one or more servers to host the plurality of databases.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a storage unit to store variables and functions defined by the generic language.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is to provide access to the data, based on data-dependent routing, using variables defined by the generic language.

20. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying a generic language relating to a plurality of entities, the machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving key data;

receiving a statement belonging to a generic language relating to a plurality of entities, the statement comprising a plurality of variables defined by the generic language;

defining, based on the statement and the key data, data across a plurality of databases, the data corresponding to at least one entity across a plurality of databases;

providing access to the data, based on data-dependent routing, using variables defined by the generic language and received in the statement and the key data;

providing a user with access to the data across the plurality of databases without prior knowledge, by the user, of the plurality of databases; and

providing access, using the generic language, to the data corresponding to at least one entity against a plurality of reference points in time.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the operations further comprising providing access to the data, based on data-dependent routing, using functions defined by the generic language and received in the statement and the key data.