Routing order lookups

• US 9,489,425 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasantham, Madhavan Kandhadai, Tyagarajan, Mahesh, Sreedhararaj, Sreekanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Hasan, Syed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/230,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20150278308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to methods, systems, and computer program products for routing order lookups. Order data from order management system database is synchronized to an order cache. When an order lookup is received, a business layer determines if the cache can appropriately service the order lookup. If so, the business layer routes the order lookup to the cache. Otherwise, the business layer routes the order lookup to the order management system database. In some embodiments, order lookups configured to impact state of the order management system database (e.g., that write or change order data) are routed to the order management system database. In these same embodiments, order lookups configured to not impact state of the order management system database (e.g., that read order data) are routed to the cache.

Claims

1. At a computer system, the computer system comprising one or more processors and system memory, the computer system communicatively coupled to an order database for a retailer and to an order database cache, the order database comprising order data for a plurality of customer orders, the order database cache comprising the order data synchronized from the order database, a method for routing an order lookup, the method comprising:

synchronizing the order data from the order database to the order database cache by converting the order data from a relational database management system to a format based on attribute-value pairs;

receiving the order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of the order data associated with a customer order of the plurality of customer orders;

a processor determining an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, the characteristics comprising the database command type indicated and the portion of the order data indicated, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receiving the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source, the portion of the order data indicated responsive to the order lookup from the requesting computer system; and

returning the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to not change state at the order database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

determining the appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on the characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database cache is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database cache.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to change state at the order database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

determining the appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on the characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source comprises receiving back a list of order numbers; and

returning the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system comprises returning the list of order numbers to the requesting computer system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an other order lookup from the requesting computer system, the other order lookup requesting additional order detail for an order of the plurality of customer orders, the order of the plurality of customer orders corresponding to an order number in the list of order numbers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the processor determining another appropriate data source to service the other order lookup based on characteristics of the other order lookup.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to not change state at the order database;

determining the appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on the characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database cache is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup;

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database cache;

receiving the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source comprises receiving back a list of order numbers;

returning the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system comprises returning the list of order numbers to the requesting computer system; and

the method further comprises;

receiving an other order lookup from the requesting computer system, the other order lookup requesting additional order detail for an order of the plurality of customer orders, the order of the plurality of customer orders corresponding to an order number in the list of order numbers; and

the processor determining another appropriate data source to service the other order lookup based on characteristics of the other order lookup.

11. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer system communicatively coupled to an order database for a retailer and to an order database cache, the order database comprising order data for a plurality of customer orders, the order database cache containing the order data synchronized from the order database, the computer program product for implementing a method for routing an order lookup, the computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, the method comprising:

synchronizing the order data from the order database to the order database cache by converting the order data from a relational database management system to a format based on attribute-value pairs;

receiving the order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of the order data associated with a customer order of the plurality of customer orders;

determining an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, the characteristics comprising the database command type indicated and the portion of the order data indicated, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receiving the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source, the portion of the order data indicated responsive to the order lookup; and

returning the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

receiving the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request configured to not change state at the order database;

determining the appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on the characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database cache is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup; and

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database cache.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

receiving the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source comprises receiving JavaScript Object Notation (“

JSON”

) formatted data back from the order database cache.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein:

receiving the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to change state at the order database;

determining the appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on the characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup; and

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database.

15. A system, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

non-transitory system memory;

an order database for a retailer, the order database comprising order data for a plurality of customer orders;

an order database cache, the order database cache comprising the order data synchronized from the order database; and

one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions representing a business layer, the business layer configured to;

synchronize the order data from the order database to the order database cache by converting the order data from a relational database management system to a format based on attribute-value pairs;

receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of the order data associated with a customer order of the plurality of customer orders;

determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, the characteristics comprising the database command type indicated and the portion of the order data indicated, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

route the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receive the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source, the portion of the order data indicated responsive to the order lookup from the requesting computer system; and

return the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the business layer configured to receive the order lookup from the requesting computer system comprises configuring the business layer to receive the order lookup requesting a list of customer order numbers;

the business layer configured to determine the appropriate data source to service the order lookup comprises configuring the business layer to determine that the order lookup is to be routed to the order database cache; and

the business layer configured to route the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises configuring the business layer to route the order lookup to the order database cache.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the business layer configured to receive the portion of the order data indicated back from the appropriate data source comprises configuring the business layer to receive the list of customer order numbers back from the order database cache; and

the business layer configured to return the portion of the order data indicated to the requesting computer system comprises configuring the business layer to return the list of customer order numbers to the requesting computer system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the business layer is further configured to receive an other order lookup from the requesting computer system, the other order lookup requesting additional order detail for a customer order of the plurality of customer orders, the customer order identified by a customer order number included in the list of customer order numbers.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the business layer is further configured to;

determine that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the other order lookup based on configuring the other order lookup to change state at the order database; and

route the other order lookup to the order database.