ODBC access to external services

• US 9,674,261 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: Sap Portals Israel Ltd (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Nathan, Eyal, Khalatov, Dmitry
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, HANH B
• Application Number:
  US14/300,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20150358383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 707759-760, 707763, 707769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for providing access to an external service using a SQL query. One example method includes identifying a request for an ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) connection. The request identifies the external service and the identified request is associated with a SQL (Structured Query Language) query. The ODBC connection is created. An HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request to be provided to the external service is generated. The HTTP request is generated based on the SQL query. The generated HTTP request is sent to the external service. An HTTP response is received from the external service in response to the HTTP request. A query result set table is populated based on the received HTTP response.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to an external service, comprising:

identifying a request for an ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) connection, the request identifying the external service;

creating the ODBC connection;

receiving a SQL (Structured Query Language) query that is associated with the ODBC connection and includes information to be provided to the external service;

translating the received SQL query into an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request to be provided to the external service, wherein translating the SQL query into the HTTP request comprises identifying information in one or more predicates included in a WHERE clause of the SQL query, wherein each of the one or more predicates includes a predefined column of a predefined table, an operator, and a request parameter value, each predefined column in the predefined table corresponds to either an HTTP request parameter or an HTTP response parameter, and each column included in the SQL query corresponds to a predefined column included in the predefined table;

sending the translated HTTP request to the external service;

receiving an HTTP response from the external service in response to the HTTP request;

translating the received HTTP response into a query result set table; and

providing the query result set table in response to the received SQL query.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data in the query result set table to a database system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SQL query is generated in response to a trigger event associated with a database system and the trigger event occurs in response to a new entry being added to the database system, a modification of an entry in the database system, or a deletion of an entry in the database system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the ODBC connection includes the SQL query and a connection string including one or more connection parameters for connecting to the external service, the connection parameters include a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the external service and authentication information for accessing the external service, and the translated HTTP request is based on the one or more connection parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein translating the HTTP response into the query result set table comprises mapping information included in the HTTP response to one or more columns included in the query result set table, wherein each of the one or more columns included in the query result set table corresponds to a predefined column in the predefined table and to a column included in a column list included in the SQL query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the query result set table is a runtime construct initially stored in memory.

7. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

identifying a request for an ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) connection, the request identifying the external service;

creating the ODBC connection;

receiving a SQL (Structured Query Language) query that is associated with the ODBC connection and includes information to be provided to the external service;

translating the received SQL query into an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request to be provided to the external service, wherein translating the SQL query into the HTTP request comprises identifying information in one or more predicates included in a WHERE clause of the SQL query, wherein each of the one or more predicates includes a predefined column of a predefined table, an operator, and a request parameter value, each predefined column in the predefined table corresponds to either an HTTP request parameter or an HTTP response parameter, and each column included in the SQL query corresponds to a predefined column included in the predefined table;

sending the translated HTTP request to the external service;

receiving an HTTP response from the external service in response to the HTTP request;

translating the received HTTP response into a query result set table; and

providing the query result set table in response to the received SQL query.

8. The system of claim 7, the operations further comprising storing data in the query result set table to a database system.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the SQL query is generated in response to a trigger event associated with a database system and the trigger event occurs in response to a new entry being added to the database system, a modification of an entry in the database system, or a deletion of an entry in the database system.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the request for the ODBC connection includes the SQL query and a connection string including one or more connection parameters for connecting to the external service, the connection parameters include a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the external service and authentication information for accessing the external service, and the translated HTTP request is based on the one or more connection parameters.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein translating the HTTP response into the query result set table comprises mapping information included in the HTTP response to one or more columns included in the query result set table, wherein each of the one or more columns included in the query result set table corresponds to a predefined column in the predefined table and to a column included in a column list included in the SQL query.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the query result set table is a runtime construct initially stored in memory.

13. A computer program product encoded on a non-transitory storage medium, the product comprising non-transitory, computer readable instructions for causing one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

identifying a request for an ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) connection, the request identifying the external service;

creating the ODBC connection;

receiving a SQL (Structured Query Language) query that is associated with the ODBC connection and includes information to be provided to the external service;

translating the received SQL query into an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request to be provided to the external service, wherein translating the SQL query into the HTTP request comprises identifying information in one or more predicates included in a WHERE clause of the SQL query, wherein each of the one or more predicates includes a predefined column of a predefined table, an operator, and a request parameter value, each predefined column in the predefined table corresponds to either an HTTP request parameter or an HTTP response parameter, and each column included in the column list included in the SQL query corresponds to a predefined column included in the predefined table;

sending the translated HTTP request to the external service;

receiving an HTTP response from the external service in response to the HTTP request;

translating the received HTTP response into a query result set table; and

providing the query result set table in response to the received SQL query.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein the SQL query is generated in response to a trigger event associated with a database system and the trigger event occurs in response to a new entry being added to the database system, a modification of an entry in the database system, or a deletion of an entry in the database system.

15. The product of claim 13, wherein the request for the ODBC connection includes the SQL query and a connection string including one or more connection parameters for connecting to the external service, the connection parameters include a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the external service and authentication information for accessing the external service, and the translated HTTP request is based on the one or more connection parameters.

16. The product of claim 13, wherein translating the HTTP response into the query result set table comprises mapping information included in the HTTP response to one or more columns included in the query result set table, wherein each of the one or more columns included in the query result set table corresponds to a predefined column in the predefined table and to a column included in a column list included in the SQL query.

17. The product of claim 13, wherein the query result set table is a runtime construct initially stored in memory.