Representation, comparison, and troubleshooting of native data between environments

• US 9,690,834 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Limited (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Chandra, Basavaraju, Tennety, Srinivas, Chormule, Ganesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Insun
• Application Number:
  US14/636,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20160154627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

Methods for data management and corresponding systems and computer-readable mediums. A method includes receiving first native data in a first native format associated with a first native application. The method includes converting and storing the first native data in a transfer format as first transfer data. The method includes parsing the first transfer data to produce first converted data, in a converted format, that corresponds to the first native data. The method includes building a first native application model, corresponding to the first native data, according to the first converted data. The method includes displaying the first native application model in a view corresponding to the first native application.

Claims

1. A method for data management, the method performed by a data processing system and comprising:

receiving first native data in a first native format associated with a first native application;

receiving second native data in a second native format associated with a second native application;

converting and storing the first native data in a first transfer format as first transfer data based on metadata associated with the first native data;

converting and storing the second native data in a second transfer format as second transfer data based on metadata associated with the second native data;

parsing the first transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the first native data in order to produce first converted data, in a first converted format, that corresponds to the first native data, and which the first converted format is different than the first transfer format via the first converted format classifying all of data elements of the first native data as each being either a primary or a secondary data element, wherein the first converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that can exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data;

parsing the second transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the second native data in order to produce second converted data, in a second converted format, that corresponds to the second native data, and which the second converted format is different than the second transfer format via the second converted format classifying all of data elements of the second native data as each being either a primary data element or a secondary data element, wherein the second converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements of the second transfer format that can exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the second transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data;

building a first native application model, corresponding to the first native data, according to the produced first converted data;

building a second native application model, corresponding to the second native data, according to the produced second converted data;

comparing the first native application model with the second native application model to produce a merged application model based on the primary and secondary data element classifications; and

displaying a view of the produced merged application model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying is based on display configuration options including a hide property.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary and secondary data elements are labeled via primary and secondary XML tags in the first and second converted data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first native application model with the second native application model to produce the merged application model is based on a compare configuration that includes options for how to control comparing the primary and the secondary elements between the first and second converted data, including a skip property configuration that specifies an element that is skipped during the comparison.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein producing the merged application model is based on a three-point merge that selectively combines data from different data processing systems.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the view of the merged application model is one of a comparison of the first native application model to the merged application model or a display of conflicts between the first native application model and the merged application model.

7. A data processing system comprising:

a processor; and

an accessible memory, the data processing system particularly configured to

receive first native data in a first native format associated with a first native application;

receive second native data in a second native format associated with a second native application;

convert and store the first native data in a first transfer format as first transfer data based on metadata associated with the first native data;

convert and store the second native data in a second transfer format as second transfer data based on metadata associated with the second native data;

parse the first transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the first native data in order to produce first converted data, in a first converted format, that corresponds to the first native data, and which the first converted format is different than the first transfer format via the first converted format classifying all of data elements of the first native data as each being either a primary or a secondary data element, wherein the first converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that can exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data;

parse the second transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the second native data in order to produce second converted data, in a second converted format, that corresponds to the second native data, and which the second converted format is different than the second transfer format via the second converted format classifying all of data elements of the second native data as each being either a primary data element or a secondary data element, wherein the second converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements of the second transfer format that can exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the second transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data;

build a first native application model, corresponding to the first native data, according to the produced first converted data;

build a second native application model, corresponding to the second native data, according to the produced second converted data;

compare the first native application model with the second native application model to produce a merged application model based on the primary and secondary data element classifications; and

display a view of the produced merged application model.

8. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the display is based on display configuration options including a hide property.

9. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the primary and secondary data elements are labeled via primary and secondary XML tags in each of the first and second converted data.

10. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the compare of the first native application model with the second native application model to produce the merged application model is based on a compare configuration that includes options for how to control comparing the primary and the secondary elements between the first and second converted data, including a skip property configuration that specifies an element that is skipped during the comparison.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein producing the merged application model is based on a three-point merge that selectively combines data from different data processing systems.

12. The data processing system of claim 7, wherein the view of the merged application model is one of a comparison of the first native application model to the merged application model or a display of conflicts between the first native application model and the merged application model.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more data processing systems to:

receive first native data in a first native format associated with a first native application;

receive second native data in a second native format associated with a second native application;

convert and storing the first native data in a first transfer format as first transfer data based on metadata associated with the first native data;

convert and store the second native data in a second transfer format as second transfer data based on metadata associated with the second native data;

parse the first transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the first native data in order to produce first converted data, in a first converted format, that corresponds to the first native data, and which the first converted format is different than the first transfer format via the first converted format classifying all of data elements of the first native data as each being either a primary or a secondary data element, wherein the first converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that can exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the first transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the first transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the first transfer data;

parse the second transfer data by identifying and grouping primary and secondary data elements in the second native data in order to produce second converted data, in a second converted format, that corresponds to the second native data, and which the second converted format is different than the second transfer format via the second converted format classifying all of data elements of the second native data as each being either a primary data element or a secondary data element, wherein the second converted data includes both primary and secondary data elements, wherein the primary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements of the second transfer format that can exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do not require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data, wherein the secondary data elements are identified as corresponding to elements in the second transfer data that cannot exist by themselves in the second transfer data and that do require the presence of other elements in the second transfer data;

build a first native application model, corresponding to the first native data, according to the produced first converted data;

build a second native application model, corresponding to the second native data, according to the produced second converted data;

compare the first native application model with the second native application model to produce a merged application model based on the primary and secondary data element classifications; and

display a view of the produced merged application model.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the display is based on display configuration options including a hide property.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the primary and secondary data elements are labeled via primary and secondary XML tags in the first and second converted data.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the compare of the first native application model with the second native application model to produce the merged application model is based on a compare configuration that includes options for how to control comparing the primary and the secondary elements between the first and second converted data, including a skip property configuration that specifies an element that is skipped during the comparison.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein producing the merged application model is based on a three-point merge that selectively combines data from different data processing systems, and wherein the view of the merged application model is one of a comparison of the first native application model to the merged application model or a display of conflicts between the first native application model and the merged application model.