Task managing application for performing tasks based on messages received from a data processing application initiated by the task managing application

• US 10,528,395 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ab Initio Technology LLC (Ab Initio Software Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ab Initio Technology LLC (Ab Initio Software Corporation)
• Inventors: Wakeling, Tim, Buxbaum, Mark, Staknis, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Teets, Bradley A
• Application Number:
  US15/873,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/506 Constraint
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

Managing task execution includes: receiving a specification of a plurality of tasks to be performed by respective functional modules; processing a flow of input data using a dataflow graph that includes nodes representing data processing components connected by links representing flows of data between data processing components; in response to at least one flow of data provided by at least one data processing component, generating a flow of messages; and in response to each of the messages in the flow of messages, performing an iteration of a set of one or more tasks using one or more corresponding functional modules.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing task execution in a data processing system by inputting data flow into a data processing application, the method including:

receiving, by a task managing application executing in the data processing system, a specification of a plurality of tasks, wherein the task managing application includes a first program and a second program;

initiating, by the first program of the task managing application, execution by the data processing system of the data processing application;

processing, by the data processing application of the data processing system, a data flow input into the data processing application;

generating, by the data processing application, a message including data elements, with at least one of the data elements including data based on processing of the data flow;

transmitting the message to the task managing application;

intermittently receiving messages by the second program that listens for messages sent from the data processing application;

storing by the second program the received messages in data structures; and

for each message stored in a given one of the data structures,

starting, by the second program of the task managing application, a new iteration of the plurality of tasks in the specification;

identifying, by the second program of the task managing application, at least one of the tasks to perform based on one or more values of the data elements in the message stored in the given one of the data structures; and

performing, by the task managing application, the identified at least one of the tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tasks are to be performed by respective functional modules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines at least a partial ordering for execution of functional modules corresponding to the tasks.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tasks are to be performed by respective functional modules, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines conditional logic for determining at least one condition upon which execution of at least one of the functional modules is based.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the functional modules includes a fault-handling module that is executed when the conditional logic detects that a fault has occurred in execution of one of the other functional modules.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the generated message comprises a first message, and wherein second tasks are executed concurrently with the identified at least one of the tasks, with execution of the second tasks being in response to generating a second message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tasks are to be performed by respective functional modules, wherein at least one of the functional modules is configured to send an acknowledgement in response to receiving the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a data processing component resends an unacknowledged message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification includes a control flow diagram that includes nodes representing functional modules, with the nodes connected by directed links representing flow of control between functional modules.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein control flows from a first functional module to a second functional module, with a directed link connected from the first functional module to the second functional module, after a task performed by the first functional module has been completed.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further including listening, from time to time, for the messages.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein storing the messages received comprises storing a first message received at a first time in a first data structure and storing a second message received at a second time in a second data structure.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first program includes code and wherein the second program accesses or includes at least a portion of the code.

14. A data processing system for managing task execution in the data processing system by inputting data flow into a data processing application, the system including:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable to cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations including;

receiving, by a task managing application executing in the data processing system, a specification of a plurality of tasks, wherein the task managing application includes a first program and a second program;

initiating, by the first program of the task managing application, execution by the data processing system of the data processing application;

processing, by the data processing application of the data processing system, a data flow input into the data processing application;

generating, by the data processing application, a message including data elements, with at least one of the data elements including data based on processing of the data flow;

transmitting the message to the task managing application;

intermittently receiving messages by the second program that listens for messages sent from the data processing application;

storing by the second program the received messages in data structures; and

for each message stored in a given one of the data structures,

starting, by the second program of the task managing application, a new iteration of the plurality of tasks in the specification;

identifying, by the second program of the task managing application, at least one of the tasks to perform based on one or more values of the data elements in the message stored in the given one of the data structures; and

performing, by the task managing application, the identified at least one of the tasks.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines at least a partial ordering for execution of functional modules corresponding to the tasks.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of tasks are to be performed by respective functional modules, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines conditional logic for determining at least one condition upon which execution of at least one of the functional modules is based.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the first program includes code and wherein the second program accesses or includes at least a portion of the code.

18. A data processing system for managing task execution in the data processing system by inputting data flow into a data processing application, the data processing system including:

means for receiving, by a task managing application executing in the data processing system, a specification of a plurality of tasks, wherein the task managing application includes a first program and a second program;

means for initiating, by the first program of the task managing application, execution by the data processing system of the data processing application;

means for processing, by the data processing application of the data processing system, a data flow input into the data processing application;

means for generating, by the data processing application, a message including data elements, with at least one of the data elements including data based on processing of the data flow;

means for transmitting the message to the task managing application;

means for intermittently receiving messages by the second program that listens for messages sent from the data processing application;

means for storing by the second program the received messages in data structures; and

for each message stored in a given one of the data structures,

means for starting, by the second program of the task managing application, a new iteration of the plurality of tasks in the specification;

means for identifying, by the second program of the task managing application, at least one of the tasks to perform based on one or more values of the data elements in the message stored in the given one of the data structures; and

means for performing, by the task managing application, the identified at least one of the tasks.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for managing task execution in a data processing system by inputting data flow into a data processing application, the computer program including instructions for causing a data processing system to:

receive, by a task managing application executing in the data processing system, a specification of a plurality of tasks, wherein the task managing application includes a first program and a second program;

initiate, by the first program of the task managing application, execution by the data processing system of the data processing application;

process, by the data processing application of the data processing system, a data flow input into the data processing application;

generate, by the data processing application, a message including data elements, with at least one of the data elements including data based on processing of the data flow;

transmit the message to the task managing application;

intermittently receive messages by the second program that listens for messages sent from the data processing application;

store by the second program the received messages in data structures; and

for each message stored in a given one of the data structures,

start, by the second program of the task managing application, a new iteration of the plurality of tasks in the specification;

identify, by the second program of the task managing application, at least one of the tasks to perform based on one or more values of the data elements in the message stored in the given one of the data structures; and

perform, by the task managing application, the identified at least one of the tasks.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines at least a partial ordering for execution of functional modules corresponding to the tasks.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of tasks are to be performed by respective functional modules, wherein a dependency relationship between at least two tasks of the tasks defines conditional logic for determining at least one condition upon which execution of at least one of the functional modules is based.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first program includes code and wherein the second program accesses or includes at least a portion of the code.