Method, system and program product for automatically retrieving documents

• US 20040006562A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wagner, Debra K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,990,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A method, system and program product for automatically retrieving documents is provided. Specifically, a hit list of documents is generated directly from an input file of requests. Once generated, the hit list is processed according to system, data object, storage node identification, storage drive and/or cache. Once sorted, plurality of retrieval programs are launched and executed in parallel to retrieve the requested documents.

Claims

1. A method for automatically retrieving documents, comprising

generating a hit list of documents to be retrieved, wherein the hit list is generated directly from an input file of requests;

processing the hit list according to system, data object and storage drive; and

retrieving the documents based on the processed hit list from at least one remote location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input file includes location identifications where the documents are stored, and wherein the location identifications are selected from the group consisting of system identification, data object identification, storage drive identification and cache identification.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the hit list is further processed according to cache and storage node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing comprises:

sorting the hit list according to system, cache, storage node and data object; and

splitting the sorted hit list into sublists according to system and storage drive.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the processing further comprises splitting the sorted hit list according to cache.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an error file for each of the requests containing an error.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising optionally creating an index file of document requests.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving comprises launching a plurality of retrieval programs to retrieve the documents in the processed hit list, wherein the plurality of retrieval programs execute in parallel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving comprises retrieving the documents in the processed hit list in bulk.

10. A method for automatically retrieving documents, comprising:

providing a hit list of documents to be retrieved, wherein the hit list is generated directly from an input file of requests, and wherein the hit list includes location identifications where the documents are stored;

sorting and splitting the hit list into sublists according to system, data object and storage drive; and

launching a plurality of retrieval programs, wherein each of the plurality of retrieval programs corresponds to one of the sublists, and wherein the plurality of retrieval programs execute in parallel to retrieve the documents.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the location identifications are selected from the group consisting of system identification, data object identification, storage drive identification and cache identification.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the providing comprises:

receiving an input file of requests having location identifications; and

generating the hit list directly from the requests.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the sorting and splitting comprises:

sorting the hit list according to system, cache, storage node and data object; and

splitting the sorted hit list into sublists according to system and storage drive.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising splitting the sorted hit list according to cache.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating an error file for each of the requests containing an error.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising optionally creating an index file of document requests.

17. A method for automatically retrieving documents, comprising:

generating a hit list of documents to be retrieved directly from an input file of requests on a library system, wherein the input file includes location identifications where the documents are stored;

sorting the hit list according to system, cache, storage node and data object;

splitting the sorted hit list into sublists according to at least one of system, storage drive and cache; and

launching a plurality of retrieval programs to retrieve the documents from at least one remote location, wherein each of the plurality of retrieval programs corresponds to one of the additional sublists, and wherein the plurality retrieval programs execute in parallel.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the location identifications are selected from the group consisting of system identification, data object identification, storage drive identification and cache identification.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating an error file for each of the requests containing an error.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising optionally creating an index file of document requests.

21. A system for automatically retrieving documents, comprising:

a list system for generating a hit list of documents to be retrieved, wherein the hit list is generated directly from an input file of requests received on a library system;

a processing system for processing the hit list according to system, data object and storage drive; and

a retrieval system for retrieving the documents based on the processed hit list from at least one remote location.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the input file includes location identifications where the documents are stored, and wherein the location identifications are selected from the group consisting of system identification, data object identification, storage drive identification and cache identification.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the hit list is further processed according to cache and storage node.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the processing system comprises:

a sorting system for sorting the hit list according to system, cache, storage node and data object;

a server system for splitting the sorted hit list into sublists according to system; and

a storage drive system for splitting the sublists into additional sublists according to storage drive.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the processing system further comprises a cache system for splitting the sublists according to cache.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising an output system for generating an error file for each of the requests containing an error.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising an index system for optionally creating an index file of document requests.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieval system comprises a launching system for launching a plurality of retrieval programs to retrieve the documents in the processed hit list, wherein the plurality of retrieval programs execute in parallel.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the retrieval system comprises a bulk system for retrieving the documents in the processed hit list in bulk.

30. A program product stored on a recordable medium for automatically retrieving documents, which when executed comprises:

program code for generating a hit list of documents to be retrieved, wherein the hit list is generated directly from an input file of requests received on a library system;

program code for processing the hit list according to system, data object and storage drive; and

program code for retrieving the documents based on the processed hit list from at least one remote location.

31. The program product of claim 30, wherein the input file includes location identifications where the documents are stored, and wherein the location identifications are selected from the group consisting of system identification, data object identification, storage drive identification and cache identification.

32. The program product of claim 30, wherein the hit list is further processed according to cache and storage node.

33. The program product of claim 30, wherein the processing system comprises:

program code for sorting the hit list according to system, cache, storage node and data object;

program code for splitting the sorted hit list into sublists according to system; and

program code for splitting the sublists into additional sublists according to storage drive.

34. The program product of claim 33, wherein the processing system further comprises program code for splitting the sublists according to cache.

35. The program product of claim 30, further comprising program code for generating an error file for each of the requests containing an error.

36. The program product of claim 30, further comprising program code for optionally creating an index file of document requests.

37. The program product of claim 30, wherein the retrieval system comprises program code for launching a plurality of retrieval programs to retrieve the documents in the processed hit list, wherein the plurality of retrieval programs execute in parallel.

38. The program product of claim 30, wherein the retrieval system comprises program code for retrieving the documents in the processed hit list in bulk.