FILE PLAN IMPORT AND SYNC OVER MULTIPLE SYSTEMS

• US 20080154970A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Filenet Corporation (International Business Machines Corporation), International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeBie, Tod
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

A technique that provides a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan comprises one or more segments. Each segment of the file plan at a first records management system is associated with one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems. One or more file plan segments are propagated from the first records management system to the one or more file plan object stores at the one or more other records management systems.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan comprises one or more segments;

associating each segment of the file plan at a first records management system with one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems; and

propagating one or more file plan segments from the first records management system to the one or more file plan object stores at the one or more other records management systems.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first records management system comprises a records management development system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management production systems.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management quality assurance systems.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updates to the file plan at the first records management system;

determining that the update file plan has been tested and approved; and

propagating the updated file plan to the one or more other records management systems.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updates to the file plan at one of the one or more other records management systems; and

propagating the updates to the first records management system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving a request to browse the file plan, displaying an entire file plan, wherein different portions of the file plan are stored in different file plan object stores.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to receiving a declaration of a record into a specific segment of the file plan, storing the record into the one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems associated with the segment.

9. A method, comprising:

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

syncing one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a record object store by replicating one or more of the containers of the file plan container structure at a designated location in the record object store, wherein the record object store stores documents and is enabled to have the documents contained therein declared as records.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

setting an event on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

setting a file system security option on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

12. A method, comprising:

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

syncing one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a file system at an operating system level by replicating the containers of the file plan at a designated location in the file system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

setting at least one of file system security options and records crawler rules for one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the file system, the document is automatically declared as a record in the corresponding part of the file plan.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by copying the document from the file system into an object store.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by leaving the document in the file system and including a pointer in the file plan to the document in the file system.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

provide a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan comprises one or more segments;

associate each segment of the file plan at a first records management system with one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems; and

propagate one or more file plan segments from the first records management system to the one or more file plan object stores at the one or more other records management systems.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first records management system comprises a records management development system.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management production systems.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management quality assurance systems.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive updates to the file plan at the first records management system;

determine that the update file plan has been tested and approved; and

propagate the updated file plan to the one or more other records management systems.

21. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

receive updates to the file plan at one of the one or more other records management systems; and

propagate the updates to the first records management system.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

in response to receiving a request to browse the file plan, display an entire file plan, different portions of the file plan are stored in different file plan object stores.

23. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

in response to receiving a declaration of a record into a specific segment of the file plan, store the record into the one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems associated with the segment.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

provide a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

sync one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a record object store by replicating one or more of the containers of the file plan container structure at a designated location in the record object store, wherein the record object store stores documents and is enabled to have the documents contained therein declared as records.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

set an event on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

set a file system security option on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

27. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

provide a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

sync one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a file system at an operating system level by replicating the containers of the file plan at a designated location in the file system.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

set at least one of file system security options and records crawler rules for one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the file system, the document is automatically declared as a record in the corresponding part of the file plan.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by copying the document from the file system into an object store.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by leaving the document in the file system and including a pointer in the file plan to the document in the file system.

31. A system, comprising:

logic capable of performing operations, the operations comprising;

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan comprises one or more segments;

associating each segment of the file plan at a first records management system with one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems; and

propagating one or more file plan segments from the first records management system to the one or more file plan object stores at the one or more other records management systems.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the first records management system comprises a records management development system.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management production systems.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more other records management systems include records management quality assurance systems.

35. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving updates to the file plan at the first records management system;

determining that the update file plan has been tested and approved; and

propagating the updated file plan to the one or more other records management systems.

36. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving updates to the file plan at one of the one or more other records management systems; and

propagating the updates to the first records management system.

37. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving a request to browse the file plan, displaying an entire file plan, different portions of the file plan are stored in different file plan object stores.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

in response to receiving a declaration of a record into a specific segment of the file plan, storing the record into the one or more file plan object stores at one or more other records management systems associated with the segment.

39. A system, comprising:

logic capable of performing operations, the operations comprising;

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

syncing one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a record object store by replicating one or more of the containers of the file plan container structure at a designated location in the record object store, wherein the record object store stores documents and is enabled to have the documents contained therein declared as records.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the operations further comprise:

setting an event on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the operations further comprise:

setting a file system security option on one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the record object store, the document is automatically declared as a record in a corresponding part of the file plan.

42. A system, comprising:

logic capable of performing operations, the operations comprising;

providing a file plan including a plurality of containers, wherein each container is capable of providing management information for record information objects assigned to the container, wherein the record information objects represent documents, wherein the file plan is represented by a file plan container structure, wherein the file plan container structure describes a hierarchical structure of the file plan;

syncing one or more portions of the file plan container structure to a file system at an operating system level by replicating the containers of the file plan at a designated location in the file system.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the operations further comprise:

setting at least one of file system security options and records crawler rules for one or more of the containers so that when a document is added to the one or more containers in the file system, the document is automatically declared as a record in the corresponding part of the file plan.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by copying the document from the file system into an object store.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the document is automatically declared as a record by leaving the document in the file system and including a pointer in the file plan to the document in the file system.