EFFICIENTLY SEGREGATING DATA FROM EXTERNALLY ACCESSIBLE SYSTEMS

• US 20140259177A1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: P, Meenakshi Sundaram, Hein, Volker, Haak, Tobias
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones

Abstract

Various embodiments herein include at least one of systems, methods, and software that efficiently segregate data from externally accessible systems. One such embodiment is a method performed by a first data processing system and includes receiving a call from a client of a user interaction service requesting data to populate a client application user interface. Next, a first object service obtains the requested data. The first object service is then executed to call a master data service to retrieve master data from a local database storing master data copied from master data stored by a second data processing system. Next, transaction data is retrieved via a remote service call over a network from the second data processing system. The retrieved data is then provided back to the calling user interaction service, which then transmits the data to the client application.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor, at least one memory device, and at least one network interface device;

a database stored on the at least one memory device, the database storing master data;

a first data processing system including a set of modules stored on the at least one memory device and executable by the at least one processor, the set of modules including;

a data access module providing data services to other modules, the data services including;

a master data service to provide master data retrieved from the database in response to requests from the other modules; and

at least one transaction data service to receive a data access request from a calling module, generate and submit, via the at least one network interface device, a data access call to a data service of a second data processing system that maintains transaction data, receive, via the at least one network interface device, a response to the submitted data call, and provide a response to the calling module based on the received response;

an object module maintaining a set of objects, each object including at least one object service accessible by other modules, the at least one object service providing transaction data access by calling the at least one transaction data service;

a user interaction module to service user interactions, the user interaction module responsive to a user interaction request for master data retrieved via the master data service and responsive to a user interaction request with regard to transaction data via the at least one object service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first data processing system and the second data processing systems consist essentially of identical modules except for transaction data services of their respective data access modules:

the at least one transaction data service of the first data processing system configured to access transaction data via at least one data access service of the second data processing system; and

the transaction data services of the second data processing system configured to access transaction data stored in at least one transaction data database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first data processing system and the second data processing system are deployed on opposite sides of a firewall.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first data processing system includes at least one additional module not included in the second data processing system, the at least one of an additional module to service interactions with at least one Internet-specific client-type.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data access call submitted to the data service of the second data processing system is a remote function call.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the data access call that is submitted to the data service of the second data processing system includes adding data access credential data to a data set of the data access call that is submitted to the second data processing system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a user interaction request includes a request for data to be populated into and presented with a particular user interface, the user interaction module upon receipt of a user interaction request operable to generate a single object service call with regard to transaction data to be retrieved for presentation within the particular user interface, the called object service to make a single call of a second data processing system data service to retrieve the transaction data for presentation within the particular user interface.

8. A method performed by a first data processing system, the method:

receiving, from a client application via a network, a call of a first user interaction service of a user interaction module requesting data to populate a client application user interface;

calling a first object service to obtain the requested data;

executing the called first object service, the executing including;

calling a master data service to retrieve master data for the client application user interface from a local database storing master data copied from master data stored by a second data processing system;

retrieving transaction data via a remote service call over a network from the second data processing system; and

providing the retrieved master data and the transaction data to the user interaction module; and

transmitting, by the user interaction module, the data provided by the first object service to the client application.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the remote service call is a remote function call of a remote function present within the second data processing system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

a user of the client application has been authenticated; and

the first object service is executable to;

generate a data structure to call the remote service, the data structure including a generic user credential; and

transmit the data structure via the network to the remote service of second data processing system.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the client application, a second user interaction service call of another service including an update to the transaction data transmitted to the client application;

forwarding, to a second object service, at least a portion of the second user interaction service call including the update to the transaction data;

executing the second object service, the executing including calling a second remote service of the second data processing system to cause the updated data to be updated within the second data processing system.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first object service called is identified based on at least one of the called user interaction service, the requested data, and the client application user interface to be populated with data

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a further user interaction service call requesting data to populate the client application user interface includes a data element indicating master data to be presented in the user interface has been cached by the client application to inform the first object service not to call the master data service and not to provide the master data to the user interaction module for transmission.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein:

a first data processing system that performs the method and the second data processing system are distinct instances of the same data processing system;

the first data processing is configured to access transaction data stored in the second data processing system via remote service calls over the network; and

the second data processing system is configured to access the transaction data stored by the second data processing system.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, with instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of at least one computer, cause the at least one computer to:

receive, from a client application via a network, a call of a first user interaction service of a user interaction module requesting data to populate a client application user interface;

call a first object service to obtain the requested data, the first object service identified based on at least one of the called user interaction service, the requested data, and the client application user interface to be populated with data;

execute the called first object service, the executing including;

calling a master data service to retrieve master data for the client application user interface from a local database storing master data copied from master data stored by a second data processing system;

retrieving transaction data via a first remote service call over a network from the second data processing system; and

providing the retrieved master data and the transaction data to the user interaction module; and

transmit, by the user interaction module, the data provided by the first object service to the client application.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first remote service call is a remote function call of a remote function present within the second data processing system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

a user of the client application has been authenticated; and

the first transaction data service is executable to;

generate a data structure to call the first remote service, the data structure including a generic user credential; and

transmit the data structure via the network to the first remote service of second data processing system.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, with further instructions stored thereon, which when executed by at least one processor of at least one computer, further cause the at least one computer to:

receive, from the client application, a second user interaction service call of another service including an update to the transaction data transmitted to the client application;

forward, to a second object service, at least a portion of the second user interaction service call including the update to the transaction data, the second object service selected based on at least one of the called user interaction service, the updated data, and the client application user interface within which the data was updated;

execute the second object service, the executing including calling a second remote service of the second data processing system to cause the updated data to be updated within the second data processing system.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the client application is a mobile device app and a further user interaction service call requesting data to populate the client application user interface includes a data element indicating master data to be presented in the user interface has been cached by the client application to inform the first object service not to call the master data service and not to provide the master data to the user interaction module for transmission.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

a first data processing system that performs the method and the second data processing system are distinct instances of the same data processing system;

the first data processing is configured to access transaction data stored in the second data processing system via remote service calls over the network; and

the second data processing system is configured to access the transaction data stored by the second data processing system.