ROUTING ORDER LOOKUPS

• US 20150278308A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Vasantham, Madhavan Kandhadai, Tyagarajan, Mahesh, Sreedhararaj, Sreekanth
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24552 Database cache management

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to methods, systems, and computer program products for routing order lookups. Order data from order management system database is synchronized to an order cache. When an order lookup is received, a business layer determines if the cache can appropriately service the order lookup. If so, the business layer routes the order lookup to the cache. Otherwise, the business layer routes the order lookup to the order management system database. In some embodiments, order lookups configured to impact state of the order management system database (e.g., that write or change order data) are routed to the order management system database. In these same embodiments, order lookups configured to not impact state of the order management system database (e.g., that read order data) are routed to the cache.

Claims

1. At a computer system, the computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system communicatively coupled to an order database for a retailer and to an order database cache, the order database containing order data for a plurality of customer orders, the order database cache containing order data synchronized from the order database, a method for routing an order lookup, the method comprising:

receiving an order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of order data associated with a customer order;

a processor determining an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, including the indicated database command type and the indicated portion of order data, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receiving the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source, the indicated portion of order data responsive to the lookup request; and

returning the indicated portion of order data to the requesting computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an order lookup from a requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to not change state at the order database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database cache is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database cache.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an order lookup from a requesting computer system comprises receiving an order lookup request that is configured to change state at the order database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup comprises determining that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein routing the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises routing the order lookup to the order database.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source comprises receiving back a list of order numbers;

and

wherein returning the indicated portion of order data to the requesting computer system comprises returning the list of order numbers to the requesting computer system.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving another order lookup from the requesting computer system, the other order lookup requesting additional order detail for an order, the order corresponding to an order number in the list of order numbers.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the processor determining an appropriate data source to service the other order lookup based on characteristics of the other order lookup.

11. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer system communicatively coupled to an order database for a retailer and to an order database cache, the order database containing order data for a plurality of customer orders, the order database cache containing order data synchronized from the order database, the computer program product for implementing a method for routing an order lookup, the computer program product comprising one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following:

receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of order data associated with a customer order;

determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, including the indicated database command type and the indicated portion of order data, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

route the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receive the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source, the indicated portion of order data responsive to the lookup request; and

return the indicated portion of order data to the requesting computer system.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive an order lookup request that is configured to not change state at the order database;

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine that the order database cache is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup; and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to route the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to route the order lookup to the order database cache.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive JavaScript Object Notation (“

JSON”

) formatted data back from the order database cache.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive an order lookup request that is configured to change state at the order database;

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to determine that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the order lookup; and

wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to route the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to route the order lookup to the order database.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source comprise computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the computer system to receive relational database management system (“

RDBMS”

) formatted data back from the order database.

16. A system, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

system memory;

an order database for a retailer, the order database containing order data for a plurality of customer orders;

an order database cache, the order database cache containing order data synchronized from the order database; and

one or more computer storage devices having stored thereon computer-executable instructions representing a business layer, the business layer configured to;

receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system, the order lookup indicating a database command type and indicating a portion of order data associated with a customer order;

determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup based on characteristics of the order lookup, including the indicated database command type and the indicated portion of order data, the appropriate data source selected from among the order database and the order database cache;

route the order lookup to the appropriate data source in response to the determination;

receive the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source, the indicated portion of order data responsive to the lookup request; and

return the indicated portion of order data to the requesting computer system.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the business layer being configured to receive an order lookup from a requesting computer system comprises the business layer being configured to receive an order lookup requesting a list of customer order numbers;

wherein the business layer being configured to determine an appropriate data source to service the order lookup comprises the business layer being configured to determine that an the order lookup is to be routed to the order database cache; and

wherein the business layer being configured to route the order lookup to the appropriate data source comprises the business layer being configured to route the order lookup to the order database cache.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the business layer being configured to receive the indicated portion of order data back from the appropriate data source comprises the business layer being configured to receive the list of customer order numbers back from the order database cache;

and

wherein the business layer being configured to return the indicated portion of order data to the requesting computer system comprises the business layer being configured to return the list of customer order numbers to the requesting computer system.

19. The system of claim 18, the business layer being further configured to receive another order lookup from the requesting computer system, the other order lookup requesting additional order detail for a customer order, the customer order identified by a customer order number included in the list of customer order numbers.

20. The system of claim 19, the business layer being further configured to:

determine that the order database is the appropriate data source to service the other order lookup based on the other order lookup being configured to change state at the order database; and

route the other order lookup to the order database.