Integration platform for heterogeneous databases

• US 5,970,490 A
• Filed: 11/04/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Morgenstern, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Amsbury, Wayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US08/963,853
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method for processing heterogeneous data including high level specifications to drive program generation of information mediators, inclusion of structured file formats (also referred to as data interface languages) in a uniform manner with heterogeneous database schema, development of a uniform data description language across a wide range of data schemas and structured formats, and use of annotations to separate out from such specifications the heterogeneity and differences that heretofore have led to costly special purpose interfaces with emphasis on self-description of information mediators and other software modules.

Claims

1. A method for integrating heterogeneous data embodied in computer readable media having source data and target data comprising:

providing an interoperability assistant module with specifications for transforming the source data;

transforming the source data into a common intermediate representation of the data using the specifications;

transforming the intermediate representation of the data into a specialized target representation using the specifications;

creating an information bridge with the interoperability assistant module through a process of program generation;

processing the source data through the information bridge;

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data; and

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data,

wherein providing the interoperability assistant with specifications comprises;

inputting a first high level data structure specification which describes the source data representation;

inputting a second high level data structure specification which describes the target data;

inputting a high level transformation rule specification;

processing the first high level data structure with a first schema analyzer and a recognizer generator to generate a source recoanizer module;

processing the second high level data structure with a second schema analyzer and a view generator to generate a target builder module;

processing the high level transformation rule specification with a transformer generator to generate a transformer module;

parsing the first high level data structure specification with the first schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner; and

parsing the second high level data structure specification with the second schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the first logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first high level data structure specification and second high level data structure specification comprise:

diverse metatadata, including semantic metadata.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein inputting the first and second high level data structure specifications comprises:

programming grammar productions;

programming type descriptions; and

programming annotation specifications.

4. The process as claimed in claim 3, wherein programming grammar productions comprises:

specifying the logical structure of the heterogeneous data using grammar rules to form a uniform representation of the data, wherein a right hand side and a left hand side of each data statement of the heterogeneous data is produced.

5. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein parsing further comprises:

forming nodes and edges of the first logical structure diagram, each node and edge being logicially associated with a label and an interpretation, the label of a specific logical structure diagram component corresponding to a particular application schema component and the interpretation of the logical structure diagram impacting the meaning of the nodes and edges of the logical structure diagram and being derived from the annotations in the high level data structure specification to enable using the same high level data structure specification syntax and the same logical structure diagram contsructs to represent diverse data models and application schema.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein inputting the high level transformation rule specification comprises:

applying transformations to subtrees of the logical structure diagram schema tree for the source, each transformation rule coordinating some input or intermediate data objects to other intermediate objects or output objects, the collection of the rules forming a data flow network which maps the input structure or schema to output structure/schema, asynchronous execution of the rules in the information bridge carrying out the actual data transformations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a first user interface for a first user which interacts with the combined uniform schema and data obtained from multiple data sources.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a second user interface for a second user which interacts with existing tools and various data representations.

9. A method for integrating heterogeneous data embodied in computer readable media having source data and target data comprising:

providing an interoperability assistant module with specifications for transforming the source data;

transforming the source data into a common intermediate representation of the data using the specifications;

transforming the intermediate representation of the data into a specialized target representation using the specifications;

creating an information bridge with the interoperability assistant module through a process of program generation;

processing the source data through the information bridge;

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data; and

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data,

wherein providing the interoperability assistant with specifications comprises;

inputting a first high level data structure specification which describes the source data representation;

inputting a second high level data structure specification which describes the target data;

inputting a high level transformation rule specification;

processing the first high level data structure with a first schema analyzer and a recognizer generator to generate a source recognizer module;

processing the second high level data structure with a second schema analyzer and a view generator to generate a target builder module;

processing the high level transformation rule specification with a transformer generator to generate a transformer module;

parsing the first high level data structure specification with the first schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner; and

parsing the second high level data structure specification with the second schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the first logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner,

wherein parsing the first and second high level data structure specifications includes forming nodes and edges of the first logical structure diagram, each node and edge being logically associated with a label and an interpretation, the label of a specific logical structure diagram component corresponding to a particular application schema component and the interpretation of the logical structure diagram impacting the meaning of the nodes and edges of the logical structure diagram and being derived from the annotations in the high level data structure specification to enable using the same high level data structure specification syntax and the same logical structure diagram constructs to represent diverse data models and application schema.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first high level data structure specification and second high level data structure specification comprise:

diverse metadata, including semantic metadata.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein inputting the first and second high level data structure specifications comprises:

programming grammar productions;

programming type descriptions; and

programming annotation specifications.

12. The process as claimed in claim 11, wherein programming grammar productions comprises:

specifying the logical structure of the heterogeneous data using grammar rules to form a uniform representation of the data, wherein a right hand side and a left hand side of each data statement of the heterogeneous data is produced.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a first user interface for a first user which interacts with the combined uniform schema and data obtained from multiple data sources; and

providing a second user interface for a second user which interacts with existing tools and various data representations.

14. A method for integrating heterogeneous data embodied in computer readable media having source data and target data comprising:

providing an interoperability assistant module with specifications for transforming the source data;

transforming the source data into a common intermediate representation of the data using the specifications;

transforming the intermediate representation of the data into a specialized target representation using the specifications;

creating an information bridge with the interoperability assistant module through a process of program generation;

processing the source data through the information bridge;

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data; and

outputting the target data, wherein the target data is in a non-relational form with respect to the source data,

wherein providing the interoperability assistant with specifications comprises;

inputting a first high level data structure specification which describes the source data representation;

inputting a second high level data structure specification which describes the target data;

inputting a high level transformation rule specification which includes applying transformations to subtrees of the logical structure diagram schema tree for the source, each transformation rule coordinating some input or intermediate data objects to other intermediate objects or output objects, the collection of the rules forming a data flow network which maps the input structure or schema to output structure/schema, asynchronous execution of the rules in the information bridge carrying out the actual data transformations;

processing the first high level data structure with a first schema analyzer and a recognizer generator to generate a source recognizer module;

processing the second high level data structure with a second schema analyzer and a view generator to generate a target builder module;

processing the high level transformation rule specification with a transformer generator to generate a transformer module;

parsing the first high level data structure specification with the first schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner; and

parsing the second high level data structure specification with the second schema analyzer to create an annotated logical structure diagram, the first logical structure diagram serving as a schematic structure graph that represents the logical relationships of the source data in a context-independent uniform manner.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first high level data structure specification and second high level data structure specification comprise:

diverse metadata, including semantic metadata.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein inputting the first and second high level data structure specifications comprises:

programming grammar productions;

programming type descriptions; and

programming annotation specifications.

17. The process as claimed in claim 16, wherein programming grammar productions comprises:

specifying the logical structure of the heterogeneous data using grammar rules to form a uniform representation of the data, wherein a right hand side and a left hand side of each data statement of the heterogeneous data is produced.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing a first user interface for a first user which interacts with the combined uniform schema and data obtained from multiple data sources; and

providing a second user interface for a second user which interacts with existing tools and various data representations.