Mapping interface for a distributed server to translate between dissimilar file formats

• US 6,199,068 B1
• Filed: 05/21/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ABB Power T&D Limited (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Carpenter, Richard Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/082,758
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/200, 707/10, 707/203, 340/870.03, 340/870.02, 340/870.06, 340/870.07, 702/62, 370/449, 324/142, 705/412, 705/35, 703/18, 703/20, 704/4, 704/2, 704/3, 379/106.06, 717/5, 717/1, 709/107, 709/312
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A mapper to translate an input file from an input domain to an output domain. The mapper includes a canons utility which builds a canon, the canon being a tree relating all data attributes within a domain of information, and the domain being a collection of data that has a same data format, a maps utility which creates input and output maps that specify the translation from the input domain to the output domain, and a translator utility to perform the translation of the input file to an output file. The input map is a data structure that describes a format of the input domain and the output map is a data structure that describes a format of the output domain. The input map and the output map are derivation trees, and the mapper utilizes the input map and the output map to build a scanner/parser for the input file domain. The mapper traverses the input map to parse data from the input file into a list. The mapper then maps from the list to the output domain to generate the output file by traversing the output map and reinterpreting a corresponding element in the list such that the corresponding element conforms to the output domain.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a canonical mapper to translate an input file from an input domain to an output domain, said canonical mapper comprising:

a canons utility which builds a canon, said canon being a tree relating all data attributes within a domain of information, and said domain being a collection of data that has a same data format;

a maps utility which creates input and output maps that specify the translation from said input domain to said output domain, said input map being a data structure that describes a format of said input domain, and said output map being a data structure that describes a format of said output domain; and

a translator utility which performs the translation of said input file to an output file in accordance with said canon and aid input and output maps,

wherein said input domain and said output domain have differing formats.

2. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 1, wherein said canonical mapper converts files over at least two mapped subdomains, said at least two mapped subdomains having the same root domain.

3. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 1, wherein said input map and said output map are derivation trees, and said canonical mapper utilizes said input map and said output map to build a scanner/parser for said input file domain.

4. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 3, wherein said canonical mapper traverses said input map to parse data from said input file into a canonical list.

5. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 4, wherein said canonical mapper maps from said canonical list to said output domain to generate said output file by traversing said output map and re-interpreting a corresponding element in said canonical list such that said corresponding element conforms to said output domain.

6. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 1, wherein said canon comprises an abstract template that describes a structure of said domain of information, said canon being structured as a tree comprising canonical elements that are used to interpret data contained within said input file.

7. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 6, wherein each canonical element is an abstraction, and canonical elements nested below higher level canonical elements is subsequently defined in terms of less abstract elements until resolving to a concrete element.

8. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 7, wherein relationships exist when said domain contains data that is dependent upon other data in said domain.

9. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 6, wherein said canonical elements are assigned attributes that define qualities of said canonical elements.

10. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 6, wherein said input map and said output map are created in accordance with said canon, and wherein said input map and said output map describe the intended output in terms of said canonical elements.

11. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 10, wherein said input map defines a function of each component of said input file in terms of said canon, and said output map defines a function of each component of said output file in terms of said canon.

12. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 11, wherein said input and output maps farther comprise attributes that define said canonical elements, tokens that represent values, and actions that define the format said canonical elements.

13. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 12, wherein said attributes comprise element types and modifiers,

wherein said element types include group elements that are canonical elements that have nested canonical elements and result elements contain a specific value, and

wherein said modifiers are associated with said group elements and are conditional statements about said group element.

14. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 13, wherein said conditional statements comprise optional, repeating, group results, and mandatory.

15. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 13, wherein said tokens are defined for said result elements and represent said specific value based on said input file.

16. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 1, further comprising an interactive translator utility to test the actual translation of said input file to be mapped for the translation process, said test being performed in accordance with said canon, said input map, said output map, and said input file.

17. The canonical mapper as recited in claim 1, wherein said translator utility runs in a headless mode.

18. A method of mapping an input file having an input domain to an output file having an output domain using a canonical mapper, said canonical mapper comprising a canons utility, a maps utility and a translator utility, wherein a domain is a collection of data having a same format, said method comprising:

creating a canon using said canons utility, said canon comprising canonical elements;

creating input and output maps using said maps utility in accordance with said anon to perform the conversion of said input file to said output file; and

mapping the information from said input map to said output map to create said output file using said translator utility.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said creating a canon comprises:

defining said canonical elements such that said canonical elements have a hierarchical structure, said hierarchical structure having a root and children nested under said root;

defining children of said root, said children defining specific information about said root; and

defining relationships of said canonical elements.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said creating input and output maps comprises:

selecting each component of said input file and defining its function in terms of said canon;

defining attributes about said canonical elements;

defining tokens, said tokens specifying a format of the results of mapping said input file using said input and output maps; and

defining actions to structure the appearance of portions of said input file or said output file.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein said defining attributes about said canonical elements comprises:

defining modifiers for said canonical elements, said modifiers determining if a value of a particular canonical element is required, if said value appears more than once, if said canonical element includes a series of said values, or if said canonical element is required; and

defining identifiers, said identifiers being constant values within said input file.

22. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein said mapping the information from said input map to said output map to create said output file further comprises testing the conversion.

23. In a server residing within a multi-layered distributed software architecture that receives and processes data, said server comprising a data repository to store said data, at least one external interface to communicate with systems external of said server, a services subsystem comprising distributed services, said distributed services running on application servers within said distributed architecture, middleware software to facilitate scalability, transaction processing, and mapping of objects to said data repository, and application frameworks to facilitate access to said data repository and the creation of processes compliant with said middleware software, a canonical mapper server comprising:

a canons utility which builds a canon, said canon being a tree relating all data attributes within a domain of information, and said domain being a collection of data that has a same data format;

a maps utility which creates input and output maps that specify the translation from said input domain to said output domain, said input map being a data structure that describes a format of said input domain, and said output map being a data structure that describes a format of said output domain; and

a translator utility to perform the translation of said input file to an output file,

wherein said input domain and said output domain have differing formats.

24. The server as recited in claim 23, wherein said canonical mapper server resides in a mapping subsystem which provides for customization of file formats for exporting data from and importing data to said server.

25. The server as recited in claim 24, further comprising a mapping interface server that interfaces with said canonical mapper, wherein said mapping interface server provides middleware service requests from said services subsystems.

26. The server as recited in claim 25, wherein said mapping interface server interfaces with the canonical mapper server using a socket connection, and wherein said mapping interface server provides a service that allows a service in said services subsystem to specify said input file, said input map, said output file, and said output map.

27. The server as recited in claim 23, wherein said input map and said output map are created in accordance with said canon.