Integrated resource management system and method

• US 6,430,562 B1
• Filed: 03/01/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kardos, Christopher P., Brandt, Russell A., Xiong, Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US09/260,859
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/100, 707/2, 707/102, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 705/26, 705/27, 705/37, 709/206, 709/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method and system for communicating between a plurality of disparate hosts and an order processing system includes generating orders at each of the disparate hosts. The orders are transmitted from each of the hosts to a shared message handler using relational database statements. At the shared message handler, the orders are stored in a relational database table structure using relational database statements. The orders are transmitted from the relational database table structure of the shared message handler to the order processing system. Responses to the orders are received from the order processing system at the shared message handler. Each of the responses is associated with a corresponding order. The status of the corresponding orders are updated based on the responses and provided to the disparate hosts.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between a plurality of disparate hosts and an order processing system, comprising:

generating orders at each of a plurality of disparate hosts;

transmitting the orders using relational database statements from each of the hosts to a shared message handler;

at the shared message handler, using relational database statements to store the orders in a relational database table structure;

transmitting the orders from the relational database table structure of the shared message handler to the order processing system;

receiving responses to the orders from the order processing system;

associating each of the responses with a corresponding order;

updating the status of the corresponding orders based on the responses;

making the status of the orders available to the hosts; and

synchronizing information associated with one of the orders in a plurality of servers operating in the order processing system when one of the orders is cancelled.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the relational database structure is a first relational database structure, further comprising:

transmitting the orders using relational database statements from the first relational database table structure of the shared message handler to the order processing system;

receiving responses to the orders from the order processing system;

using relational database statements to store the responses in a second relational database table structure;

processing the responses by performing actions identified by the responses, the actions associating each of the responses with a corresponding order and updating the status of the corresponding orders.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the actions are identified by a third relational database table structure.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the actions include host dependent rules for processing the responses.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein processing the responses comprises parsing each response to identify the corresponding order and the actions.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the status of each order in a third relational database table structure at least until the order is closed.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising maintaining a status history of each order in a third relational database table structure at least until the order is closed.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising opening UNIX socket communication links between the shared message handler and the order processing system for transmission of the orders from the shared message handler to the order processing system and for transmission of the responses from the order processing system to the shared message handler.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the hosts is remote from the shared message handler and communicates with the shared message handler via a network, further comprising storing orders generated by the remote host in a queue at the remote host at least until successful transmission of the order to the shared message handler.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of servers comprise a computer-aided dispatch server and an order scheduling system server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein synchronizing the information associated with one of the orders in the plurality of servers comprises:

receiving a cancellation notification associated with the cancelled order from the computer-aided dispatch server;

determining whether an existing appointment is associated with the cancelled order; and

transmitting a cancellation request associated with the appointment to the order scheduling system server.

12. A message handler for communicating between a plurality of disparate hosts and an order processing system, comprising:

a first relational database table structure operable to store orders received from a plurality of disparate hosts using relational database statements;

a downlink process operable to transmit the orders from the first relational database table structure to the order processing system;

an uplink process operable to receive responses to the orders from the order processing system;

a second relational database table structure operable to store the responses, each response identifying an action to be performed for the response;

a third relational database table structure operable to define actions for responses; and

a response processor operable to process each response in the second relational database table structure by calling the action identified by the response in the third relational database table structure.

13. The message handler of claim 12, wherein the actions include host dependent rules for processing the responses.

14. The message handler of claim 12, wherein processing the responses comprises parsing each response to identify the actions.

15. The message handler of claim 12, wherein processing the responses comprises parsing each response to identify a corresponding order.

16. The message handler of claim 12, further comprising a fourth relational database table structure operable to store the status of each order at least until the order is closed.

17. The message handler of claim 12, further comprising a fourth relational database table structure operable to store a status history of each order of each order at least until the order is closed.

18. A resource management system, comprising:

a plurality of disparate hosts;

an order processing system;

a message handler disposed between the disparate hosts and the order processing system, the message handler comprising;

a first relational database table structure operable to store orders received from a plurality of disparate hosts using relational database statements;

a downlink process operable to transmit the orders from the first relational database table structure to the order processing system;

an uplink process operable to receive responses to the orders from the order processing system;

a second relational database table structure operable to store the responses, each response identifying an action to be performed for the response;

a third relational database table structure operable to define actions for responses; and

a response processor operable to process each response in the second relational database table structure by calling the action identified by the response in the third relational database table structure.

19. The resource management system of claim 18, wherein the actions include host dependent rules for processing the responses.

20. The resource management system of claim 18, wherein processing the responses comprises parsing each response to identify the actions and a corresponding order.

21. The resource management system of claim 18, further comprising a fourth relational database table structure operable to store a status and a status history of each order at least until the order is closed.

22. The resource management system of claim 18, wherein the order processing system is a computer-aided dispatch system.

23. A method for communicating between a plurality of disparate hosts and an order processing system, comprising:

receiving a plurality of orders from a plurality of disparate hosts using relational database statements;

storing the orders in a first relational database table structure;

transmitting the orders from the first relational database table structure to the order processing system;

receiving responses to the orders from the order processing system;

storing the responses in a second relational database table structure, each response identifying an action to be performed for the response; and

calling the action identified by the response in a third relational database table structure, the third relational database table structure operable to define actions for responses.

24. A method for communicating between a plurality of disparate hosts and an order processing system, comprising:

communicating a first order from a first host to a shared message handler using at least one relational database statement, the shared message handler operable to receive the first order and at least one additional order from at least one additional disparate host, store the orders in a first relational database table structure, transmit the orders from the first relational database table structure to the order processing system, receive responses to the orders from the order processing system, store the responses in a second relational database table structure where each response identifies an action to be performed for the response, and call the action identified by the response in a third relational database table structure where the third relational database table structure is operable to define actions for responses; and

receiving a status of the first order from the shared message handler.