Method and system for directing local data access from a remote system

• US 7,904,447 B1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intuit, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Tyler, Mark Richard, Keck, Bradley Gary, daRosa, Louis Francisco Jr., Russell, Kent S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): LODHI, ANDALIB FT
• Application Number:
  US12/018,075
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/716
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for directing data access in a local system. The method includes steps of obtaining sharing metadata from the local system by a remote application, wherein the sharing metadata comprises local access path information for accessing a shared data resource associated with the local system, generating, by the remote application, a local access path for the shared data resource from the local access path information, requesting, by the remote application, that a data access application on the local system perform a data operation on the shared data resource, wherein the remote application provides the local access path to the data access application, and receiving the result of the data operation from the data access application, wherein the data access application performs the data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path.

Claims

1. A method for directing data access in a local system, comprising:

identifying, by a remote application, a remote access path of a shared data resource stored in the local system, wherein the remote access path is used to access the shared resource from outside the local system;

obtaining, by the remote application and from the local system, sharing metadata associated with the remote access path, wherein the sharing metadata comprises a local access path of the shared data resource, wherein the local access path is used to access the shared data resource exclusively from within the local system;

extracting, by the remote application, the local access path of the shared data resource from the sharing metadata;

requesting, by the remote application, that a data access application on the local system perform a data operation on the shared data resource, wherein the remote application provides the local access path to the data access application; and

receiving the result of the data operation from the data access application, wherein the data access application performs the data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the local access path comprises a local pathname for the shared data resource.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein another remote access path for a metadata file storing the sharing metadata is provided to the remote application by the local system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sharing metadata is created when the shared data resource is created.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the local system is a UNIX-based system and the remote system is a WINDOWS-based system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote application is a financial application and the data access application is a database management system.

7. A method for directing data access in a local system, comprising:

identifying a remote access path of a shared data resource stored in the local system, wherein the remote access path is used to access the shared resource from outside the local system;

providing sharing metadata associated with the remote access path to a remote application, wherein the sharing metadata comprises a local access path of the shared data resource, wherein the local access path is used to access the shared data resource exclusively from within the local system;

receiving, from the remote application, a request to perform a data operation on the shared data resource, wherein the request comprises the local access path of the shared data resource generated extracted from the sharing metadata by the remote application;

performing the data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path; and

providing the result of the data operation to the remote application.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting the shared data resource; and

responsive to the detecting, storing the sharing metadata for the shared data resource.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the shared data resource comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of monitoring creation of shared data resources and scanning a data repository for shared data resources.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing another remote access path for a metadata file storing the sharing metadata to the remote application.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the local system is a UNIX-based system and the remote system is a WINDOWS-based system.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the remote application is a financial application and the shared data resource is financial data.

13. A system for directing data access in a local system by a remote system, comprising:

a shared data resource stored on the local system, wherein the shared data resource is accessed by a remote application using a remote access path from outside of the local system;

a sharing metadata associated with the remote access path and comprising a local access path of the shared data resource, wherein the local access path is used to access the shared data resource exclusively from within the local system; and

a data access application executing on a processor of the local system, wherein the data access application configured to perform a plurality of data operations on the shared data resource,

wherein the remote application is comprises instructions stored in memory on the remote system, the instructions when executed by a processor on the remote system comprises functionalities to;

identify the remote access path for accessing the shared data resource;

obtain the sharing metadata from the local system in response to identifying the remote access path;

extract the local access path of the shared data resource from the sharing metadata;

request that the data access application perform a data operation of the plurality of data operations on the shared data resource, wherein the remote application provides the local access path to the data access application; and

receive the result of the data operation from the data access application.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a shared data monitor configured to detect the shared data resource and to store the sharing metadata responsive to detecting the shared data resource.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the shared data monitor is further configured to provide another remote access path for a metadata file storing the sharing metadata to the remote application.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the shared data monitor is configured to detect the shared data resource by at least one selected from a group consisting of monitoring creation of shared data resources and scanning a data repository for shared data resources.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the local system is a UNIX-based system and the remote system is a WINDOWS-based system.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote application is a financial application and the shared data resource is financial data.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for directing data access in a local system, the instructions when executed by a processor of a remote system comprising functionality to:

identify a remote access path of a shared data resource stored in the local system, wherein the remote access path is used to access the shared resource from outside the local system;

obtain sharing metadata associated with the remote access path from the local system, wherein the sharing metadata comprises a local access path of the shared data resource, wherein the local access path is used to access the shared data resource exclusively from within the local system;

extract the local access path of the shared data resource from the sharing metadata for providing to a data access application on the local system;

request that the data access application perform a data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path; and

receive the result of the data operation from the data access application, wherein the data access application performs the data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19,

wherein the local access path comprises a local pathname for the shared data resource.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein another remote access path for a metadata file storing the sharing metadata is provided to the remote system by the local system.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions for directing data access in a local system, the instructions when executed by a processor of a remote system comprising functionality to:

identify a remote access path of a shared data resource stored in the local system, wherein the remote access path is used to access the shared resource from outside the local system;

providing sharing metadata associated with the remote access path to a remote application, wherein the sharing metadata comprises a local access path of the shared data resource, wherein the local access path is used to access the shared data resource exclusively from within the local system;

receive, from the remote application, a request to perform a data operation on the shared data resource, wherein the request comprises the local access path of the shared data resource extracted from the sharing metadata by the remote application;

perform the data operation on the shared data resource using the local access path; and

provide the result of the data operation to the remote application.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, further comprising executable instructions to:

detect the shared data resource; and

responsive to the detecting, store the sharing metadata for the shared data resource.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the executable instructions to detect the shared data resource comprise executable instruction for at least one selected from a group consisting of monitoring creation of shared data resources and scanning a data repository for shared data resource.