Isolated mapping point

• US 7,970,942 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Foerg, Karl-Heinz, Kompalli, Prasad, Pauly, Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee; John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chou; Alan S
• Application Number:
  US11/832,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Techniques are provided to integrate application systems by using an isolated mapping point that is a computer system, a server, or other computing device that includes a mapping data store and performs mapping functions. An isolated mapping point receives data from the sending system, transforms the data as necessary, and sends the transformed data to the receiving system. The isolated mapping point performs the data transformation without accessing data or processes on the sending system or the receiving system. The isolated mapping point is separate (or isolated) from both the sending system and the receiving system. The isolated mapping point uses only data included in the mapping database. The isolated mapping point receives data included in the mapping database received through a well-defined interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first processing system including (a) stored instructions of a first application program, (b) stored data associated with the first application program, and (c) a processor to execute the stored instructions of the first application program;

a second processing system including (a) stored instructions of a second application program, (b) stored data associated with the second application program, and (c) a processor to execute the stored instructions of the second application program;

a data exchange facility including (a) stored data for transforming data associated with one of the application programs to data capable of being processed by the other of the application programs, (b) stored instructions associated with the data exchange facility for transforming the data associated with one of the application programs to data capable of being processed by the other of the application programs, and (c) a processor to execute the stored instructions of the data exchange facility, wherein the data exchange facility is configured to;

receive, from the first processing system, data associated with the first application program, the received data having a first data structure, the received data including a data value representing a first code for a data attribute of the first data structure, the first code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for the data attribute of the first data structure;

access data value information stored on the data exchange facility;

use a data value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed data value information to transform the first code to a transformed code, the transformed code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for a data attribute of a second data structure;

access the data for transforming that is stored on the data exchange facility;

use the accessed data for transforming to transform the received data from the first data structure to the second data structure, wherein the transformation includes adding the transformed code to the data attribute; and

send the transformed data having the second data structure to the second processing system.

2. The system of claim 1 also including a first communication link between the data exchange facility and the first processing system, wherein the data exchange facility is further configured to receive, from the first processing system over the first communication link, data associated with the first application program, the received data having the first data structure.

3. The system of claim 2 also including a second communication link between the data exchange facility and the second processing system, wherein the second processing system is configured to receive, from the data exchange facility over the second communications link, the transformed data having the second data structure.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second processing system is configured to receive, from the data exchange facility, the transformed data having the second data structure and to store the transformed data having the second data structure in association with the second application program.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the data exchange facility is configured to receive, from the second processing system, data associated with the second application program, the received data having the second data structure, and to transform the data associated with the second application program to data having the first data structure using the instructions stored on the data exchange facility.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the data exchange facility is configured to send the transformed data having the first data structure to the first processing system.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first processing system is configured to receive, from the data exchange facility, the transformed data having the first data structure and to store the transformed data having the first data structure in association with the first application program.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising at least one of the first and second processing systems including a port through which user devices are served.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the data exchange facility comprises an isolated mapping point associated with the first and second processing systems.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the data exchange facility is configured to use a protocol that is common to the first processing system, the second processing system, and the data exchange facility.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the protocol uses a common document object capable of storing data that is capable of being processed and stored by the first processing system, the second processing system, and the data exchange facility.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the data exchange facility is configured to:

receive data from a replication service that provides data from one data management system to another data management system; and

store the data received from the replication service.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the data exchange facility is configured to subscribe to receive data from the replication service.

14. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

a third processing system including (a) stored instructions of a third application program, (b) stored data associated with the third application program, and (c) a processor to execute the stored instructions of the third application program; and

wherein the data exchange facility is configured to;

use the accessed data for transforming to transform the received data from the first data structure to a third data structure, wherein;

the third data structure includes a data attribute,

the data attribute is not included in the first data structure and is required for the received data to be validated and stored by the third processing system, and

the transformation includes adding a data value for the data attribute; and

send the transformed data having the third data structure to the third processing system.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the third processing system is configured to receive, from the data exchange facility, the transformed data having the third data structure and to store the transformed data in association with the third application program.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a default data value.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a data value applicable to the particular data received.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the received data includes a key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system, and

the data exchange facility is further configured to;

access key value information stored on the data exchange facility, and

use a key value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed key value information to transform the received key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system to a transformed key that uniquely identifies the transformed data with respect to the second data processing system.

19. A computer-implemented method for transforming computer data in a data exchange between data processing systems, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first data processing system and at a data exchange facility that operates on a processing system that is different from the first data processing system, data associated with a first application program operating on the first data processing system, the received data having a first data structure, the received data including a data value representing a first code for a data attribute of the first data structure, the first code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for the data attribute of the first data structure;

accessing data value information stored on the data exchange facility;

using a data value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed data value information to transform the first code to a transformed code, the transformed code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for a data attribute of a second data structure;

accessing, from a mapping data store that is stored on the data exchange facility, data for transforming data associated with the first application program to data capable of being processing by another application program;

transforming, using the data for transforming included in the mapping data store and a mapping function stored on the data exchange facility for transforming data associated with the first application program to data capable of being processing by another application program, the received data from the first data structure to the second data structure capable of being processed by a second data processing system, wherein the transformation includes adding the transformed code to the data attribute; and

sending the transformed data having the second data structure to the second processing system, wherein the processing system that operates the data exchange facility is different from the second data processing system.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising storing the data received from the first data processing system such that the received data is accessible to the data exchange facility.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the data exchange facility transforms the data received from the first data processing system by transforming a single data structure that has the first data structure and that is associated with the data received from the first data processing system to multiple data structures having the second data structure.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the data exchange facility transforms the data received from the first data processing system by transforming multiple data structures that have the first data structure and that are associated with the data received from the first data processing system to a single data structure having the second data structure.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the data received from the first data processing system is transformed to data having the second data structure, the data being formatted into a common format that is capable of being validated and stored by the second data processing system and at least one other data processing system.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining whether data being transformed is present in the second data processing system; and

only transforming the received data to data having the second data structure when data being transformed is present in the second data processing system.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a default data value.

26. The method of claim 19 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a data value applicable to the particular data received.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the received data includes a key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system, further comprising:

accessing key value information that is stored on the data exchange facility; and

using a key value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed key value information to transform the received key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system to a transformed key that uniquely identifies the transformed data with respect to the second data processing system.

28. A computer-implemented method for transforming computer data in a data exchange between data processing systems, the method comprising, at a data exchange facility having a mapping data store and a key value mapping function:

receiving, from a first data processing system, a data object including a key that uniquely identifies the data object with respect to the first data processing system, wherein the received data object includes a data value representing a first code for a data attribute of the data object, the first code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for the data attribute on the first data processing system;

accessing key value information stored in the mapping data store;

accessing the key value mapping function;

using key value information stored in the mapping data store and the key value mapping function to transform the key included with the data object received from the first data processing system to a key that uniquely identifies the data object with respect to a second data processing system;

sending the transformed key to the second data processing system;

accessing data value information stored on the data exchange facility; and

using a data value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed data value information to transform the first code to a transformed code, the transformed code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for a data attribute on the second data processing system.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising storing the data object received from the first data processing system such that the received data object is accessible to the data exchange facility.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable device having embodied thereon a computer program configured to, when executed, transform computer data in a data exchange between data processing systems, the device comprising:

a receiving code segment configured to receive, from a first data processing system, data associated with a first application program operating on a first data processing system, the received data having a first data structure, the received data includes a data value representing a first code for a data attribute of the first data structure, the first code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for the data attribute of the first data structure;

a data value code segment configured to access data value information stored on the data exchange facility;

a data mapping code segment configured to use a data value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed data value information to transform the first code to a transformed code, the transformed code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for a data attribute of a second data structure;

an accessing code segment configured to access a mapping data store that includes data for transforming data associated with the first application program to data capable of being processed by another application program;

a mapping code segment configured to transform, using the data for transforming included in the mapping data store, the received data from the first data structure to the second data structure, wherein the transformation includes adding the transformed code to the data attribute; and

a sending code segment configured to send the transformed data having the second data structure to the second processing system, wherein the receiving, accessing and transforming code segments are executed on a processing system that is a different processing system than the first and second data processing systems, and the mapping data store is stored on the processing system that executes the receiving, accessing and transforming code segments are executed.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein the mapping code segment comprises a storing code segment configured to store the data received from the first data processing system such that the received data is accessible to the data exchange facility.

32. The device of claim 30 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a default data value.

33. The device of claim 30 wherein adding the transformed code to the data attribute comprises adding a data value applicable to the particular data received.

34. The device of claim 30, wherein the received data includes a key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system, wherein the device further comprises code segments that are configured to:

access key value information stored on the data exchange facility, and

use a key value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed key value information to transform the received key that uniquely identifies the received data with respect to the first data processing system to a transformed key that uniquely identifies the transformed data with respect to the second data processing system.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable device having embodied thereon a computer program configured to, when executed, transform computer data in a data exchange between data processing systems, the device comprising:

a receiving code segment configured to receive, from a first data processing system, a data object including a key that uniquely identifies the data object with respect to the first data processing system, wherein the received data object further includes a data value representing a first code for a data attribute of the data object, the first code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for the data attribute on the first data processing system;

a value-accessing code segment configured to access key value information stored in a mapping data store;

a key-transforming code segment configured to use key value information stored in the mapping data store to transform the key included with the data object received from the first data processing system to a key that uniquely identifies the data object with respect to a second data processing system;

a data-value accessing code segment configured to access data value information stored on the data exchange facility;

a data-mapping code segment configured to use a data value mapping function stored on the data exchange facility and the accessed data value information to transform the first code to a transformed code, the transformed code being one of multiple codes that are permitted for a data attribute on the second data processing system; and

a sending code segment configured to send the transformed key to the second data processing system, wherein;

the receiving, value-accessing, key-transforming and sending code segments are executed on a processing system that is different from both the first and second data processing systems, and

the mapping data store is stored on the processing system that executes the receiving, value-accessing, key-transforming and sending code segments.