Federating business event data within an enterprise network

• US 8,214,325 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Navas, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ehichioya, Fred I
• Application Number:
  US12/622,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 707/602, 707/607, 707/608, 707/609, 707/648, 707/705, 707/821
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2255 Hash tables
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24568 Data stream processing; Continuous queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2471 Distributed queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Parsing of event queries in an enterprise system is described. The enterprise system receives queries, which are broken down into query components. The query components each represent segments of the query. The enterprise system identifies sources of event data and sends queries towards the sources of the event data. The query components are processed close to the data source. The responses are combined to generate an event query response that indicates the event data of each of the query components.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a query requesting information about an event in an enterprise system having multiple separate event data sources distributed among separate enterprise nodes, the receiving via a query routing node of the enterprise system, where the event includes a change in one or more structured data objects, the data sources being separate enterprise subsystems that generate the changes;

parsing the query into component parts, where each component part relates to an item of information about the event needed to respond to the query as a whole, each component part is separately answerable by a different response from a data source, and where at least two component parts are related to events from data sources at different enterprise nodes;

sending each component part to be routed to an enterprise node local to, and associated with, a data source advertised in the enterprise system as a source of the item of information;

receiving responses to component parts from the separate enterprise nodes, at least one response including information about the event from the data source associated with each enterprise node, and not from a data warehouse that aggregates event information; and

combining the responses to generate an event query response indicating a change of data at a data source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the query comprises:

receiving a request to monitor a real-time stream of event data for a pattern of events, where the event data includes information about changes to one or more objects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein combining the responses to generate the event query response further comprises:

processing the responses to selectively combine the responses to generate an actionable event that enables a user to react to the received responses about the pattern of events.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the query comprises receiving the query at an event server of a first enterprise subsystem, and wherein sending each component part to a data source comprises sending a component part to a second enterprise subsystem separate from the first enterprise subsystem.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the query comprises receiving a query component as previously parsed by another network node, where the query component is part of a larger query of a user;

and wherein parsing the query further comprises parsing the received query component into multiple sub-component parts, each requesting different items of information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending each component part to a data source comprises:

duplicating at least one component part and sending the one component part to two or more data sources within the enterprise system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending each component part to a data source comprises:

sending each component based on an event data index that indicates location and content of event data within the enterprise system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending each component part to a data source comprises:

subscribing to a data stream of the data source, where the data stream provides information about the component part.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data source comprises:

one or more of a customer resource management (CRM) system, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a database, or a flat file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the response further comprises:

receiving at least one response including historical data from a data warehouse.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is received, parsed and sent prior to a data change at the data source.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a structural change event indicating a structural change in a business process.

13. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions, which when executed, cause a processor of an enterprise system node to perform operations, including:

receiving a query requesting information about an event in an enterprise system having multiple separate event data sources distributed among separate enterprise nodes, the receiving via routing node of the enterprise system, where the event includes a change in one or more structured data objects, the data sources being separate enterprise subsystems that generate the changes;

parsing the query into component parts, where each component part relates to an item of information about the event needed to respond to the query as a whole, each component part is separately answerable by a different response from a data source, and where at least two query components are related to events from data sources at different enterprise nodes;

sending each component part to be routed to an enterprise node local to, and associated with, a data source advertised in the enterprise system as a source of the item of information;

receiving responses to component parts from the separate enterprise nodes, at least one response including real-time information about the event from the data source associated with each enterprise node and not from a data warehouse that aggregates event information; and

combining the responses to generate an event query response indicating a change of data at a data source.

14. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the query comprises content to provide instructions for

receiving a request to monitor a real-time stream of event data for a pattern of events, where the event data includes information about changes to one or more objects.

15. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for combining the responses to generate the event query response further comprises content to provide instructions for

processing the responses to selectively combine the responses to generate an action responsive to the event.

16. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for or receiving the query comprises content to provide instructions for receiving the query at an event server of a first enterprise subsystem, and wherein the content to provide instructions for sending each component part to a data source comprises content to provide instructions for sending a component part over a public network to a second enterprise subsystem separate from the first enterprise subsystem.

17. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for sending each component part to a data source comprises content to provide instructions for

duplicating at least one component part and sending the one component part to two or more data sources within the enterprise system.

18. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for sending each component part to an event data source comprises content to provide instructions for

sending each component based on a business event data index that indicates location and content of business event data within the enterprise system.

19. The machine readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for sending each component part to an event data source comprises content to provide instructions for

subscribing to a data stream of the event data source, where the data stream provides information about the component part.

20. A server node of an enterprise network, comprising:

a network interface circuit to receive a query requesting information about an event in an enterprise system having multiple separate data sources distributed among separate enterprise nodes, the receiving via a query routing node of the enterprise system, where the event includes a change in one or more structured data objects, the data sources being separate enterprise subsystems that generate the changes;

a query parser to parse the query into component parts, where each component part relates to an item of information about the event, each component part is separately answerable by a different response from a data source, and where at least two query components are related to events from data sources at different enterprise nodes;

a query router to send each component part to be routed to an enterprise node local to, and associated with, a data source advertised as generating the item of information, and receive responses to component parts from the separate enterprise nodes, at least one response including real-time information about the event from the data source associated with each enterprise node and not from a data warehouse that aggregates event information; and

a query responder to combine the responses to generate an event query response indicating a change of data at a data source.

21. The server node of claim 20, wherein the parser receives a request to monitor a real-time stream of event data for a pattern of events, where the event data includes information about changes to one or more objects.

22. The server node of claim 20, wherein the parser receives a query component as previously parsed by another network node, where the query component is part of a larger query of a user;

and wherein parsing the query further comprises parsing the received query component into multiple sub-component parts, each requesting different items of information.

23. The server node of claim 20, wherein the query router sends a component part to a node that is a next hop in an event network path to a node directly coupled to a data source, through which the data source is accessible to the event network.