Transaction transforms

• US 8,275,793 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmad, Arshad F., Olenick, Brad M., Szyperski, Clemens A., Hunt, David G., Zmrhal, Terry D., Rychikhin, Yuri
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU N
• Application Number:
  US11/360,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,406 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/792, 715/234
• US Class Current: 707/792
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing

Abstract

A method and system for maintaining isolated data in an application is disclosed which data to be selectively isolated until a data client orders the changes to be committed or abandoned. A computer-readable medium for constructing an application capable of localized data isolation is also disclosed. An application specification is used to determine which data entities should be isolated, and one or more transaction transforms are implemented for each data entity to be isolated.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage device having a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for constructing an application capable of localized data isolation, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving an application specification in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) application framework (XAF) environment, the XAF environment being operatively associated with a plurality of user interface (UI) connectors and a plurality of data stores through data connectors, each data store having a particular data type configured to communicate at a corresponding protocol implemented by the data connectors, the user interface connectors being employed to translate UI actions into XAF actions, the data connectors being employed to translate the XAF actions into data store specific actions and the data store specific actions into the XAF actions in accordance with the corresponding protocol associated with each data store;

identifying data entities requiring isolation;

receiving at least one data change in a user interface for the application;

translating, by a UI connector, the at least one data change in the user interface into a generic XAF event, wherein translating, by the user interface connector, the at least one data change in the user interface comprises employing the user interface connector that is specific to a type of user interface element associated with the at least one data change in the user interface; and

implementing, at least in part by a data connector, at least one transaction transform, the at least one transaction transform being capable of performing a control operation on the at least one data change, wherein performing the control operation comprises;

requesting assurance that the control operation can be performed, receiving a response to the assurance request,

determining whether the received response comprises an affirmative assurance that the control operation can be performed, and

sending a command to complete with the control operation;

a buffer module for storing buffered data and maintaining status information relating to the buffered data and the control operations, wherein the buffer module is configured to retain buffered data in response to determining that the received response does not comprise the affirmative assurance that the control operations can be performed.

2. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, further comprising using a phase and domain constraint model to preserve order of operations.

3. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, further comprising selecting a particular coherency protocol for each of the at least one transaction transforms.

4. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 1, furthering comprising allowing a plurality of transaction transforms to be interspersed with a plurality of data transforms.

5. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 4, further comprising storing results of at least one data transformation within a transaction transform.

6. A system for data isolation in an application, the system comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is configured to;

receive an application specification in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) application framework (XAF) environment, wherein the XAF environment is in communication with a plurality of user interface (UI) connectors and a plurality of data stores through data connectors configured to atomically commit data modifications, each data store having a particular data type configured to communicate at a corresponding protocol implemented by the data connectors, wherein the user interface

connectors are operative to translate user interface events into XAF events and wherein the data connectors are operative to translate the XAF events into data store specific events and data store specific events into XAF events in

accordance to the corresponding protocol associated with each data store, receive at least one change to a user interface element, translate the at least one change to the user interface element to an application-specific action, wherein the processing unit being configured to translate the at least one change to the user interface element to the application- specific action comprises the processing unit being configured to employ at least one user interface connector to translate the at least one change to the user interface element, the at least one user interface connector being specific to the changed user interface element,

store the application-specific action as interface state data, identify data entities requiring isolation, implement at least one transaction transform and at least one data transform for performing the control operations, wherein results of the at least one data transform are stored within the transaction transform,

preserve order of operations using a phase and domain constraint model, request assurance that the control operations can be performed, receive a response to the assurance request,

determine whether the received response comprises an affirmative assurance that the control operations can be performed, and

in response to determining that the received response comprises an affirmative assurance that the control operations can be performed, send a command to complete with the control operations; and

a buffer module for storing buffered data and maintaining status information relating to the buffered data and the control operations, wherein the buffer module is configured to retain buffered data in response to determining that the received response does not comprise the affirmative assurance that the control operations can be performed.

7. A system as defined in claim 6, further comprising a data transform module for performing data transformations.

8. A system as defined in claim 6, further comprising a policy module for controlling at least one control operation policy.

9. A computer implemented method for constructing an application capable of localized data isolation, the method comprising:

receiving an application specification in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) application framework (XAF) environment, the XAF environment being operatively associated with a plurality of user interface (UI) connectors and a plurality of data stores through data connectors, each data store having a particular data type configured to communicate at a corresponding protocol implemented by the data connectors, the user interface connectors being employed to translate UI actions into XAF actions, the data connectors being employed

to translate the XAF actions into data store specific actions and the data store specific actions into the XAF actions in accordance with the corresponding protocol associated with each data store;

identifying data entities requiring isolation;

receiving at least one data change in a user interface for the application;

translating, by a UI connector, the at least one data change in the user interface into a generic XAF event, wherein translating, by the user interface connector, the at least one data change in the user interface comprises employing the user interface connector that is specific to a type of user interface element associated with the at least one data change in the user interface; and

implementing, at least in part by a data connector, at least one transaction transform, the at least one transaction transform being capable of performing a control operation on the at least one data change, wherein performing the control operation comprises;

requesting assurance that the control operation can be performed, receiving a response to the assurance request,

determining whether the received response comprises an affirmative assurance that the control operation can be performed, and

sending a command to complete with the control operation;

a buffer module for storing buffered data and maintaining status information relating to the buffered data and the control operations, wherein the buffer module is configured to retain buffered data in response to determining that the received response does not comprise the affirmative assurance that the control operations can be performed.

10. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising using a phase and domain constraint model to preserve order of operations.

11. A method as defined in claim 9, further comprising selecting a particular coherency protocol for each of the at least one transaction transforms.

12. A method as defined in claim 9, furthering comprising allowing a plurality of transaction transforms to be interspersed with a plurality of data transforms.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, further comprising storing results of at least one data transformation within a transaction transform.