Web service discovery via data abstraction model with input assistance

• US 8,949,280 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dettinger, Richard D., Kulack, Frederick A., Paterson, Kevin G., Wenzel, Shannon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pulliam, Christyann
• Assistant Examiner(s): OHBA, MELLISSA M
• Application Number:
  US12/771,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 707/706, 707/802
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving a selection of a particular logical field via a database query interface. The method includes querying a discovery registry associated with a data abstraction model of a database to discover one or more web services that are resolvable based on the particular logical field. The data abstraction model includes a plurality of logical fields, where each logical field corresponds to a particular data structure of the database. A web service input and a web service output of a particular discovered web service are associated with logical fields of the data abstraction model via the discovery registry. A modified database query interface includes an input assistance selectable input associated with the discovered web services. In response to a selection of the input assistance selectable input, a form input interface may be displayed that includes one or more input forms associated with the discovered web services.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, from a user device via a database query interface, a selection of a logical field of a data abstraction model of a database;

querying a discovery registry associated with the data abstraction model of the database to discover three or more web services that are resolvable based on the selected logical field, wherein a web service output of each discovered web service is associated with the selected logical field;

modifying the database query interface based on the three or more discovered web services;

displaying the modified database query interface, wherein the modified database query interface includes at least three or more input elements associated with the three or more discovered web services and a text entry element;

displaying a form input interface in response to a selection of a wizard button, wherein the form input interface includes input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services and a control to cause execution of the three or more discovered web services; and

executing, in response to selection of the control, the three or more discovered web services based on search terms received via the input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a result interface that includes a result of executing the three or more discovered web services.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected logical field is an employee field and wherein a first discovered web service of the three or more discovered web services includes a department lookup service that in response to receiving a department identification input outputs a list of employee identifiers that are associated with the department identification input.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein a first input field definition associated with the first discovered web service is determined based on the data abstraction model, and wherein a format of a search term associated with the first discovered web service is determined based on the first input field definition.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the search term associated with the first discovered web service includes department code information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected logical field is an employee field and wherein a second discovered web service of the three or more discovered web services includes a support lookup service that in response to receiving a support e-mail input outputs a list of employee identifiers that are associated with the support e-mail input.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein a second input field definition associated with the second discovered web service is determined based on the data abstraction model, and wherein a format of a search term associated with the second discovered web service is determined based on the second input field definition.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the search term associated with the second discovered web service includes support e-mail information.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the selected logical field is an employee field and wherein a third discovered web service of the three or more discovered web services includes a product owner lookup service that in response to receiving a product name input, a location input, or both, outputs a list of employee identifiers associated with the product name input, or a list of locations associated with the location input, or a combination thereof.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein a third input field definition associated with the third discovered web service is determined based on the data abstraction model, and wherein a format of each search term of a plurality of search terms associated with the third discovered web service is determined based on the third input field definition.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein a first search term of the plurality of search terms associated with the third discovered web service includes product name information selectable via a product name selection menu, and wherein a second search term of the plurality of search terms associated with the third discovered web service includes location information selectable via a location selection menu.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor;

an interface to receive, from a user device via a database query interface, a selection of a logical field of a data abstraction model of a database; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store;

the data abstraction model of the database;

a discovery registry associated with the data abstraction model of the database, wherein the discovery registry associates a plurality of web services with a plurality of logical fields of the data abstraction model;

a resolver executable by the processor to query the discovery registry to discover three or more web services of the plurality of web services that are resolvable based on the selected logical field, wherein a web service output of each discovered web service is associated with the selected logical field; and

a user interface component executable by the processor to;

modify the database query interface based on the three or more discovered web services;

display the modified database query interface, wherein the modified database query interface includes at least three or more input elements associated with the three or more discovered web services and a text entry element;

display a form input interface in response to a selection of a wizard button wherein the form input interface includes input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services and a control that executes the three or more discovered web services; and

execute, in response to selection of the control, the three or more discovered web services based on search terms received via the input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the resolver is a structured query language (SQL) condition function resolver.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer readable storage medium is further configured to store a web registry, wherein the web registry includes discoverable information associated with the plurality of web services, and wherein the discoverable information associated with a particular web service of the plurality of web services is stored at the discovery registry upon addition of the particular web service to the web registry.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive, from a user device via a database query interface, a selection of a logical field of a data abstraction model of a database;

query a discovery registry associated with the data abstraction model of the database to discover three or more web services that are resolvable based on the selected logical field, wherein a web service output of each discovered web service is associated with the selected logical field;

modify the database query interface based on the three or more discovered web services;

display the modified database query interface, wherein the modified database query interface includes at least three or more input elements associated with the of three or more discovered web services and a text entry element;

display a form input interface in response to a selection of a wizard button wherein the form input interface includes input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services and a control that executes the three or more discovered web services; and

execute, in response to selection of the control, the three or more discovered web services based on search terms received via the input fields associated with the three or more discovered web services.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to display one or more help inputs associated with the three or more discovered web services, wherein each help input provides information associated with a particular discovered web service.