Cross-ontology multi-master replication

• US 9,330,157 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Ducott, Richard Allen III, Garrod, John Kenneth, Carrino, John Antonio, Brainard, Katherine
• Primary Examiner(s): LIAO, JASON G
• Application Number:
  US14/156,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20140129518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

A system and method providing cross-ontology multi-master replication is described. In a first embodiment a method for cross-ontology multi-master replication comprising the steps of: obtaining, at an importing site, an exporting site ontology and a set of one or more database changes; wherein the exporting site ontology defines a set of one or more data types; and after mapping the exporting site ontology to an importing site ontology, incorporating the set of one or more database changes into a database including mapping each of one or more data types of the set of data types to a data type defined by the importing site ontology using an ontology map.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing an ontology map comprising link mappings of one or more link types defined by a first ontology to one or more link types defined by a second ontology;

wherein the ontology map comprises a mapping from a first object type defined by the first ontology to a second object type defined by the second ontology and a mapping from a third object type defined by the first ontology to a fourth object type defined by the second ontology;

wherein the first ontology defines a first link type as including a first direction of relationship between the first object type and the third object type, and the second ontology defines a second link type as including a second direction of relationship between the second object type and the fourth object type;

wherein the link mappings comprise an asymmetric mapping from the first link type of the first ontology to the second link type of the second ontology that specifies that the first direction of the first link type is opposite to the second direction of the second link type;

receiving a set of one or more database changes that were made using the first ontology and comprising a change involving a first link of the first link type;

based at least in part on the asymmetric mapping, incorporating the set of one or more database changes into a set of data that is organized according to the second ontology, at least in part by using the asymmetric mapping to determine a direction of a second link of the second link type;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology relate particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology relate corresponding objects in the second ontology.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more events associated with particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more events associated with corresponding objects in the second ontology.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more properties shared by particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more properties shared by corresponding objects in the second ontology.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ontology map also comprises mappings of one or more first object types of the first ontology to one or more second object types of the second ontology, and mappings of one or more first object property types of the first ontology to one or more second object property types of the second ontology.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ontology map further comprises a list of one or more data types to be dropped when the changes are exported, further comprising removing the one or more data types from the set of one or more database changes before incorporating the one or more database changes into the set of data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for each data type of the first ontology that is not defined in the second ontology, verifying that the data type can be mapped to a corresponding data type of the second ontology before incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data.

8. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media storing instructions which, when executed, cause performance of:

storing an ontology map comprising link mappings of one or more link types defined by a first ontology to one or more link types defined by a second ontology;

wherein the ontology map comprises a mapping from a first object type defined by the first ontology to a second object type defined by the second ontology and a mapping from a third object type defined by the first ontology to a fourth object type defined by the second ontology;

wherein the first ontology defines a first link type as including a first direction of relationship between the first object type and the third object type, and the second ontology defines a second link type as including a second direction of relationship between the second object type and the fourth object type;

wherein the link mappings comprise an asymmetric mapping from the first link type of the first ontology to the second link type of the second ontology that specifies that the first direction of the first link type is opposite to the second direction of the second link type;

receiving a set of one or more database changes made according to the first ontology, wherein the set of one or more database changes comprises a change involving a first link of the first link type; and

based at least in part on the asymmetric mapping, incorporating the set of one or more database changes into a set of data organized according to the second ontology at least in part by using the asymmetric mapping to determine a direction of a second link of the second link type.

9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology relate particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology relate corresponding objects in the second ontology.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more events associated with particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more events associated with corresponding objects in the second ontology.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more properties shared by particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more properties shared by corresponding objects in the second ontology.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the ontology map also maps one or more first object types of the first ontology to one or more second object types of the second ontology, and also maps one or more first object property types of the first ontology to one or more second object property types of the second ontology.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the ontology map further comprises a list of one or more data types to be dropped when the changes are exported, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause removing the one or more data types from the set of one or more database changes before incorporating the one or more database changes into the set of data.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause, for each data type of the first ontology that is not defined in the second ontology, verifying that the data type can be mapped to a corresponding data type of the second ontology before incorporating the set of one or more database changes into the set of data.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media coupled to the one or more processors and comprising logic configured to;

access an ontology map comprising link mappings of one or more link types defined by a first ontology to one or more link types defined by a second ontology;

wherein the ontology map comprises a mapping from a first object type defined by the first ontology to a second object type defined by the second ontology and a mapping from a third object type defined by the first ontology to a fourth object type defined by the second ontology;

wherein the first ontology defines a first link type as including a first direction of relationship between the first object type and the third object type, and the second ontology defines a second link type as including a second direction of relationship between the second object type and the fourth object type;

wherein the link mappings comprise an asymmetric mapping from the first link type of the first ontology to the second link type of the second ontology that specifies that the first direction of the first link type is opposite to the second direction of the second link type;

receive a set of one or more database changes that were made using the first ontology and comprising a change involving a first link of the first link type; and

based at least in part on the asymmetric mapping, incorporate the set of one or more database changes into a set of data that is organized according to the second ontology, at least in part by using the asymmetric mapping to determine a direction of a second link of the second link type.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology relate particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after the logic has incorporated the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology relate corresponding objects in the second ontology.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more events associated with particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after the logic has incorporated the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more events associated with corresponding objects in the second ontology.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more first links of the one or more link types defined by the first ontology describe one or more properties shared by particular objects in the first ontology, and wherein, after the logic has incorporated the set of one or more database changes into the set of data, one or more second links of the one or more link types defined by the second ontology describe one or more properties shared by corresponding objects in the second ontology.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the ontology map also comprises mappings of one or more first object types of the first ontology to one or more second object types of the second ontology, and mappings of one or more first object property types of the first ontology to one or more second object property types of the second ontology.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the ontology map further comprises a list of one or more data types to be dropped when the changes are exported, wherein the logic is configured to remove the one or more data types from the set of one or more database changes before the logic incorporates the one or more database changes into the set of data.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the logic is configured to, for each data type of the first ontology that is not defined in the second ontology, verify that the data type can be mapped to a corresponding data type of the second ontology before the logic incorporates the set of one or more database changes into the set of data.