U.S. patent application number 17/411743 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-09 for recursive data traversal model.
This patent application is currently assigned to Oracle International Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Oracle International Corporation. Invention is credited to Kaarthik Balasubrahmanian, Donald Creig Humes, Rajesh Ashwinbhai Shah, Sridhar Tadepalli.
Application Number | 20210382901 17/411743 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005798487 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210382901 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Balasubrahmanian; Kaarthik ;
et al. |
December 9, 2021 |
RECURSIVE DATA TRAVERSAL MODEL
Abstract
One or more embodiments interpret a configuration graph to
efficiently and optimally construct requests and fetch data from a
datastore. The values of objects of a requested data type are used
to generate additional queries for pre-fetching data from the
datastore. Specifically, the values are used to query for and
retrieve a corresponding subset of objects of another, related data
type. Recursively querying for and retrieving objects of related
data types based on already retrieved objects builds a data cache
of relevant objects. The cached, relevant objects may be useful in
subsequent queries that are likely to follow the initial query.
Inventors: |
Balasubrahmanian; Kaarthik;
(Belmont, CA) ; Humes; Donald Creig; (Yorktown,
VA) ; Tadepalli; Sridhar; (Bangalore, IN) ;
Shah; Rajesh Ashwinbhai; (San Jose, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Oracle International Corporation |
Redwood Shores |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Oracle International
Corporation
Redwood Shores
CA
|
Family ID: |
1000005798487 |
Appl. No.: |
17/411743 |
Filed: |
August 25, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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16282178 |
Feb 21, 2019 |
11132368 |
|
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17411743 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/24566 20190101;
G06F 16/2372 20190101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 16/2455 20060101
G06F016/2455; G06F 16/23 20060101 G06F016/23 |
Claims
1. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing
instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause
performance of operations comprising: receiving, by a client
application, from a datastore, a first object type definition
corresponding to a first object type, the first object type
definition defining a first set of data fields for the first object
type; generating, by the client application, a first object of the
first object type based on the first object type definition;
receiving, by the client application, from the datastore, an update
to the first object type definition, the update comprising a second
object type definition, the second object type definition defining
a second set of data fields different than the first set of data
fields; and generating, by the client application, a second object
of a second type based on (a) the second object type definition and
(b) the first object of the first object type.
2. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
1, wherein generating the second object comprises: identifying a
particular field, of the second set of data fields of the second
object, that does not correspond to any field in the first set of
data fields; identifying a value for the particular field of the
second set of data fields of the second object; and storing the
value in association with the particular field of the second set of
data fields of the second object.
3. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
2, wherein identifying the value comprises identifying a default
value or a null value.
4. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
1, wherein generating the second object comprises: identifying a
particular field, of the first set of data fields, that does not
correspond to any field in the second set of data fields; and
generating the second object by transferring values of the first
object to the second object without transferring a value for the
particular field in the first object.
5. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
1, wherein the first object and the second object are used to
control functionality of the client application.
6. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
1, wherein the second object type definition specifies: at least
one first data field, among the second set of data fields, capable
of being changed by the client application; and at least one second
data field, among the second set of data fields, which may not be
changed by the client application.
7. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
1, wherein the instructions further cause: receiving, by the client
application, from the datastore, metadata including a first
metadata module defining a first sub-type of the second object
type, wherein the first sub-type of the second object type includes
a first sub-set of data fields from among the second set of data
fields; creating, by the client application, a third object of the
first sub-type; and fetching, by the client application, from the
datastore, data values for the first sub-set of data fields.
8. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
7, wherein the instructions further cause: receiving, by the client
application, a request for a value of a particular data field that
is not among the first sub-set of data fields; searching, by the
client application, the metadata to identify a second metadata
module defining a second sub-type of the second object type, the
second sub-type including the particular data field; creating, by
the client application, a fourth object of the second sub-type; and
fetching, by the client application, from the datastore, data
values for the fourth object.
9. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
7, wherein the instructions further cause: receiving, by the client
application, a request to create a new field in the second object;
based on determining that the new field is: (a) not found in any
object type stored in the datastore, and (b) not defined by the
metadata maintained by the client application: updating, by the
datastore, the second object type to include the new field; and
updating, by the client application, the metadata to include the
new field.
10. A method, comprising: receiving, by a client application, from
a datastore, a first object type definition corresponding to a
first object type, the first object type definition defining a
first set of data fields for the first object type; generating, by
the client application, a first object of the first object type
based on the first object type definition; receiving, by the client
application, from the datastore, an update to the first object type
definition, the update comprising a second object type definition,
the second object type definition defining a second set of data
fields different than the first set of data fields; and generating,
by the client application, a second object of a second type based
on (a) the second object type definition and (b) the first object
of the first object type.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the second object
comprises: identifying a particular field, of the second set of
data fields of the second object, that does not correspond to any
field in the first set of data fields; identifying a value for the
particular field of the second set of data fields of the second
object; and storing the value in association with the particular
field of the second set of data fields of the second object.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the value comprises
identifying a default value or a null value.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the second object
comprises: identifying a particular field, of the first set of data
fields, that does not correspond to any field in the second set of
data fields; and generating the second object by transferring
values of the first object to the second object without
transferring a value for the particular field in the first
object.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first object and the second
object are used to control functionality of the client
application.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the second object type
definition specifies: at least one first data field, among the
second set of data fields, capable of being changed by the client
application; and at least one second data field, among the second
set of data fields, which may not be changed by the client
application.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, by the
client application, from the datastore, metadata including a first
metadata module defining a first sub-type of the second object
type, wherein the first sub-type of the second object type includes
a first sub-set of data fields from among the second set of data
fields; creating, by the client application, a third object of the
first sub-type; and fetching, by the client application, from the
datastore, data values for the first sub-set of data fields.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving, by the
client application, a request for a value of a particular data
field that is not among the first sub-set of data fields;
searching, by the client application, the metadata to identify a
second metadata module defining a second sub-type of the second
object type, the second sub-type including the particular data
field; creating, by the client application, a fourth object of the
second sub-type; and fetching, by the client application, from the
datastore, data values for the fourth object.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving, by the
client application, a request to create a new field in the second
object; based on determining that the new field is: (a) not found
in any object type stored in the datastore, and (b) not defined by
the metadata maintained by the client application: updating, by the
datastore, the second object type to include the new field; and
updating, by the client application, the metadata to include the
new field.
19. A system, comprising: one or more processors; and memory
storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more
processors, cause the system to perform: receiving, by a client
application, from a datastore, a first object type definition
corresponding to a first object type, the first object type
definition defining a first set of data fields for the first object
type; generating, by the client application, a first object of the
first object type based on the first object type definition;
receiving, by the client application, from the datastore, an update
to the first object type definition, the update comprising a second
object type definition, the second object type definition defining
a second set of data fields different than the first set of data
fields; and generating, by the client application, a second object
of a second type based on (a) the second object type definition and
(b) the first object of the first object type.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein generating the second object
comprises: identifying a particular field, of the second set of
data fields of the second object, that does not correspond to any
field in the first set of data fields; identifying a value for the
particular field of the second set of data fields of the second
object; and storing the value in association with the particular
field of the second set of data fields of the second object.
Description
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE; DISCLAIMER
[0001] The following application is hereby incorporated by
reference: application Ser. No. 16/282,178 filed on Feb. 21, 2019.
The Applicant hereby rescinds any disclaimer of claim scope in the
parent application(s) or the prosecution history thereof and
advises the USPTO that the claims in this application may be
broader than any claim in the parent application(s).
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a recursive data traversal
model. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a recursive
data traversal model that implements a data retrieval
relationship.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A client device may receive updates from or submit updates
to a backend server. The updates, received or submitted by a client
device, include updates to data.
[0004] Client devices may be operated in an online mode and an
offline mode. An online mode is a mode in which a client device may
communicate with a backend server via a network. An offline mode is
a mode in which the client device is unable to communicate with a
backend server via a network. When operating in an online mode, a
client device may receive updates from and submit updates to a
backend sever. When operating in an offline mode, a client device
is unable to receive updates from or submit updates to a backend
server.
[0005] The approaches described in this section are approaches that
could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been
previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise
indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches
described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of
their inclusion in this section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by
way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings. It
should be noted that references to "an" or "one" embodiment in this
disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and they
mean at least one. In the drawings:
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that illustrates a
client-server computing system that operates over a network in
accordance with one or more embodiments;
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
a data control model in accordance with one or more
embodiments;
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations for updating an object type definition in accordance
with one or more embodiments;
[0010] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations for updating an object type definition in accordance
with one or more embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram that illustrates a
configuration graph showing relationships between entities and
related entities in accordance with one or more embodiments;
[0012] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
an entity in a configuration graph in accordance with one or more
embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
a related entity in a configuration graph in accordance with one or
more embodiments;
[0014] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations for updating a data cache in accordance with one or
more embodiments; and
[0015] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram that illustrates a computer
system in accordance with one or more embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] In the following description, for the purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding. One or more embodiments may be
practiced without these specific details. Features described in one
embodiment may be combined with features described in a different
embodiment. In some examples, well-known structures and devices are
described with reference to a block diagram form in order to avoid
unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
1. General Overview
[0017] One or more embodiments interpret a configuration graph to
efficiently and optimally construct requests and fetch data from a
datastore. The values of objects of a requested data type are used
to generate additional queries for pre-fetching data from the
datastore. Specifically, the values are used to query for and
retrieve a corresponding subset of objects of another, related data
type. Recursively querying for and retrieving objects of related
data types based on already retrieved objects builds a data cache
of relevant objects. The cached, relevant objects may be useful in
subsequent queries that are likely to follow the initial query.
[0018] This Specification may include, and the claims may recite,
some embodiments beyond those that are described in this General
Overview section.
2. Architectural Overview
[0019] FIG. 1 shows a block diagram that illustrates a
client-server computing system 100 that operates over a network 120
in accordance with one or more embodiments. The client-server
computing system 100 may include a server 110 and a client device
130 communicatively coupled via the network 120. Each of the server
110 and the client device 130 may include a computing processor and
associated memory and communications circuitry.
[0020] The network 120 may include a local area network (LAN), wide
area network (WAN), Ethernet network, Token Ring network,
asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, Wi-Fi network, the
Internet, cellular telephone network, Enhanced Data rates for GSM
Evolution (EDGE) network, long-term evolution (LTE) network,
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network, or
other computing communications networks. The server 110 may include
a datastore 115 that stores data accessible by the client device
130 via the network 120. The client device 130 may include a client
application 135 (e.g., software application) that receives data
from or accesses data stored in the datastore 115.
[0021] In an embodiment, the client device 130 is implemented on
one or more digital devices. The term "digital device" generally
refers to any hardware device that includes a processor. A digital
device may refer to a physical device executing an application or a
virtual machine. Examples of digital devices include a computer, a
tablet, a laptop, a desktop, a netbook, a server, a web server, a
network policy server, a proxy server, a generic machine, a
function-specific hardware device, a hardware router, a hardware
switch, a hardware firewall, a hardware firewall, a hardware
network address translator (NAT), a hardware load balancer, a
mainframe, a television, a content receiver, a set-top box, a
printer, a mobile handset, a smartphone, a personal digital
assistant ("PDA"), a wireless receiver and/or transmitter, a base
station, a communication management device, a router, a switch, a
controller, an access point, and a client device.
[0022] In one or more embodiments, the datastore 115 is any type of
storage unit and/or device (e.g., a file system, database,
collection of tables, or any other storage mechanism) for storing
data. Further, the datastore 115 may include multiple different
storage units and/or devices. The multiple different storage units
and/or devices may or may not be of the same type or located at the
same physical site. Alternatively or additionally, the datastore
115 may be implemented or executed on a computing system separate
from the server 110. The datastore 115 may be communicatively
coupled to the server 110 or the client device 130 via a direct
connection or via the network 120.
[0023] The client application 135 may access data objects stored in
the datastore 115 using a set of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
uniform resource identifiers (URIs), e.g., uniform resource
locators (URL) used in conjunction with an HTTP request. HTTP may
be used as a request-response protocol between the client device
130 and the server 110 to facilitate the transfer and management of
data between the client application 135 and the datastore 115.
[0024] The server 110 may provide a representational state transfer
(REST) service for servicing REST requests received from the client
application 135. A REST request is a type of stateless HTTP request
and may be transmitted to the server 110 by the client device 130.
REST requests are subsets of HTTP requests. The REST request may
use a set of uniform and predefined stateless operations. State may
not be kept from request to request when the REST request is used.
The server 110 may provide a description of the server 110 to the
client application 135 as a REST server through a well-defined URL.
Through this well-defined URL, the server 110 may provide a
mechanism for the client application 135 to efficiently retrieve
data from and upload data to the datastore 115.
[0025] In one or more embodiments, a user interface refers to
hardware and/or software configured to facilitate communications
between a user and the client device 130. The user interface
renders user interface elements and receives input via user
interface elements. Examples of interfaces include a graphical user
interface (GUI), a command line interface (CLI), a haptic
interface, and a voice command interface. Examples of user
interface elements include checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdown
lists, list boxes, buttons, toggles, text fields, date and time
selectors, command lines, sliders, pages, and forms.
[0026] In an embodiment, different components of a user interface
are specified in different languages. The behavior of user
interface elements is specified in a dynamic programming language,
such as JavaScript. The content of user interface elements is
specified in a markup language, such as hypertext markup language
(HTML) or XML User Interface Language (XUL). The layout of user
interface elements is specified in a style sheet language, such as
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Alternatively, a user interface is
specified in one or more other languages, such as Java, C, or
C++.
[0027] In one or more embodiments, the client-server computing
system 100 may include more or fewer components than the components
illustrated in FIG. 1. The components illustrated in FIG. 1 may be
local to or remote from each other. The components illustrated in
FIG. 1 may be implemented in software and/or hardware. Each
component may be distributed over multiple applications and/or
machines. Multiple components may be combined into one application
and/or machine. Operations described with respect to one component
may instead be performed by another component.
[0028] Additional embodiments and/or examples relating to computer
networks are described below in Section 5, titled "Computer
Networks and Cloud Networks."
3. An Adaptive Polymorphic Data Model
[0029] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
a data control model 200 in accordance with one or more
embodiments. The data control model 200 may be an embodiment of an
adaptive polymorphic data model. The data control model 200 may
describe a database schema used by the client application 135. The
server 110 may provide elements of the data control model 200 to
the client application 135 from the datastore 115. The
functionality and/or features of the client application 135 may be
controlled as a function of the data control model 200. Thus, the
client application 135 may provide different functionalities when
provided with different elements of the data control model 200.
Updates to the data control model 200 may be used to update the
client application 135's functionality without updating the client
application 135's executable code. Thus, new functionality may be
added to the existing client application 135 by transmitting new
elements of the data control model 200 to the existing client
application 135 from the server 110.
[0030] In an example, a single client application 135 may be made
available to any customer of a software provider via a central
application download portal on a network. Each customer of the
software provider may desire different functionality for the
customer's respective client application 135 than the other
customers. Rather than providing a different executable client
application 135 to each different customer, the software provider
may provide a same executable client application 135 to all
customers. The software provider may also provide a different data
control model 200 to each customer to be downloaded from each
customer's respective server 110 to each respective customer's
client applications 135.
[0031] For example, Company A may have a dedicated instance of the
server 110 that only employees of Company A have access to via a
set of client devices 130 that are issued to the employees of
Company A by Company A. All of the client devices 130 used by
employees of Company A may download the client application 135 from
a publicly available application portal. In addition, Company B may
have a dedicated instance of the server 110 that only employees of
Company B have access to. The employees of Company B may access the
server 110 via a set of client devices 130 that are issued by
Company B to the employees of Company B. All of the client devices
130 used by employees of Company B may download the client
application 135 from the same publicly available application portal
as the employees of Company A. Company A's instance of the server
110 may download a data control model 200 customized for Company A
to the client applications 135 on Company A's client devices 130.
Company B's instance of the server 110 may download a data control
model 200 customized for Company B to the client applications 135
on Company B's client devices 130. As a result, the client
applications 135 for Company A's employees may provide different
functionality than the client applications 135 for Company B's
employees, even though the executable client application 135
downloaded from the publicly available application portal is the
same for all of Company A's and all of Company B's client devices
130.
[0032] The data control model 200 may include one or more object
type definitions 230. Each object type definition 230 may define an
object type. The object type definition 230 may specify attributes
of the object type. Examples of attributes may include sales order,
delivery date, quantity, revenue, etc. The object type definition
230 may also specify the data format of an attribute, e.g., text
string, length of text string, character, integer, signed integer,
unsigned integer, floating point, double precision floating point,
character or integer array, array dimensions, etc. The object type
definition 230 may also specify default values for each attribute
of the object type. The object type definition 230 may also specify
which fields are mandatory for inclusion in each view of the
defined object type, and which are mandatory for inclusion in a
full canonical view of the defined object type. For example, a
delivery date may be a mandatory field for a sales order data
object type. The object type definition 230 may also specify which
fields may be changed by the client application 135 and which
fields may not be changed. For example, revenue may be a field for
a sales order data object type that cannot be changed by the client
application 135. The object type definition 230 may also specify
the functions that the client application 135 is to use to
communicate with the server 110 with regard to the object type.
Examples of such functions may include fetch, update, delete, etc.
The functions specified in the object type definition 230 include
information to be used by the client application 135 to build URL's
for communicating with the server 110 regarding the object defined
by the respective object type definition 230. Such communications
may include transmitting values of data fields of an object to the
datastore 115 and updating a value of a data field of an object at
the datastore 115. A URL may be specified to update the value of a
data field of the object at the datastore 115.
[0033] The data control model 200 may also include one or more
metadata modules 235. The metadata modules 235 may be embodied as
data files or data objects. Each metadata module 235 may identify
fields of an object type defined by the respective object type
definition 230. For example, numerous different metadata modules
235 may identify a different set of fields of a same object type
defined by the respective object type definition 230. Each of the
different metadata modules 235 that correspond to the same object
may define a different view or shape of the object type. The server
110 may store a complete or full canonical representation of the
object type in the datastore 115. The client application 135 may
download different subsets of the full set of fields of the object
type stored in the datastore 115 to work with according to the
metadata modules 235. Downloading a partial object from the
datastore 115 may provide a savings in communications bandwidth
over the network 120 and a savings in memory usage in the client
device 130. The alternative of downloading the full canonical
representation of the object type each time the object type is
operated upon, regardless of what portions of the object type are
to be operated upon, may be inefficient.
[0034] As an example, the client application 135 may use a metadata
module 235 that represents a small subset of the fields of a data
object type in order to download a list of data objects from the
datastore 115. The client application 135 may use an HTTP request
sent from the client device 130 to the server 110 to access the
list of data objects in the datastore 115 that have a field value
for a given field that matches a search parameter specified by the
client application 135. The client application 135 may specify an
object sub-type defined in the metadata module 235 so that the
desired subsets of the fields of the data objects are downloaded,
and not the complete or full canonical representations of the data
objects. Thus, the sub-types defined in the metadata module 235
facilitate the client application 135 downloading a partial object
from the datastore 115 rather than the full canonical object.
[0035] For example, a data object type may be a sales order. The
client application 135 may download a list of sales orders for a
specified customer, or a specified sales person, or a specified
period of time, etc. The client application 135 may present the
list of sales orders in a user interface. A user may select one or
more of the presented lists of sales orders to see more data
regarding the sales orders or to perform operations upon the sales
orders. In response to the user selection, the client application
135 may use a different metadata module 235 that represents a
larger subset of the fields of the sales order data object type to
download additional details regarding the selected one or more of
the presented lists of sales orders. The sales order data object
type defined in a respective object type definition 230 may have a
number of different associated metadata modules 235. Each of the
metadata modules 235 may represent a different level of detail of
the sales order data object type. The levels of detail may range
from a minimal list view to a full canonical view that includes all
the data fields of the sales order data object type.
[0036] In addition to specifying different views of objects defined
in the object type definitions 230, the metadata modules 235 may
also specify how the objects behave, interact with one another,
interact with a user interface of the client application 135, and
interact with the server 110. The metadata modules 235 may specify
a layout of an object and offsets associated with each field of an
object.
[0037] The data control model 200 may include one or more
polymorphic entities 205. Each polymorphic entity 205 may define a
different overall functionality for the data control model 200.
When the client application 135 operates according to one
polymorphic entity 205, the client application 135 may provide
different features or functionality than when the client
application 135 operates according to a different polymorphic
entity 205.
[0038] Each polymorphic entity 205 may include one or more
persistence entities 210. The persistence entities 210 of one
instance of the polymorphic entity 205 may be different than the
persistence entities 210 of a different instance of the polymorphic
entity 205. Each instance of a persistence entity 210 may represent
an instance of a data object as defined in a corresponding object
type definition 230.
[0039] The persistence entity 210 may be an abstract representation
of a data object. The persistence entity 210 may include a unique
identifier 215 that uniquely identifies each instance of the
persistence entity 210 within a specific polymorphic entity 205.
The persistence entity 210 may also include an object type
definition 220 that defines the object type represented by the
persistence entity 210. The object type definition 220 may be an
embodiment of a corresponding object type definition 230. The
persistence entity 210 may also include a plurality of data values
225, each of which may be associated with a data field name as
defined in the object type definition 220.
[0040] The persistence entity 210 may include functions defined by
the object type definition 220 that operate on the data values 225
and interact with the datastore 115 with reference to a data object
type as defined by the object type definition 220. Executable code
included in the client application 135 that implements the
persistence entity 210 may have no built-in information regarding
the data objects represented by the object type definition 220. The
executable code included in the client application 135 may provide
functionality according to data included in the object type
definition 220. In an embodiment, the persistence entity 210 may be
implemented by Java code in the client application 135, and the
object type definition 220 may be specified according to a
JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) representation provided by the
datastore 115. In various embodiments, other programming languages
and database formats may be used to implement the persistence
entities 210 in the client application 135. The Java code for the
persistence entity 210 may be provided with the client application
135 at design time, while the JSON representation of the object
type definition 220 may be provided via the datastore 115 at run
time.
[0041] For example, an instance of a persistence entity 210 may be
an object that is an instance of a sales order datatype that is
defined according to a class that includes methods for operating on
the sales order datatype. The class may be defined by the object
type definition 230. According to the class definition, the
persistence entity 210 may be able to build HTTP requests as
appropriate to work with sales order data objects stored in the
datastore 115, including fetching the sales order data objects,
updating the sales order data objects, etc. Functions provided by
the persistence entity 210 that operate on data objects stored in
the datastore 115 may be defined generally to operate upon any type
of data objects stored in the datastore 115. The functions provided
by the persistence entity 210 may be called by methods provided in
the class by which the persistence entity 210 is defined according
to the object type definition 220. For example, rather than a
hardcoded function named GetRevenue(<object identifier>) that
is defined to only operate on a Revenue object, the executable code
of the client application 135 may include a hardcoded function
named Get( ) that may be called by a method of the class
corresponding to a sales order data type persistence entity 210 on
a field named Revenue as Get(Revenue, <object identifier>),
where <object identifier> is the unique identifier 215 of the
corresponding persistence entity 210.
[0042] In an example, when the client application 135 fetches a
list of sales order data objects from the datastore 115, each sales
order object returned may be represented by a separately defined
instance of the persistence entity 210. The sales order data
objects returned in the list may be represented as sub-types of the
full canonical sales order data type stored in the datastore 115
according to a metadata module 235 corresponding to a list of the
sales order data object type. A user may select one of the sales
order data objects in the list to request the associated Revenue
field value. The Revenue field may not be included in the sub-type
of the sales order data type according to the metadata module 235
corresponding to the list. A Get(Revenue, <identifier>)
function may be executed by the persistence entity 210
corresponding to the selected sales order data object. The Get
function may look up the Revenue field in the persistence entity's
object type definition 220 to determine what kind of data the
Revenue field contains and look up the value for the field in the
data values 225. If the value is not included in the data values
225, the Get function may issue an HTTP request to the datastore
115 according to a metadata module 235 that includes the field
Revenue for the sales order data object type. After receiving the
Revenue data field, and any other data fields defined by the
metadata module 235 used by the Get function, the Get function may
perform processing on the Revenue data value according to the class
definition of the method corresponding to the Get function as
specified by the object type definition 220. The persistence entity
210 may then present the Revenue data value returned by the Get
function to the user via a user interface of the client application
135.
[0043] Each customer of the software provider may desire different
functionality for the customer's respective client application 135
than the other customers. Rather than providing a different
executable client application 135 to each different customer, the
software provider may provide a same executable client application
135 to all customers. The software provider may also provide a
different data control model 200 to each customer to be downloaded
from each customer's respective server 110 to each respective
customer's client applications 135.
[0044] In an embodiment, a particular customer of a software
provider that provides the client application 135 to the particular
customer may desire to update the functionality of the client
application 135 used by the particular customer or under the
particular customer's control. The updated functionality may
include new data object type definitions 230 (e.g., for a new
regional warehouse data object), new metadata modules 235, updates
to either or both of existing data object type definitions 230 and
metadata modules 235, etc. The particular customer may use a
software tool to update the data control model 200 at the
particular customer's server 110. The particular customer may
transmit the updated data control model 200 to the particular
customer's one or more instances of the particular customer's
client application 135 on various client devices 130 under the
particular customer's control. The particular customer's update of
the particular customer's client application 135 on various client
devices 130 under the particular customer's control may not affect
instances of the client application 135 provided by the software
provider to other customers of the software provider. All customers
of the software provider may install and use a same executable
client application 135. The particular customer may update the data
control model 200 used by the particular customer's instances of
the client application 135 without affecting any other instances of
the client application 135.
[0045] In an embodiment, a salesperson may use the client
application 135 to display a list of sales opportunities. Each of
the sales opportunities may be represented by an object type
Opportunities in the data control model 200 of the client
application 135. In response to a request from the salesperson, the
client application 135 may display a list of values of data fields
from the Opportunities objects that meet the salesperson's
criteria. The client application 135 may determine, based on the
configuration of the client application 135, that only the customer
name and the customer phone number are displayed in a list view of
opportunities. The client application 135 may analyze a metadata
module 235 corresponding to the object type Opportunity. The client
application 135 may determine that the metadata module 235
corresponding to the object type Opportunity includes the
to-be-displayed fields, customer name and customer phone number.
The client application 135 may retrieve values for fields
identified in the corresponding metadata module 235 from the
datastore 115. As the fields to-be-displayed are included in the
corresponding metadata module 235, the client application 135 may
retrieve values for the customer name and the customer phone number
from objects of type Opportunity stored in the datastore 115. The
client application 135 may display, in a list view, the retrieved
information for different opportunities.
[0046] In addition to storing the values for customer name and
customer number, the datastore 115 may also store values for a
field customer budget in the object type Opportunity. However, the
client application 135 may not obtain a copy of the values
corresponding to customer budget as customer budget is not
identified in corresponding metadata module 235 used by the client
application 135.
[0047] In an embodiment, the client application 135 may receive a
user request for a value of a field of an object that is not
included in the corresponding metadata module 235. The client
application 135 may search the metadata modules 235 for another
corresponding metadata module 235 that does include the requested
field for the specified object type. The client application 135 may
then download the object from the datastore 115 according to the
other corresponding metadata module 235 that does include the
requested field. The client application 135 may modify the locally
stored partial copy of the object, previously retrieved from the
server, to include the fields and values obtained from the
datastore 115 corresponding to the other corresponding metadata
module 235 that does include the requested field for the specified
object type.
[0048] Continuing the above example, the client application 135 may
receive a selection of a particular opportunity from the salesman
when the client application 135 is displaying opportunities in the
list view. The client application 135 may be configured to show a
detailed view of an opportunity in response to receiving a
selection of that opportunity. The client application 135 may
determine that the detailed view of an opportunity includes a
customer name, a customer phone number, and a customer budget. The
client application 135, based on an analysis of the corresponding
metadata module 235, may determine that the corresponding metadata
module 235 identifies the fields customer name and customer phone
number. The client application 135 may further determine that the
corresponding metadata module 235 does not identify the field
customer budget. Since the corresponding metadata module 235 does
not identify the field customer budget, any version of an object,
corresponding to the particular opportunity, which is stored by the
client application according to the corresponding metadata module
235 may be determined to not include values for the field customer
budget. The client application 135 may identify a different
metadata module 235 in the data control model 200 corresponding to
the object type Opportunity that does include the desired field
customer budget. The client application 135 may then request, from
the datastore 115 on the server 110, values corresponding to the
fields identified in the different metadata module 235 that does
include the field customer budget. Specifically, the client
application 135 may request the object of type Opportunity which
corresponds to the particular opportunity selected by the salesman.
In response to transmitting the request, the client application 135
may receive an object of type Opportunity and corresponding to the
particular opportunity selected by the salesman. The object may
include values for customer name, customer number, and customer
budget which are all now identified in the different metadata
module 235 maintained by the client application 135 that is now
selected to define the view of the particular object.
Alternatively, the object received from the datastore 115 may not
include values for the customer name and customer number if no
change has been made to the values since the last time the values
were received by the client application 135. The client application
135 may replace or overwrite any stored prior version of the object
corresponding to the particular opportunity. The client application
135 may store a new version of the object, corresponding to the
particular opportunity, and including customer name, customer phone
number, and customer budget. The client application 135 may display
a detailed view of the particular opportunity selected by the
salesman. The detailed view, displayed by the client application
135, may include the customer name, the customer number, and the
customer budget.
[0049] In an embodiment, an application on the server 110 may
receive a request to create a new integer field of type Commission
for an object of the type Opportunity stored in the datastore 115.
The field type Commission may not currently be identified as a
field in any object type definition 230 or metadata module 235
maintained by the client application 135 or maintained by the
server 110. The server 110 may update the object type definition
230 corresponding to the object type Opportunity and one or more
corresponding metadata modules 235 maintained by the client
application 135. Specifically, the updates to the object type
Opportunity and one or more corresponding metadata modules 235
include a new integer field of type Commission. The datastore 115
and the client application 135 may store values for the field of
type Commission to reflect the addition of the new field of type
Commission. The client application 135 may also retrieve and
display values corresponding to the field Commission on a user
interface.
[0050] In an embodiment, the server 110 may receive a request to
generate a new type of an object that is different than the types
of any objects stored in the datastore 115 and/or the client
application 135. Responsive to the request to generate an object of
a new type, the server 110 may (a) generate a new object type
definition 230 and (b) generate one or more new metadata modules
235 corresponding to the new object type. The object type
definition 230 may include one or more data fields to be included
in the new type of object, and the one or more metadata modules 235
may specify different subsets of the one or more data fields to be
included in the new type of object. The server 110 may synchronize
the new object type definition 230 and the new one or more metadata
modules 235 with the client application 135 by updating the data
control model of the client application 135. Accordingly, the
server 110 and the client application 135 may use the object type
definitions 230 and the metadata modules 235 to define new object
types. The server 110 may add a new object type to a collection of
object types defined by the server 110 and used by the client
application 135.
[0051] Continuing the above example, the server 110 may receive a
request to create a new object of type NetworkingEvent. The request
may further specify three fields Date, Time, and Location as fields
of the object of the type NetworkingEvent. Neither the client
application 135 nor the server 110 may include an object type
definition 230 or metadata module 235 defining any object of type
NetworkingEvent. Responsive to receiving the request, the server
110 may generate an object type definition 230 and one or more
metadata modules 235 corresponding to the object type
NetworkingEvent. The object type definition 230 and one or more
metadata modules 235 corresponding to the object type
NetworkingEvent may identify at least three fields Date, Time, and
Location. The server 110 may transmit the object type definition
230 and one or more metadata modules 235 to the client application
135 to provide a definition the object type NetworkingEvent. The
client application 135 may also generate objects of type
NetworkingEvent and transmit the objects to the server 110 for
synchronization.
4. Example Embodiments
[0052] Detailed examples are described below for purposes of
clarity. Components and/or operations described below should be
understood as specific examples which may not be applicable to
certain embodiments. Accordingly, components and/or operations
described below should not be construed as limiting the scope of
any of the claims.
[0053] 4.1 Modifying a Polymorphic Data Model
[0054] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations 300 for updating an object type definition in
accordance with one or more embodiments. One or more operations
illustrated in FIG. 3 may be modified, rearranged, or omitted all
together. Accordingly, the particular sequence of operations
illustrated in FIG. 3 should not be construed as limiting the scope
of one or more embodiments.
[0055] In an operation 305, a client application 135 may receive a
first object type definition 230 from a datastore 115. The first
object type definition 230 may be received by a client device 130
on which the client application 135 executes over a network 120
from a server 110 that hosts the datastore 115. The first object
type definition 230 may define a first object type to be used in a
data control model 200 that controls the functionality of the
client application 135. The first object type definition 230 may
define one or more data fields of the first object type. Each
defined data field may include a data field name and a data field
value. As an example, the object type may be an Opportunity, for
example, a sales opportunity. The object type Opportunity may be
defined by the first object type definition 230 to include numerous
data fields, for example, a Customer Name field and a Customer
Phone Number field.
[0056] In an operation 310, a first object of the first object type
may be processed according to the received first object type
definition 230. For example, the client application 135 may
generate a persistence entity 210 to represent an instance of the
first object according to the first object type definition 230. The
generated persistence entity 210 may include a unique identifier
215 that uniquely identifies the first object within the
polymorphic entity 205 that represents the schema used by the
client application 135. The generated persistence entity 210 may
also include an object type definition 220 based on a copy of the
first object type definition 230 upon which the generated
persistence entity 210 is based. The persistence entity 210 may
also include one or more data fields having associated data values
225 according to the object type definition 220. As another
example, a user interface of the client application 135 may display
one or more data field values of the first object. The persistence
entity 210 may also perform one or more methods associated with a
class defined by the object type definition 220 to operate upon the
first object represented by the persistence entity 210.
[0057] In an operation 315, the client application 135 may receive
an update to the first object type definition 230 from the
datastore 115. The update may include a second object type
definition 230. The second object type definition 230 may define a
second object type to be used in the data control model 200 that
controls the functionality of the client application 135. The
second object type definition 230 may define one or more data
fields of the second object type. Each defined data field may
include a data field name and a data field value. As an example,
the object type may be a Warehouse. The object type Warehouse may
be defined by the second object type definition 230 to include
numerous data fields, for example, a Warehouse Address field and a
Warehouse Phone Number field. As another example, the second object
type definition 230 may be an updated version of the first object
type definition 230 and replace the first object type definition
230 in the data control model 200 of the client application 135.
The second object type definition 230 may be an Opportunity, for
example, a sales opportunity. The updated second object type
Opportunity may be defined by the second object type definition 230
to include numerous data fields, for example, a Customer Name
field, a Customer Phone Number field, and Customer Budget field. In
this example, the second object type definition 230 includes an
additional data field and value that are not included in the first
object type definition 230.
[0058] In an operation 320, a second object of the second object
type may be processed according to the received second object type
definition 230. For example, the client application 135 may
generate a persistence entity 210 to represent an instance of the
second object according to the second object type definition 230.
The generated persistence entity 210 may include a unique
identifier 215 that uniquely identifies the second object within
the polymorphic entity 205 that represents the schema used by the
client application 135. The generated persistence entity 210 may
also include an object type definition 220 based on a copy of the
second object type definition 230 upon which the generated
persistence entity 210 is based. The persistence entity 210 may
also include one or more data fields having associated data values
225 according to the object type definition 220. As another
example, a user interface of the client application 135 may display
one or more data field values of the second object. The persistence
entity 210 may also perform one or more methods associated with a
class defined by the object type definition 220 to operate upon the
second object represented by the persistence entity 210. As another
example, when the second object type definition 230 is an updated
version of the first object type definition 230 and replaces the
first object type definition 230 in the data control model 200 of
the client application 135, the persistence entity 210 representing
the first object of the first object type may be updated to include
the object type definition 220 based on a copy of the second object
type definition 230 and represent an instance of the second object
of the second object type accordingly. The persistence entity 210
may also be updated to include one or more additional data fields
having associated data values 225 according to the updated object
type definition 220.
[0059] In an operation 325, the client application 135 may transmit
a data field value of the second object to the datastore 115. For
example, the client application 135 may transmit a value of the
Warehouse Phone Number when the second object type is a Warehouse,
and thereby update the Warehouse Phone Number stored for the
Warehouse object in the datastore 115. As another example, the
client application 135 may update the value of the Customer Budget
stored in the Opportunity object in the datastore 115. The client
application 135 may transmit a value of the Customer Budget when
the second object type is an Opportunity with an updated list of
data fields compared to the first object type.
[0060] In an operation 330, the client application 135 may receive
one or more metadata modules 235 from the datastore 115. The
metadata modules 235 may define sub-types of the second object type
defined by the second object type definition 230. For example, a
first metadata module 235 may define a full canonical sub-type of
the Opportunity object type that includes the Customer Name field,
the Customer Phone Number field, and the Customer Budget field. A
second metadata module 235 may define a subset sub-type of the
Opportunity object type that includes the Customer Name field and
the Customer Phone Number field. A third metadata module 235 may
define a list sub-type of the Opportunity object type that includes
the Customer Name field only. A method for the Opportunity object
type may download a list of Opportunity objects according to the
list sub-type metadata module 235 to minimize data transmission
overhead and data storage overhead in the client device 130. When
only the Customer Name field is needed to be presented in the user
interface of the client application 135, the full canonical
representation of the Opportunity objects may not be needed, and
the list sub-type may be more efficient. Another method for the
Opportunity object type may download the full canonical
representation of a selected Opportunity object according to the
full canonical sub-type metadata module 235. When one Opportunity
object in the list of Opportunity objects is selected for viewing
and/or editing all the data fields of the selected Opportunity
object, the full canonical representation of the Opportunity
objects may be needed, and the list sub-type may be
insufficient.
[0061] In an operation 340, the client application 135 may make a
determination regarding whether a new object that is created
according to the second object type definition 230 is a first
sub-type, e.g., created according to the list sub-type of the
Opportunity object type, or a second sub-type, e.g., created
according to the full canonical sub-type of the Opportunity object
type.
[0062] In an operation 345, if the new object is determined to
correspond to the first sub-type of the second object type
definition 230 in operation 340, the client application 135 may
fetch a value of a data field corresponding to the first sub-type
from the datastore 115. For example, when the first sub-type of the
Opportunity object type is the list sub-type, the client
application 135 may fetch a value of the Customer Name data field
from the datastore 115.
[0063] In an operation 350, if the new object is determined to
correspond to the second sub-type of the second object type
definition 230 in operation 340, the client application 135 may
fetch a value of a data field corresponding to the second sub-type
from the datastore 115. For example, when the second sub-type of
the Opportunity object type is the full canonical sub-type, the
client application 135 may fetch a value of the Customer Budget
data field from the datastore 115.
[0064] In an operation 355, the client application 135 may process
the value of the data field fetched in either of operations 345 or
350. For example, the client application 135 may display the value
of the fetched data field in the user interface of the client
application 135. The client application 135 may perform a
mathematical computation on the value of the fetched data field and
display the results of the mathematical computation in the user
interface of the client application 135.
[0065] In an operation 360, the client application 135 may cause a
value of the data field processed in operation 355 to be updated at
the datastore 115. The client application 135 may perform a method
defined by the second object type definition 230 represented in the
object type definition 220 of the persistence entity 210. The
method performed may include transmitting an HTTP request to the
datastore 115 to update the value of the data field fetched in one
of operations 345 and 350 according to the results of the
processing of the fetched value of the data field in operation
355.
[0066] FIG. 4 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations 400 for updating an object type definition in
accordance with one or more embodiments. One or more operations
illustrated in FIG. 4 may be modified, rearranged, or omitted all
together. Accordingly, the particular sequence of operations
illustrated in FIG. 4 should not be construed as limiting the scope
of one or more embodiments.
[0067] In an operation 405, a client application 135 may receive a
first database schema, e.g., a data control model 200 that controls
the functionality of the client application 135, from a datastore
115. The first database schema may be received by a client device
130 on which the client application 135 executes over a network 120
from a server 110 that hosts the datastore 115. The first database
schema may include a first object type definition 230 that defines
a first object type. The first object type definition 230 may
define one or more data fields of the first object type. Each
defined data field may include a data field name and a data field
value. As an example, the object type may be an Opportunity, for
example, a sales opportunity. The object type Opportunity may be
defined by the first object type definition 230 to include numerous
data fields, for example, a Customer Name field and a Customer
Phone Number field. The first database schema may also include one
or more metadata modules 235 that each define a view of the first
object type defined by the first object type definition 230. Each
of the one or more metadata modules 235 may specify a different
subset of data fields included in the full canonical representation
of the first object type to be included in the respective view. As
an example, one view defined by one of the metadata modules 235 may
specify only the Customer Name field be included from the various
fields specified by the full canonical Opportunity object type.
Another view defined by another of the metadata modules 235 may
specify that both the Customer Name field and a Customer Phone
Number field be included from the various fields specified by the
full canonical Opportunity object type.
[0068] In an operation 410, a first object of the first object type
may be processed according to the received first database schema.
For example, the client application 135 may generate a persistence
entity 210 to represent an instance of the first object according
to the first object type definition 230. The generated persistence
entity 210 may include a unique identifier 215 that uniquely
identifies the first object within the polymorphic entity 205 that
represents the first database schema used by the client application
135. The generated persistence entity 210 may also include an
object type definition 220 based on a copy of the first object type
definition 230 upon which the generated persistence entity 210 is
based. The persistence entity 210 may also include one or more data
fields having associated data values 225 according to the object
type definition 220. As another example, a user interface of the
client application 135 may display one or more data field values of
the first object. The persistence entity 210 may also perform one
or more methods associated with a class defined by the object type
definition 220 to operate upon the first object represented by the
persistence entity 210.
[0069] In an operation 415, the client application 135 may receive
an update to the first database schema from the datastore 115. The
update to the first database schema may include a second database
schema different from the first database schema. The update may
include a second object type definition 230. The second object type
definition 230 may define a second object type to be used in the
data control model 200 that controls the functionality of the
client application 135. The second object type definition 230 may
define one or more data fields of the second object type. Each
defined data field may include a data field name and a data field
value. As an example, the object type may be a Warehouse. The
object type Warehouse may be defined by the second object type
definition 230 to include numerous data fields, for example, a
Warehouse Address field and a Warehouse Phone Number field. As
another example, the second object type definition 230 may be an
updated version of the first object type definition 230 and replace
the first object type definition 230 in the data control model 200
of the client application 135. The second object type definition
230 may be an Opportunity, for example, a sales opportunity. The
updated second object type Opportunity may be defined by the second
object type definition 230 to include numerous data fields, for
example, a Customer Name field, a Customer Phone Number field, and
Customer Budget field. In this example, the second object type
definition 230 includes an additional data field and value that are
not included in the first object type definition 230.
[0070] In an operation 420, a second object of the second object
type may be processed according to the received second database
schema. For example, the client application 135 may generate a
persistence entity 210 to represent an instance of the second
object according to the second object type definition 230. The
generated persistence entity 210 may include a unique identifier
215 that uniquely identifies the second object within the
polymorphic entity 205 that represents the schema used by the
client application 135. The generated persistence entity 210 may
also include an object type definition 220 based on a copy of the
second object type definition 230 upon which the generated
persistence entity 210 is based. The persistence entity 210 may
also include one or more data fields having associated data values
225 according to the object type definition 220. As another
example, a user interface of the client application 135 may display
one or more data field values of the second object. The persistence
entity 210 may also perform one or more methods associated with a
class defined by the object type definition 220 to operate upon the
second object represented by the persistence entity 210. As another
example, when the second object type definition 230 is an updated
version of the first object type definition 230 and replaces the
first object type definition 230 in the data control model 200 of
the client application 135, the persistence entity 210 representing
the first object of the first object type may be updated to include
the object type definition 220 based on a copy of the second object
type definition 230 and represent an instance of the second object
of the second object type accordingly. The persistence entity 210
may also be updated to include one or more additional data fields
having associated data values 225 according to the updated object
type definition 220.
[0071] In an operation 425, the client application 135 may transmit
a data field value of the second object to the datastore 115. For
example, the client application 135 may transmit a value of the
Warehouse Phone Number when the second object type is a Warehouse,
and thereby update the Warehouse Phone Number stored for the
Warehouse object in the datastore 115. As another example, the
client application 135 may transmit a value of the Customer Budget
when the second object type is an Opportunity with an updated list
of data fields compared to the first object type, and thereby
update the value of the Customer Budget stored in the Opportunity
object in the datastore 115.
[0072] In an operation 430, the client application 135 may receive
one or more metadata modules 235 from the datastore 115. The
metadata modules 235 may define sub-types of the second object type
defined by the second object type definition 230. For example, a
first metadata module 235 may define a full canonical sub-type of
the Opportunity object type that includes the Customer Name field,
the Customer Phone Number field, and the Customer Budget field. A
second metadata module 235 may define a subset sub-type of the
Opportunity object type that includes the Customer Name field and
the Customer Phone Number field. A third metadata module 235 may
define a list sub-type of the Opportunity object type that includes
the Customer Name field only. A method for the Opportunity object
type may download a list of Opportunity objects according to the
list sub-type metadata module 235 to minimize data transmission
overhead and data storage overhead in the client device 130 when
only the Customer Name field is needed to be presented in the user
interface of the client application 135. Another method for the
Opportunity object type may download the full canonical
representation of a selected Opportunity object according to the
full canonical sub-type metadata module 235 when one Opportunity
object in the list of Opportunity objects is selected for viewing
and/or editing all the data fields of the selected Opportunity
object.
[0073] In an operation 440, the client application 135 may make a
determination regarding whether a new object that is created
according to the second object type definition 230 is a first
sub-type, e.g., created according to the list sub-type of the
Opportunity object type, or a second sub-type, e.g., created
according to the full canonical sub-type of the Opportunity object
type.
[0074] In an operation 445, if the new object is determined to
correspond to the first sub-type of the second object type
definition 230 in operation 440, the client application 135 may
fetch a value of a data field corresponding to the first sub-type
from the datastore 115. For example, when the first sub-type of the
Opportunity object type is the list sub-type, the client
application 135 may fetch a value of the Customer Name data field
from the datastore 115.
[0075] In an operation 450, if the new object is determined to
correspond to the second sub-type of the second object type
definition 230 in operation 440, the client application 135 may
fetch a value of a data field corresponding to the second sub-type
from the datastore 115. For example, when the second sub-type of
the Opportunity object type is the full canonical sub-type, the
client application 135 may fetch a value of the Customer Budget
data field from the datastore 115.
[0076] In an operation 455, the client application 135 may process
the value of the data field fetched in either of operations 445 or
450. For example, the client application 135 may display the value
of the fetched data field in the user interface of the client
application 135, or the client application 135 may perform a
mathematical computation on the value of the fetched data field and
display the results of the mathematical computation in the user
interface of the client application 135.
[0077] In an operation 460, the client application 135 may cause a
value of the data field processed in operation 455 to be updated at
the datastore 115. The client application 135 may perform a method
defined by the second object type definition 230 represented in the
object type definition 220 of the persistence entity 210. The
method performed may include transmitting an HTTP request to the
datastore 115 to update the value of the data field fetched in one
of operations 445 and 450 according to the results of the
processing of the fetched value of the data field in operation
455.
[0078] 4.2 Recursive Data Traversal Model
[0079] It is often desirable that application data and features for
the client application 135 be configurable on the fly for various
business purposes and enhancing of user experiences. Runtime
extensibility capabilities may facilitate the application data and
features to be seamlessly configurable via the client device 130 or
the server 110. In addition, offline access may facilitate
application data and features to be available in the client
application 135 when the client device 130 cannot connect to the
server 110 via the network 120. If a user attempts to define flows
to access application data or functionality in the client
application 135 at runtime, and a corresponding design time entity
is unavailable on the client device 130, the user's usage of the
client application 135 may be limited.
[0080] One example may be when customers of a client application
135 across different industries request detailed information about
configurations specific to their different business workflows by
means of a synchronization process. An embodiment addresses this
issue using an object agnostic data traversal model as part of a
definition file for the client application 135. The object agnostic
data traversal model may feature polymorphic behavior that
facilitates alteration at runtime to work with changes to
definitions of the client application 135 on the fly. An embodiment
of this object agnostic data traversal model facilitates the client
application 135 to interpret in real time a graph configuration
that may change at runtime to request data from a datastore 115
hosted on a server 110 through the means of traversal and provide
access to application data and features defined at either design
time or runtime while connected or disconnected to the datastore
115 hosted on the server 110, seamlessly.
[0081] The client application 135 may include, interpret, and use a
graph configuration model to access application data and features
defined either at design time or at runtime. The graph
configuration model may be object agnostic and include unique
identifiers specified on the entities defined. These unique
identifiers may be used in conjunction with metadata properties
defined on the entities to issue subsequent requests. Each feature
may be persisted as an abstract object definition under an
identifier and may be subsequently retrieved when an action is
invoked that specifies a matching unique identifier. A data
retrieval relationship between different entities in the graph
configuration model may be specified in metadata properties
according to the unique identifiers of the corresponding entities.
The data retrieval relationship may be a mapping that statically
links different object types represented by the corresponding
entities. The data retrieval relationship may effectively be any
mapping used by the client application 135 to determine which
records are to be retrieved based on a first object type. The data
retrieval relationship may identify a second object type as a
function of a first object type. The client application 135 may
then retrieve records of this second object type from a datastore
115 on a server 110. Multiple modes of cached data retrieval may be
supported either using a URI or runtime indices.
[0082] The client application 135 may interpret in real time a
configuration graph that may change at runtime to request data from
a datastore 115. The configuration graph may facilitate the client
application 135 to efficiently and optimally construct requests to
fetch data from the datastore 115. The configuration graph may be
segmented into metadata that adheres to a standard schema and may
be stored in memory as a collection of abstract entities identified
by a unique qualifier defined on the abstract entities. The
qualifier in conjunction with properties defined on the entities
may be used to request information. The request for data may be
through the recursive data traversal and provide access to data and
features defined either at design time for the client application
135 or runtime of the client application 135 while connected to or
disconnected from the datastore 115. Data may be cached on the
client device 130 prior to user access, thereby optimizing the user
experience in real time. A response to the request may be received
and persisted in data storage on the client device 130.
[0083] The client application 135 may interpret and use the graph
configuration model to access data for features defined either at
design time or at runtime of the client application 135. Unique
identifiers specified for the entities defined by the object
agnostic model may be used in conjunction with metadata properties
defined on the entities to issue subsequent requests. Each feature
may be persisted as an abstract object definition under an
identifier and be subsequently retrieved when an action is invoked
that specifies a matching unique identifier.
[0084] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram that illustrates a
configuration graph 500 showing relationships between entities 510
and related entities 520 in accordance with one or more
embodiments. Each entity 510 may have a data retrieval relationship
515 with one or more related entities 520. Likewise, each related
entity 520 may have a data retrieval relationship 525 with one or
more other related entities 520. The configuration graph 500 may be
stored in a configuration data file or in a data structure stored
in memory.
[0085] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
an entity 600 in a configuration graph in accordance with one or
more embodiments. The entity 600 may be an embodiment of the entity
510 illustrated in FIG. 5. The entity 600 may include a unique
identifier 610, data 620, a type definition 630, a pointer to one
or more related entities 640, and various query properties 650. The
unique identifier 610 may correspond to a unique identifier 215 of
a persistence entity 210 corresponding to the entity 600 when the
entity 600 is persisted in the client application 135 and/or client
device 130. The data 620 may correspond to the data values 225 of
the corresponding persistence entity 210, while the type definition
630 may correspond to the type definition 220 of the corresponding
persistence entity 210.
[0086] The related entities 640 may include a list of unique
identifiers 710 (see FIG. 7) associated with one or more related
entities 700. The related entities 640 may be related to the entity
600 according to any of a number of different criteria that may be
specified in query properties 650. The query properties 650 may
also specify how related entities 640 should be ordered in a list
of results when the related entities 640 are queried in the
datastore 115 of the server 110.
[0087] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram that illustrates components of
a related entity 700 in a configuration graph in accordance with
one or more embodiments. The related entity 700 may be an
embodiment of the related entity 520 illustrated in FIG. 5. The
related entity 700 may include a unique identifier 710, data 720, a
type definition 730, a pointer to one or more other related
entities 740, and various query properties 750. The unique
identifier 710 may correspond to a unique identifier 215 of a
persistence entity 210 corresponding to the related entity 700 when
the related entity 700 is persisted in the client application 135
and/or client device 130. The data 720 may correspond to the data
values 225 of the corresponding persistence entity 210, while the
type definition 730 may correspond to the type definition 220 of
the corresponding persistence entity 210.
[0088] The related entities 740 may include a list of unique
identifiers 710 associated with one or more other related entities
700. The related entities 740 may be related to the related entity
700 according to any of a number of different criteria that may be
specified in query properties 750. The query properties 750 may
correspond to the results of a query performed on an entity 600 in
order to return one or more related entities 640 according to the
query properties 650 associated with the performed query. The query
properties 750 may also specify how related entities 740 should be
ordered in a list of results when the related entities 740 are
queried in the datastore 115 of the server 110. The query
properties 750 also include a ParentID or unique identifier 710 of
an entity 600 that is associated with a related entity 700 as a
parent, and a cardinality or a number of related entities 700 that
match a given query criterion with the related entity 700.
[0089] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram that illustrates an example set
of operations 800 for updating a data cache in accordance with one
or more embodiments. The set of operations 800 may be performed by
the client application 135 on the client device 130 as illustrated
in FIG. 1. One or more operations illustrated in FIG. 8 may be
modified, rearranged, or omitted altogether. Accordingly, the
particular sequence of operations illustrated in FIG. 8 should not
be construed as limiting the scope of one or more embodiments. A
detailed example is described below for purposes of clarity.
Components and/or operations described below should be understood
as one specific example which may not be applicable to certain
embodiments. Accordingly, components and/or operations described
below should not be construed as limiting the scope of any of the
claims. In various embodiments, the operations 800 may be performed
using the systems and components described above with reference to
FIGS. 1-9.
[0090] A configuration graph, e.g., a configuration graph 500, may
be stored in a data file or in a data structure in memory. The
configuration graph may define a subset of data to be retrieved
from a datastore 115 and stored in a client device 130 by a client
application 135. The client device 130 may include a much smaller
amount of memory capacity than the datastore 115, and there may be
a limited data bandwidth available in the network 120 to transmit
the data from the datastore 115 to the client device 130. The data
defined in the configuration graph (e.g., configuration graph 500)
may include entities (e.g., entities 510) and related entities
(e.g., related entities 520) that correspond to the persistence
entities 210 discussed with reference to FIG. 2 herein. The
configuration graph may also define features of the client
application 135, e.g., queries to be executed on the data stored in
the datastore 115 to retrieve data matching various defined
criteria. The data and applications of the configuration graph may
include information stored in metadata. Based on the metadata, the
client application 135 may identify related entities 520, use a
value of an entity 510 to generate a query for the related entities
520 identified in the metadata, and then retrieve the entities 510
and related entities 520 from the datastore 115.
[0091] As an example, an entity 510 in a configuration graph 500
may be associated with a first object type having a type definition
630 for an object type Product. The Product object type may be for
one or more products offered by the company that a sales person
using the client application 135 on the client device 130 is going
on the road to sell. The configuration graph 500 may include a
query in metadata with query properties 650 to search for and
retrieve all second object types having a type definition 630 for
an object type Opportunity in the datastore 115 that match the
specified query properties 650 for the specified products offered
by the sales person's company. The Opportunity object type may be
for one or more sales opportunities for the specified products
offered by the company. The sales opportunities may include
information such as a contact person's name, phone number, address,
telephone number, product(s) desired for purchase, expected number
of units required, expected timeframe required for delivery, etc.
The client application 135 may analyze the relationships between
the specified products and associated sales opportunities as data
retrieval relationships stored in metadata associated with a first
object type (Operation 810). In this example, the first object type
may be the Product object type.
[0092] After the client application 135 analyzes the data retrieval
relationship, the client application 135 may determine whether
there are any records to be retrieved from the datastore 115 based
on the records of the first object type (Operation 820). According
to the analysis of the Operation 810 in this example, the client
application 135 may determine that there are sales opportunities to
be retrieved from the datastore 115 based on the specified products
offered by the company.
[0093] In the example being discussed, the client application 135
may begin to prepare to perform a query on the datastore 115 in
order to retrieve all the sales opportunity records associated with
the company's products that the sales person is going to need as
the sales person goes on the road to make sales calls. As one step
in those preparations, the client application 135 may identify a
product name of each of the one or more products for which sales
opportunities will be retrieved from the datastore 115. In other
words, the client application 135 may identify one or more values
from one or more records of the first object type, e.g., the
Product object type, corresponding to the product name field of the
first object type (Operation 830).
[0094] The client application 135 may then generate a set of one or
more queries using the one or more product names of each of the one
or more products for which sales opportunities will be retrieved
from the datastore 115. These queries may be generated based on
query properties 650 in the entities 600 corresponding to the
products. A set of queries may be generated to retrieve related
entities 640 related to a particular entity 600. There may be more
than one set of queries generated, one for one product name and
another for another product name, for example. In other words, the
client application 135 may generate a set of one or more queries to
retrieve a first and a second subset of a second set of records of
the second object type (Operation 840). Generating the one or more
queries may include generating one or more URI's representing the
queries. The first and second subsets of the second set of records
of the second object type may include the first and second values,
respectively, in relation to the second field of the second object
type. For example, the first and second subsets of the sales
opportunities records may include the first and second product
names, respectively, in relation to the product name fields of the
corresponding subsets of sales opportunities. A set of queries may
be generated to retrieve a first subset of sales opportunities for
a first product name and a second subset of sales opportunities for
a second product name from the datastore 115. The client
application 135 may then execute the set of one or more queries to
retrieve a first and second subset of a second set of records of
the second object type (Operation 850).
[0095] Following execution of the queries, the client application
135 may store the retrieved data from the datastore 115 in the
client device 130 by updating the cache in the client application
135 with the first and second subset of the second set of records
of the second object type (Operation 860). For example, the client
application 135 may locally store, in a data cache of the client
device 130, the sales opportunities related to the products whose
names were identified in the queries performed on the datastore
115.
[0096] An exemplary configuration graph 500 represented by records
for products and related sales opportunities to be retrieved from
the datastore 115 according to execution of queries on product
names of the specified products in Operation 850 are shown in the
following Table 1. The product records show the data stored in the
datastore 115 to be accessed by the queries.
[0097] As illustrated in Table 1, the product records have a
product name field value that matches a corresponding product name
field in corresponding sales opportunity records. Queries for sales
opportunity records related to specific products may search for
product name fields having a specific product name value that
matches the product name value of the specific products to which
the sales opportunity records are related. A relationship between a
product and a sales opportunity, for example, may be established
whenever a potential customer expresses an interest in a product
and that interest is captured in the datastore 115 as an entry in
the relevant sales opportunity record associated with the customer.
The interest may be captured by a sales person, a website form,
data entry from a handwritten information card, etc.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Exemplary configuration graph 500
represented product records with statically linked related sales
opportunity records. Unique Identifier Product1 Product Name
ProductOne Product Data . . . Unique Identifier Product2 Product
Name ProductTwo Product Data . . . Unique Identifier Product3
Product Name ProductThree Product Data . . . Unique Identifier
Opportunity1 Contact Name Joe Product Name ProductOne Contact Data
. . . Unique Identifier Opportunity2 Contact Name John Product Name
ProductOne Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity3
Contact Name Joe Product Name ProductTwo Contact Data . . . Unique
Identifier Opportunity4 Contact Name John Product Name ProductTwo
Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity5 Contact Name Jane
Product Name ProductThree Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier
Opportunity6 Contact Name Sally Product Name ProductThree Contact
Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity7 Contact Name John Product
Name ProductThree Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity8
Contact Name Joe Product Name ProductThree Contact Data . . .
[0098] A similar example of a configuration graph 500 including
records for products and related sales opportunities to be
retrieved from the datastore 115 according to execution of queries
on product names of the specified products in Operation 850 are
shown in the following Table 2, except that the product records are
stored using dynamically linked relationships between related
entities. As opposed to the statically linked relationships shown
in Table 1 where the relationships are identified by names of
fields that are shared between entities and related entities, the
dynamically linked relationships of Table 2 are established by
dynamic link data structures between the entities and related
entities. When the relationships change, the client application 135
may modify the links in the data structures of the data cache on
board the client device 130. The client application 135 may execute
the configuration graph 500 to update a data cache on board the
client device 130 from the data stored on the datastore 115, as
well.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Exemplary configuration graph 500 including
product records with dynamically-linked related sales opportunity
records. Unique Identifier Product1 Product Name ProductOne Sales
Opportunities Pointers . . . Product Data . . . Unique Identifier
Product2 Product Name ProductTwo Sales Opportunities Pointers . . .
Product Data . . . Unique Identifier Product3 Product Name
ProductThree Sales Opportunities Pointers . . . Product Data . . .
Unique Identifier Opportunity1 Contact Name Joe Product Pointers
ProductOne Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity2
Contact Name John Product Pointers ProductOne Contact Data . . .
Unique Identifier Opportunity3 Contact Name Joe Product Pointers
ProductTwo Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity4
Contact Name John Product Pointers ProductTwo Contact Data . . .
Unique Identifier Opportunity5 Contact Name Jane Product Pointers
ProductThree Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity6
Contact Name Sally Product Pointers ProductThree Contact Data . . .
Unique Identifier Opportunity7 Contact Name John Product Pointers
ProductThree Contact Data . . . Unique Identifier Opportunity8
Contact Name Joe Product Pointers ProductThree Contact Data . .
.
[0099] In an embodiment, a configuration graph 500 may have all the
sales opportunities for a geographic region that a sales person is
going to be visiting on a sales trip related to products that the
sales person is selling. The configuration graph 500 may update the
client device 130 with the information needed by the sales person
for the upcoming sales trip automatically without the sales person
needing to do so manually. The sales person may load a data file
including the configuration graph 500 into the client application
135 before the sales trip in order to automatically update the data
cache of the client device 130 before the sales person's sales
trip.
[0100] In various embodiments, a configuration graph 500 may
facilitate data stored locally on a client device 130 to be
automatically updated prior to being anticipated as being needed.
By doing so, problems with slow or unavailable access to a
datastore 115 by the client application 135 when the data is needed
may be avoided.
[0101] In various embodiments, the configuration graph 500 is
stored in memory in the client application 135, so that each time
the sales person signs into the client application 135, the
configuration graph 500 is traversed and the data cache of the
client device 130 is updated according to the current data stored
in the datastore 115 before the sales person begins using the
client application 135.
[0102] In various embodiments, whenever a persistence entity 210
corresponding to an entity 510 in a configuration graph 500 is
updated in the client application 135, the configuration graph 500
may be traversed to refresh or update any entities 600 and/or
related entities 640 affected by the update to the persistence
entity 210 with data downloaded from the datastore 115.
[0103] The configuration graph 500 facilitates efficient updates of
data persisting on the client device 130 from data downloaded from
the datastore 115. This is important and useful, considering that
the client device 130 includes a significantly smaller amount of
memory and storage space for data than the datastore 115, and that
the network 120 between the client device 130 and the server 110
that hosts the datastore 115 has limited bandwidth and is sometimes
unavailable.
5. Computer Networks and Cloud Networks
[0104] In one or more embodiments, a computer network provides
connectivity among a set of nodes. The nodes may be local to and/or
remote from each other. The nodes are connected by a set of links.
Examples of links include a coaxial cable, an unshielded twisted
cable, a copper cable, an optical fiber, and a virtual link.
[0105] A subset of nodes implements the computer network. Examples
of such nodes include a switch, a router, a firewall, and a network
address translator (NAT). Another subset of nodes uses the computer
network. Such nodes (also referred to as "hosts") may execute a
client process and/or a server process. A client process makes a
request for a computing service (such as, execution of a particular
application, and/or storage of a particular amount of data). A
server process responds by executing the requested service and/or
returning corresponding data.
[0106] A computer network may be a physical network, including
physical nodes connected by physical links. A physical node is any
digital device. A physical node may be a function-specific hardware
device, such as a hardware switch, a hardware router, a hardware
firewall, and a hardware NAT. Additionally or alternatively, a
physical node may be a generic machine that is configured to
execute various virtual machines and/or applications performing
respective functions. A physical link is a physical medium
connecting two or more physical nodes. Examples of links include a
coaxial cable, an unshielded twisted cable, a copper cable, and an
optical fiber.
[0107] A computer network may be an overlay network. An overlay
network is a logical network implemented on top of another network
(such as, a physical network). Each node in an overlay network
corresponds to a respective node in the underlying network. Hence,
each node in an overlay network is associated with both an overlay
address (to address to the overlay node) and an underlay address
(to address the underlay node that implements the overlay node). An
overlay node may be a digital device and/or a software process
(such as, a virtual machine, an application instance, or a thread)
A link that connects overlay nodes is implemented as a tunnel
through the underlying network. The overlay nodes at either end of
the tunnel treat the underlying multi-hop path between the overlay
nodes as a single logical link. Tunneling is performed through
encapsulation and decapsulation.
[0108] In an embodiment, a client may be local to and/or remote
from a computer network. The client may access the computer network
over other computer networks, such as a private network or the
Internet. The client may communicate requests to the computer
network using a communications protocol, such as HTTP. The requests
are communicated through an interface, such as a client interface
(such as a web browser), a program interface, or an application
programming interface (API).
[0109] In an embodiment, a computer network provides connectivity
between clients and network resources. Network resources include
hardware and/or software configured to execute server processes.
Examples of network resources include a processor, a data storage,
a virtual machine, a container, and/or a software application.
Network resources are shared amongst multiple clients. Clients
request computing services from a computer network independently of
each other. Network resources are dynamically assigned to the
requests and/or clients on an on-demand basis. Network resources
assigned to each request and/or client may be scaled up or down
based on, for example, (a) the computing services requested by a
particular client, (b) the aggregated computing services requested
by a particular tenant, and/or (c) the aggregated computing
services requested of the computer network. Such a computer network
may be referred to as a "cloud network."
[0110] In an embodiment, a service provider provides a cloud
network to one or more end users. Various service models may be
implemented by the cloud network, including but not limited to
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). In SaaS, a service provider
provides end users the capability to use the service provider's
applications, which are executing on the network resources. In
PaaS, the service provider provides end users the capability to
deploy custom applications onto the network resources. The custom
applications may be created using programming languages, libraries,
services, and tools supported by the service provider. In IaaS, the
service provider provides end users the capability to provision
processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing
resources provided by the network resources. Any arbitrary
applications, including an operating system, may be deployed on the
network resources.
[0111] In an embodiment, various deployment models may be
implemented by a computer network, including but not limited to a
private cloud, a public cloud, and a hybrid cloud. In a private
cloud, network resources are provisioned for exclusive use by a
particular group of one or more entities (the term "entity" as used
herein refers to a corporation, organization, person, or other
entity). The network resources may be local to and/or remote from
the premises of the particular group of entities. In a public
cloud, cloud resources are provisioned for multiple entities that
are independent from each other (also referred to as "tenants" or
"customers"). The computer network and the network resources
thereof are accessed by clients corresponding to different tenants.
Such a computer network may be referred to as a "multi-tenant
computer network." Several tenants may use a same particular
network resource at different times and/or at the same time. The
network resources may be local to and/or remote from the premises
of the tenants. In a hybrid cloud, a computer network comprises a
private cloud and a public cloud. An interface between the private
cloud and the public cloud allows for data and application
portability. Data stored at the private cloud and data stored at
the public cloud may be exchanged through the interface.
Applications implemented at the private cloud and applications
implemented at the public cloud may have dependencies on each
other. A call from an application at the private cloud to an
application at the public cloud (and vice versa) may be executed
through the interface.
[0112] In an embodiment, tenants of a multi-tenant computer network
are independent of each other. For example, a business or operation
of one tenant may be separate from a business or operation of
another tenant. Different tenants may demand different network
requirements for the computer network. Examples of network
requirements include processing speed, amount of data storage,
security requirements, performance requirements, throughput
requirements, latency requirements, resiliency requirements,
Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, tenant isolation, and/or
consistency. The same computer network may need to implement
different network requirements demanded by different tenants.
[0113] In one or more embodiments, in a multi-tenant computer
network, tenant isolation is implemented to ensure that the
applications and/or data of different tenants are not shared with
each other. Various tenant isolation approaches may be used.
[0114] In an embodiment, each tenant is associated with a tenant
ID. Each network resource of the multi-tenant computer network is
tagged with a tenant ID. A tenant is permitted access to a
particular network resource only if the tenant and the particular
network resources are associated with a same tenant ID.
[0115] In an embodiment, each tenant is associated with a tenant
ID. Each application, implemented by the computer network, is
tagged with a tenant ID. Additionally or alternatively, each data
structure and/or dataset, stored by the computer network, is tagged
with a tenant ID. A tenant is permitted access to a particular
application, data structure, and/or dataset only if the tenant and
the particular application, data structure, and/or dataset are
associated with a same tenant ID.
[0116] As an example, each database implemented by a multi-tenant
computer network may be tagged with a tenant ID. Only a tenant
associated with the corresponding tenant ID may access data of a
particular database. As another example, each entry in a database
implemented by a multi-tenant computer network may be tagged with a
tenant ID. Only a tenant associated with the corresponding tenant
ID may access data of a particular entry. However, the database may
be shared by multiple tenants.
[0117] In an embodiment, a subscription list indicates which
tenants have authorization to access which applications. For each
application, a list of tenant IDs of tenants authorized to access
the application is stored. A tenant is permitted access to a
particular application only if the tenant ID of the tenant is
included in the subscription list corresponding to the particular
application.
[0118] In an embodiment, network resources (such as digital
devices, virtual machines, application instances, and threads)
corresponding to different tenants are isolated to tenant-specific
overlay networks maintained by the multi-tenant computer network.
As an example, packets from any source device in a tenant overlay
network may only be transmitted to other devices within the same
tenant overlay network. Encapsulation tunnels are used to prohibit
any transmissions from a source device on a tenant overlay network
to devices in other tenant overlay networks. Specifically, the
packets, received from the source device, are encapsulated within
an outer packet. The outer packet is transmitted from a first
encapsulation tunnel endpoint (in communication with the source
device in the tenant overlay network) to a second encapsulation
tunnel endpoint (in communication with the destination device in
the tenant overlay network). The second encapsulation tunnel
endpoint decapsulates the outer packet to obtain the original
packet transmitted by the source device. The original packet is
transmitted from the second encapsulation tunnel endpoint to the
destination device in the same particular overlay network.
6. Miscellaneous; Extensions
[0119] Embodiments are directed to a system with one or more
devices that include a hardware processor and that are configured
to perform any of the operations described herein and/or recited in
any of the claims below.
[0120] In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage
medium comprises instructions which, when executed by one or more
hardware processors, causes performance of any of the operations
described herein and/or recited in any of the claims.
[0121] Any combination of the features and functionalities
described herein may be used in accordance with one or more
embodiments. In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been
described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary
from implementation to implementation. The specification and
drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather
than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the
scope of the invention, and what is intended by the applicants to
be the scope of the invention, is the literal and equivalent scope
of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the
specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent
correction.
7. Hardware Overview
[0122] According to one embodiment, the techniques described herein
are implemented by one or more special-purpose computing devices.
The special-purpose computing devices may be hard-wired to perform
the techniques, or may include digital electronic devices such as
one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or network processing units
(NPUs) that are persistently programmed to perform the techniques,
or may include one or more general purpose hardware processors
programmed to perform the techniques pursuant to program
instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or a combination.
Such special-purpose computing devices may also combine custom
hard-wired logic, ASICs, FPGAs, or NPUs with custom programming to
accomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices
may be desktop computer systems, portable computer systems,
handheld devices, networking devices or any other device that
incorporates hard-wired and/or program logic to implement the
techniques.
[0123] For example, FIG. 9 is a block diagram that illustrates a
computer system 900 upon which an embodiment of the invention may
be implemented. Computer system 900 includes a bus 902 or other
communication mechanism for communicating information, and a
hardware processor 904 coupled with bus 902 for processing
information. Hardware processor 904 may be, for example, a general
purpose microprocessor.
[0124] Computer system 900 also includes a main memory 906, such as
a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device,
coupled to bus 902 for storing information and instructions to be
executed by processor 904. Main memory 906 also may be used for
storing temporary variables or other intermediate information
during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 904.
Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media
accessible to processor 904, render computer system 900 into a
special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the
operations specified in the instructions.
[0125] Computer system 900 further includes a read only memory
(ROM) 908 or other static storage device coupled to bus 902 for
storing static information and instructions for processor 904. A
storage device 910, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is
provided and coupled to bus 902 for storing information and
instructions.
[0126] Computer system 900 may be coupled via bus 902 to a display
912, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information
to a computer user. An input device 914, including alphanumeric and
other keys, is coupled to bus 902 for communicating information and
command selections to processor 904. Another type of user input
device is cursor control 916, such as a mouse, a trackball, or
cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and
command selections to processor 904 and for controlling cursor
movement on display 912. This input device typically has two
degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second
axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a
plane.
[0127] Computer system 900 may implement the techniques described
herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or
FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combination with the
computer system causes or programs computer system 900 to be a
special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, the
techniques herein are performed by computer system 900 in response
to processor 904 executing one or more sequences of one or more
instructions contained in main memory 906. Such instructions may be
read into main memory 906 from another storage medium, such as
storage device 910. Execution of the sequences of instructions
contained in main memory 906 causes processor 904 to perform the
process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments,
hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions.
[0128] The term "storage media" as used herein refers to any
non-transitory media that store data and/or instructions that cause
a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Such storage media may
comprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile
media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as
storage device 910. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as
main memory 906. Common forms of storage media include, for
example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state
drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic data storage medium, a
CD-ROM, any other optical data storage medium, any physical medium
with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM,
NVRAM, any other memory chip or cartridge, content-addressable
memory (CAM), and ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM).
[0129] Storage media is distinct from but may be used in
conjunction with transmission media. Transmission media
participates in transferring information between storage media. For
example, transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire
and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus 902.
Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light
waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-red data
communications.
[0130] Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or
more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 904 for
execution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried
on a magnetic disk or solid state drive of a remote computer. The
remote computer can load the instructions into the remote
computer's dynamic memory and send the instructions over a
telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 900
can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red
transmitter to convert the data to an infra-red signal. An
infra-red detector can receive the data carried in the infra-red
signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 902. Bus
902 carries the data to main memory 906, from which processor 904
retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received
by main memory 906 may optionally be stored on storage device 910
either before or after execution by processor 904.
[0131] Computer system 900 also includes a communication interface
918 coupled to bus 902. Communication interface 918 provides a
two-way data communication coupling to a network link 920 that is
connected to a local network 922. For example, communication
interface 918 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN)
card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data
communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.
As another example, communication interface 918 may be a local area
network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a
compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such
implementation, communication interface 918 sends and receives
electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital
data streams representing various types of information.
[0132] Network link 920 typically provides data communication
through one or more networks to other data devices. For example,
network link 920 may provide a connection through local network 922
to a host computer 924 or to data equipment operated by an Internet
Service Provider (ISP) 926. ISP 926 in turn provides data
communication services through the world wide packet data
communication network now commonly referred to as the "Internet"
928. Local network 922 and Internet 928 both use electrical,
electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams.
The signals through the various networks and the signals on network
link 920 and through communication interface 918, which carry the
digital data to and from computer system 900, are example forms of
transmission media.
[0133] Computer system 900 can send messages and receive data,
including program code, through the network(s), network link 920
and communication interface 918. In the Internet example, a server
930 might transmit a requested code for an application program
through Internet 928, ISP 926, local network 922 and communication
interface 918.
[0134] The received code may be executed by processor 904 as the
code is received, and/or stored in storage device 910, or other
non-volatile storage for later execution.
[0135] In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention
have been described with reference to numerous specific details
that may vary from implementation to implementation. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and
exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention, and what is
intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention, is the
literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from
this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue,
including any subsequent correction.
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