Claims:We Claim:
1. A network services assistant computer program embodied in a non-transitory storage medium, comprising:
a computer program code which when executed causes a computer to:
a. receive a user input comprising a manually entered rule;
b. analyze a database schema of a database to determine a hierarchical structure of at least a portion of the database;
c. integrate the user input and hierarchical structure information determined from the analysis of the database schema;
d. generate based at least in part on both the user input and the analysis of the database schema a set of rules associated with the database;
e. store the set of rules in a manner that makes the set of rules available to a rule engine configured to implement them; and
f. receive a modification to the set of rules that results in a change in a behavior of the rule engine without requiring a modification to program code associated with the rule engine;
2. The network services assistant of claim 1, wherein computer program code which when executed causes a computer to provide an object description for building entities to store data.
3. The network services assistant of claim 1, wherein computer program code which when executed causes a computer to provide an object description for accessing data in the database.
4. The network services assistant of claim 1, wherein computer program code which when executed causes a computer to generate a hierarchical structure involving multiple database tables.
5. The network services assistant of claim 1, wherein computer program code which when executed causes a computer to provide a data type for each of at least a subset of database fields the database
, Description:Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of computer software. More particularly, the invention is directed to computer software configured to enable systems to provide network services in a website.
Background of the Invention
Computer networks provide users with an efficient way to share information. It is commonplace, for example, for users to exchange data using collaborative applications such as email or access stored information using other data retrieval applications. One of the more widely used data retrieval applications is referred to as a web browser. Web browsers are typically configured to obtain data from a World Wide Web of interconnected server computers (hereinafter the Web) using several standardized data communication protocols. The Web utilizes a client-server architecture made up of multiple client computers executing a Web Browser application that handles connecting to and retrieving information from one or more server applications.
Once the requested information is retrieved, the Web Browser application parses the obtained information and displays aspects of that information to the user. For example, a user may utilize a Web Browser to access a web site that provides information served in the form of Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) or in Extended Markup Language (XML). The portions of HTML or XML information that relate to components intended for display are presented to the user via a standard computer display.
The server computer(s) executing at the web site are configured to handle requests for information by executing a suite of applications. One such a web server application handles requests to transfer data (e.g., HTTP requests), whereas Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs handle access to data stored in a database and can generate HTML documents that are then transmitted to the requesting user. A web server will typically invoke a CGI program when the system receives a request from a client for a particular script. Practical Extension Reporting Language (PERL) scripts and other server-side scripting languages are examples of the type of scripts often handled using CGI. Although such scripts can fulfill many system needs, a problem with using CGI scripts is that the scripts become increasingly difficult to create when utilized to access complex data sources or dynamically provide information. Web Services provide a method that enables programmatic access to a service which is then implemented by other kinds of software (e.g., middleware). Access is achieved through the use of a listener and an interface for exposing operations supported by a business logic implemented by a traditional middleware platform. The Web Service architecture segments the services it provides into discrete functional components generally destined for use by other server-side software (e.g. CGI programs). The component-based model involves blocks of software program code, which programmers may reuse to extend the system's capabilities. To exchange data between servers associated with different business entities, Application Servers at each of the different business entities communicate using mutually recognizable data communication protocols. An overview of the various protocols and components of the Web Services platform is helpful for purposes of understanding how the architecture is adapted to provide various services.
Object of the Invention
The object of the present invention is to provide System and Method for automatically providing network services in a website
Summary of the Invention
An embodiment of the invention is directed to a method and apparatus for automatically providing network services in a way that improves upon the prior art. Systems implementing aspects of the invention can, for instance, provide developers with a mechanism for creating Web Services without having to write low-level SOAP, XML, or WSDL code. The system utilizes a rule-based approach that enables administrators and other users to dynamically adjust the system to include or exclude certain network services without having to engage in a complex redeployment effort. The term network services as it is utilized herein, means the provision of a requested service between two or more parties using a client-server architecture to communicate data relating to the requested service. Typically, client computers request services from a server computer. The server is configured to dynamically provide the requested service by interfacing with one or more rules and data sources to obtain the data needed to perform the requested service.
A type of network service referred to as a Web Service is an example of a widely used network services. Web Services are supported by several standards for posting requests between clients and servers, and for encoding streams of data/objects. In one embodiment of the invention, requests and responses are posted between clients and servers using HTTP, and data messages relating to the provision of the requested service are encoded using SOAP. In such instances, these Web Services are supported using the WSDL to describe XML data objects.
Systems implementing one or more aspects of the invention utilize a highly modularized architecture. These modules are built around a rule engine that can infer most aspects of the system's behavior.
At the receiving end of the system, the requests are analyzed to check whether a request is destined for a network service (e.g., a Web Service). When the system receives a request for a Web Service, the system parses the message contained in the request under the supervision of the rule engine which can determine: the name of the Web Service, the operations necessary to respond to the request, and the arguments that allow the operations to execute and generate a response.
The system is capable of invoking the rule engine at any step of the processing and can evaluate request values on invocation. This ability provides administrators or users with a mechanism for dynamically reconfiguring the system with requiring redeployment of the entire system. Thus, an embodiment of the invention allows updates or changes to the system without requiring a start and stop of the system.
Brief Description of Drawings
FIG. 1 depicts an architecture for enabling systems to provide web services in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention.
Detailed Description of Invention
FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting an architecture for enabling systems to provide network services such as Web Services. When client issues a request to a system implementing the invention, application server initially handles the request by performing multiple checks to determine the validity and/or type of the request being made. Application server contains one or more components for handling these requests and may, for instance, utilize these components to determine what object type to map a particular request.
Application server is configured to have the ability to check one or more rules associated with the request against rule store. Rule store provides a rule set for accessing, manipulating and/or serving data from a data source such as database. Developer defines the rule set contained within rule store and may, for instance, manually input rules and/or utilize the network services assistant described herein to construct rules for accessing data in one or more data sources (e.g., database ) and providing network services relating to that data.
The network services assistant allows a user to easily develop server-side services and publish those services to a client-side application. For example, when a service is created and a system implementing one or more aspects of the invention adds operations relating to that service, the service provider can publish a document containing a Uniform Resource Locator configured to enable the client to automatically connect back to the proper service. Also, in the architecture provided by the invention, simply changing the rules can easily change a system's behavior.