Discovery Service for SOA Data Model Federation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) technologies are inadequate for data-driven services, as they primarily focus on functionality rather than data management, leading to issues like data duplication, synchronization, and incompatible data models, especially in scenarios where message transformation across services is required.

Innovation Solution

A discovery service that stores data models and relationships between services, enabling the retrieval of a path for message adaptation through XSLT transformations, protocol changes, and interface adjustments, allowing for data federation and synchronization between services with overlapping data models.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If services are developed independently in SOA, then service independence and flexibility are improved, but interface compatibility and data model alignment deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice independenceVSAvoidinterface compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a discovery service as an intermediary component that mediates between independently developed services. This service stores data models of multiple services and automatically determines transformation paths when services need to communicate, eliminating the need for manual interface alignment while maintaining compatibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The discovery service performs preliminary actions by pre-storing data models of services and pre-determining transformation paths before actual service invocation. When a service needs to communicate with another, the transformation path is already prepared, eliminating compatibility issues at runtime.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If data is stored at multiple service locations, then data availability and redundancy are improved, but data synchronization and consistency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata availabilityVSAvoiddata synchronization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The discovery service acts as an intermediary that manages data models across multiple services. It automatically determines transformation paths for data requests, handling synchronization implicitly through the transformation layer without requiring explicit synchronization mechanisms between services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual synchronization mechanisms with an automated transformation system. Instead of services actively synchronizing data, the discovery service automatically transforms data requests to match different data models, substituting mechanical synchronization with intelligent data transformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If message transformation is performed manually, then transformation accuracy is improved, but processing time and complexity deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransformation accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The discovery service performs preliminary action by pre-storing data models and pre-determining transformation paths. When a message needs transformation, the path is already identified, eliminating the need for manual transformation analysis and reducing processing time while maintaining accuracy through automated transformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service transformation by automatically determining transformation paths based on stored data models. The discovery service autonomously handles message transformation without manual intervention, both accelerating processing and maintaining transformation accuracy through consistent automated rules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP1901181B1Discovery Web Service
Publication Date: 2010.07.07 ALCATEL LUCENT SA
  • EP1901181B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1901181B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1901181B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This invention concerns an arrangement for identifying a data model of at least one service (2103, 2104, 2105), the arrangement comprises a discovery service (2106), comprising storage means for storing data models of the at least one service and for storing a relationship between the data models, and the arrangement comprises inspection means for gathering data models of a service and for establishing relationship between the data models and data models of the at least one service. The invention also concerns a data federation method for identifying a data model of at least one service, by inspecting a service and deriving a data model of the service, establishing a relationship between already known data models of the at least one service, and providing the data models of these services and the relationship between the data models.