Dynamic Schema Service Hierarchical Graph Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face challenges in dynamically managing data schemas, requiring significant effort to modify or add custom fields, which can impact performance, scalability, and reliability due to hard-coded data structures and limited flexibility in managing custom field types.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic schema service (DSS) that stores and provides data schemas using a hierarchical graph structure, allowing service owners to define and modify fields and constraints without hard-coding, enabling real-time updates and flexible management of schemas across multiple levels of hierarchy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data structures are hard-coded into the system, then system stability and reliability are improved, but flexibility and adaptability to change deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data structure definition from the system code by introducing a separate schema service that stores and manages data structures independently. The schema is divided into hierarchical components (tables, columns, constraints) that can be individually modified without affecting the underlying system code, thus maintaining reliability while enabling flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a schema service as an intermediary layer between the system code and data structures. This mediator handles all schema definitions, validations, and modifications, allowing the system to maintain stable core code while adapting to changing data requirements through the intermediary schema management layer.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom fields are added to hard-coded schema, then data requirements are improved, but development effort and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables self-service schema modification by providing a user interface that allows users to define, add, modify, and delete custom fields directly in the schema service. Users can perform schema evolution without requiring developer intervention or code modifications, significantly reducing development time while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a pre-configured schema service infrastructure with hierarchical structure support, validation rules, and deployment mechanisms before custom fields are needed. This preliminary setup allows rapid addition of custom fields later without requiring foundational development work, thus reducing development time for schema changes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If schema changes are made frequently, then data requirements are improved, but system performance and stability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic schema management where the schema service can load, validate, and deploy schema changes in real-time without requiring system restarts or code recompilation. The hierarchical schema structure allows selective updates to specific tables or columns, enabling frequent schema evolution while maintaining system stability through controlled, incremental changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates validation feedback mechanisms that check schema changes against system constraints and dependencies before deployment. The schema service provides feedback on potential conflicts, required migrations, and compatibility issues, allowing operators to make informed decisions that maintain system stability while enabling necessary schema evolution.
4Adaptability or versatility
If existing systems accept custom field additions, then flexibility is improved, but field type limitations and management rigidity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal schema service that handles all custom field operations (creation, modification, validation, deployment) through a unified hierarchical structure. The system supports multiple field types (string, number, boolean, datetime, etc.) and complex relationships (foreign keys, constraints, inheritance) through a single flexible framework, reducing management complexity while enhancing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to schema management, organizing fields into tables, columns, and nested structures with multiple levels of abstraction. This dimensional organization allows complex field relationships and constraints to be managed systematically through path-based navigation and inheritance, reducing apparent complexity while enabling sophisticated custom field management.
Data Source
AI summary
A dynamic schema service (DSS) stores and vends data schema for use by one or more client services. Each schema includes one or more data fields that describe related entities. The DSS also stores meta-schema, which defines limits for field definitions in the schema and other constraints. Using the DSS, a service owner defines fields and constraints unique to its business application and can revise those fields and constraints over time. When the client service requires a schema, the client service sends a request to the DSS, and the DSS responds with the current version of the schema for use by the client service. Service owners are able to edit their schemas in DSS, and the changes are immediately implemented in the corresponding services by virtue of the schema request to DSS. In some embodiments, the DSS employs a hierarchical graph structure to determine the requested schema.