Intermediation Server for Heterogeneous Data Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing systems face challenges in integrating and displaying data generated via distinct mechanisms, such as NDC and GDS, which use different communication protocols, making it difficult to present a unified view and update data consistently across different data subsets.
Innovation Solution
An intermediation server is used to store and compare data records from different providers, marking matching fields as shared and updating the destination record, allowing for simultaneous display and editing of data across different mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data from multiple independent generation mechanisms are integrated into a unified view, then data consistency and unified display are improved, but system complexity and integration difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an intermediation server that acts as a mediator between multiple independent data generation mechanisms (NDC, GDS, etc.) and the client subsystem. This server receives data from various providers, standardizes it into a common format, and manages field sharing relationships, thereby achieving data consistency without requiring complex integration logic at the client level or within each provider system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments data into distinct field types (shared fields versus non-shared fields) and manages them separately. The intermediation server identifies matching fields across different data sources, marks them as shared, and handles updates accordingly. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by treating different field types differently, rather than attempting to manage all fields uniformly.
2Ease of operation
If separate interfaces are used for each data generation mechanism, then independence and simplicity of each interface are maintained, but user experience and data integration quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediation server provides a universal interface that handles multiple data generation mechanisms (NDC, GDS, and others) through a single standardized protocol. Instead of requiring separate interfaces for each provider, the server universalizes the access method, allowing the client subsystem to interact with all providers through one consistent interface while maintaining the independence of each provider system.
3Productivity
If updates are applied independently to each data subset, then autonomy and simplicity of update operations are maintained, but data synchronization and consistency across sources are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the intermediation server monitors updates to shared fields and automatically propagates changes across all relevant data sources. When a shared field is updated in one provider's data, the server detects this change and triggers updates in other providers' data that contain the same shared field, ensuring synchronization while maintaining operational efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of integrating data objects includes: storing (i) an originating record containing a first unique identifier and a first set of data fields defining a first item supplied by a first provider, and (ii) a destination record containing a second unique identifier and a second set of data fields defining a second item supplied by a second provider; receiving an instruction to merge the originating record into the destination record, the request containing the first and second unique identifiers; in response to receiving the instruction, updating the destination record by: comparing the first set of data fields with the second set of data fields; and for each data field of the first set that matches a corresponding data field of the second set, marking the corresponding data field of the second set as a shared field; and sending the updated destination record to a client device for display.