Mesh Data Structure for ABAP Associations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Business programming languages like ABAP lack native support for data associations between different data objects, leading to increased complexity and performance overhead due to the need for additional frameworks, which do not effectively reduce development effort or maintenance costs.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a mesh structure within the business programming language to store semantically grouped data from multiple nodes, allowing for native support of links between nodes through coded path expressions and enabling direct implementation of core services without additional processing frameworks, thereby reducing database calls and improving performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If frameworks are implemented on top of the business programming language to simulate support for data associations, then data associations between nodes of different data objects can be achieved, but system complexity increases and performance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata association supportVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the framework layer with the native language capabilities by integrating data association support directly into the business programming language runtime. This eliminates the need for separate framework implementations and reduces system complexity while maintaining adaptability for data associations between nodes of different data objects.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of path expressions that enable direct access and navigation between nodes of different data objects. This intermediary approach allows data associations to be established through the language's native capabilities rather than requiring complex framework layers, thus reducing system complexity while maintaining versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata association supportVSAvoidsystem performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By merging data association support into the native language runtime, the patent eliminates the performance overhead associated with framework layers. The integrated approach allows direct manipulation and traversal of data associations without the additional processing layers that frameworks introduce, thereby improving system performance while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The path expression intermediary provides an efficient mechanism for navigating data associations directly within the language runtime. This approach avoids the performance penalties of framework-based simulations by enabling direct, optimized access to associated nodes without the overhead of framework abstraction layers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If frameworks are used to implement data associations, then support for links between different data objects is achieved, but development effort and maintenance costs are not effectively reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata association capabilityVSAvoiddevelopment and maintenance time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges data association capabilities directly into the business programming language, eliminating the need for separate framework implementations. This integration reduces development effort by providing native support for data associations and reduces maintenance time by removing the complexity of managing additional framework layers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The path expression intermediary provides a simple, native mechanism for establishing and navigating data associations. This approach reduces development time by eliminating the need to learn and implement framework-specific patterns and reduces maintenance effort by providing a unified, language-native approach to data associations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9405793B2Native language support for intra-and interlinked data collections using a mesh framework

Publication Date: 2016.08.02 SAP SE

AI summary

A mesh structure can be a type concept that extends internal tables or other data structures of a business programming languages (e.g., ABAP) by associations, as known from a data object meta-model. A mesh can include a set of operations, such as for example iteration via an iterator object and selection of instances expressed by a path language. A mesh structure can be optimized for read access and traversal, and can provide a working area that is processed with statements in the business programming language to implement one or more core services directly from the mesh data structure. Related methods, computer program products, and systems are described.