Two-Tier Mobile App Generator for Direct Database Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building native mobile applications for multiple platforms using three-tier architecture is complex and requires significant development effort, especially when direct database access is needed, due to the need for platform-specific boilerplate code and application server caches.
Innovation Solution
A mobile application generator that retrieves database metadata and automatically generates native source code for two-tier mobile applications, allowing direct database access without an application server, using RESTful APIs or JDBC, and compiles the code into distributable applications for iOS, Android, and other platforms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If three-tier architecture is used with application server caches, then data access reliability is improved, but device complexity and development effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the application server tier from the traditional three-tier architecture, creating a two-tier system where mobile devices access the database directly. This eliminates the intermediate caching layer while simplifying the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal data access by allowing mobile devices to directly connect to and access the database through standardized protocols (RESTful APIs or JDBC), making the system platform-independent and reducing architectural complexity across multiple mobile platforms.
2Speed
If platform-specific boilerplate code is written for direct database access, then data access speed is improved, but development time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal data access layer using RESTful APIs and JDBC that works across iOS, Android, and other mobile platforms without requiring platform-specific code, thereby maintaining fast data access while eliminating repetitive boilerplate development.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces RESTful APIs as an intermediary layer between mobile applications and the database, providing a standardized interface that simplifies data access across different platforms while maintaining performance through direct database connections when needed.
3Speed
If in-memory databases are used, then data access performance is improved, but memory resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the storage medium parameter from disk-based to in-memory database, utilizing RAM instead of disk storage to dramatically improve data access performance. This parameter change accepts increased memory consumption as a trade-off for superior speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic data synchronization between the in-memory database and persistent storage, allowing the system to maintain fast in-memory access while periodically flushing data to disk, thereby balancing performance with resource management.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure generally describes computer-implemented methods, software, and systems for creating and using two-tier mobile applications. A computer-implemented method includes identifying at least a portion of a database to be associated with a mobile application, retrieving a set of metadata associated with the at least a portion of the identified database, automatically generating a set of mobile application source code for directly accessing the at least a portion of the database based on the set of retrieved metadata, and compiling the set of mobile application source code into a distributable mobile application, the distributable mobile application configured to directly access the identified database associated with the mobile application. In some instances, the identifying, retrieving, generating, and compiling operations are performed at design time, while at runtime, the mobile application is executable by a mobile device and, during runtime execution, can request database-related information directly from the identified database.