Web Service Discovery via Data Abstraction Model
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Service-oriented architectures (SOAs) face challenges in efficiently discovering and utilizing relevant web services due to unfocused searches within larger pools of services and data, leading to irrelevant results and overwhelming information.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that utilizes a data abstraction model to associate logical fields with web services, allowing for the discovery of applicable web services through a discovery registry, and displays a user interface to receive user criteria, thereby creating conditions that limit acceptable values and refine search results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If unfocused searches are performed within larger pools of services and data, then more comprehensive information is available, but irrelevant results and overwhelming information occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a discovery registry as an intermediary layer between the data abstraction model and web services. This registry stores mappings between logical fields and web service inputs/outputs, enabling focused discovery by matching user queries against the registry rather than searching all services directly. The registry acts as a mediator that filters and directs searches to relevant services only.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing mappings between logical fields and web services in the discovery registry before actual service discovery occurs. These pre-computed relationships allow the system to quickly identify relevant services without performing comprehensive searches at query time, thus maintaining information quality while enabling versatile search scope.
2Adaptability or versatility
If data abstraction models are used to decouple logical fields from physical data structures, then system adaptability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The discovery registry serves as a universal mapping mechanism that works across different data abstraction models and physical data structures. By storing mappings in a standardized format that associates logical fields with web service parameters, the system achieves multi-functionality - the same registry structure supports various underlying data models without requiring model-specific discovery logic, thus managing complexity while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the data model in the discovery registry that maps logical fields to web service interfaces. This copying approach allows the system to maintain the simplicity of logical field references in applications while the registry handles the complexity of mapping to physical data structures and service parameters, effectively isolating complexity from end users.
3Measurement precision
If web services are discovered through querying the discovery registry, then service relevance is improved, but discovery time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The discovery registry pre-stores mappings between logical fields and web service inputs/outputs during service registration and data model definition phases. When a discovery query is performed, the system queries this pre-populated registry rather than analyzing service interfaces in real-time, significantly reducing discovery time while maintaining high matching accuracy through the pre-established relationships.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving a selection of a logical field of a data abstraction model. The method includes determining model entries (e.g., concepts) associated with the selected logical field and examining the data abstraction model to determine other model entries that are equal to the model entries associated with the selected logical field. For each equal model entry, the method includes determining web services to be used in performing a search, where the web services are determined by querying a discovery registry associated with the data abstraction model to discover one or more web services that are resolvable based on the selected logical field. A first discovered web service is executed with user supplied criteria provided via a user interface to obtain a list of values. A condition is created that limits acceptable values associated with the selected logical field based on the user supplied criteria.