Abstract: A method for generating an enterprise application, including creating a business object specification defining a characteristic of a business object, creating an application usage specification defining how the business object is to be used in the enterprise application, and generating the enterprise application using the business object specification and the application usage specification.

Abstract: A method for generating a projected graph data structure, including generating a request for the projected graph data structure using a variable usage specification, retrieving a server graph data structure using the request, generating a projected graph data structure representation using the request, the server graph data-structure, and a schema associated with the server graph data-structure, and instantiating the projected graph data-structure using the projected graph data-structure representation.

Abstract: A method for dynamically casting an object graph, including creating an internal representation using a root object of the object graph, instantiating a cast object graph using a casting rule and the internal representation, and populating the cast object graph.

Abstract: A method for packaging an object graph including receiving a usage variable specification that includes a set of usages each usage specifying an attribute of an object in the object graph, creating a transient object graph representation containing the attribute specified in the variable usage specification, and packaging the transient object graph representation.

Abstract: A cache synchronization method for a distributed application having a client side and a server side, including detecting initiation of a transition to a new state on the client side, locating data on the client side that is to be synchronized, synchronizing located data using a cache synchronizer interposed between the client side and the server side, and completing the transition to the new state on the client side.

Abstract: A method for transparently optimizing data access. The method includes gathering information related to data usage when a system is processing and determining a usage pattern of the system using gathered information.

Abstract: A distributed system having a client and a server includes a state manager interposed between the client and the server. The state manager has a capability to generate a list of object attributes required to represent a state of the distributed system and a capability to cache object attributes so as to be locally accessible by the client. The distributed system further includes a service component interposed between the state manager and the server. The service component has a capability to fetch data from the server based on the list of object attributes.

Abstract: A method for transparently injecting a proxy into a distributed application having a server portion and a client portion including creating the proxy that implements an interface of a remote object in the server portion and has a capability to cache data from the remote object, modifying the client portion to substitute a call for the remote object with a call for the proxy, and interposing a client runtime that includes the proxy between the client portion and the server portion.

Abstract: A method for a system having distributed collaborating components includes restricting direct interaction between distributed collaborating components by introducing an application-independent interface between distributed collaborating components and invoking a service from the application-independent interface in order to enable interaction between distributed collaborating components.

Abstract: An automatic caching method for a distributed application having a client and a server includes intercepting a call between the client and the server in order to collect information about objects accessed on the server during the call, prefetching data from an object based on collected information, placing data into a client cache, synchronizing marked calls with the server, and synchronizing the client cache with the server.

Abstract: A query object generator tool which generates interface definitions and code that implement a query object also generates a database schema access query object that retrieves the schema of an underlying database. Instead of retrieving data from the database, the database schema access query object retrieves “metadata”, including the names of tables and stored procedures in the database and their descriptions, from the database. The metadata is then displayed as part of a graphic user interface which is used to construct the SQL query implemented by the query object. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the database schema access object also verifies that an SQL query generated by a user is valid by submitting the query to the database engine of the underlying database. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention the database schema access object contains methods which perform automatic mapping of “standard” SQL data types to vendor-specific data.

Abstract: A query object generator tool is used to generate interface definitions and source code which implement a database query object. The tool allows a client to construct a query object without being familiar with the underlying database language and without being concerned with programming details such as concurrency problems and connection management. The tool consists of an internal state object which represents the query object, including information which can be saved to reconstruct the query object at a later date, and code generator objects which generate the code required to implement the query object defined by the internal state object. In a preferred embodiment, the code generator objects are arranged in a hierarchy so that a generator object can be instantiated which generator object is specific to the database to be accessed and the language to which the implementation is targeted. An optional graphic user interface (GUI) may also be provided to allow a user to interact with the tool.

Abstract: Connection information for open database connections is stored or “cached” in a connection manager at the database client. Therefore, even when a query is complete and the connection between the client and server is released, the manager maintains the database connection open. When a new query arrives at the client, the connection manager compares the connection information in the query to the corresponding information stored for each open connection. If there is a match and the connection is not in use, the already open connection is used for the new query. If there is no match, a new connection is opened until a predetermined limit of the number of connections is reached. When the limit is reached, an open connection which is not in use is closed and a new connection is established. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a “free” list of open connections which are not in use is maintained so that a quick comparison can be made with the incoming query information.

Abstract: A query object generator tool which generates interface definitions and code that implement a query object also generates a graphic user interface (GUI) for controlling the generator tool and plug-in objects, including a database schema access query object and test objects for allowing the GUI to operate with vendor-specific databases. The GUI is “customized” by the various plug-in objects. For example, the database schema access query object is designed specifically for a particular underlying database and retrieves “metadata” concerning the database schema. The retrieved metadata is then displayed as part of the graphic user interface to assist the user in constructing a query object. Test objects are also generated by the GUI in response to a user request. The test objects contain information that characterizes the query object for testing purposes. The information in the test objects is used with a test framework to install and initialize the query object.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coupling object state and behavior in a DBMS is provided such that an object's class definition, behavior information, and state information are included in the DBMS. An object is instantiated using an object class definition, state information, and behavior information from the DBMS. In addition, an object can be stored in the DBMS by storing its class definition along with its state and behavior information in the DBMS. The behavior information stored in the DBMS can be used within and without the DBMS environment.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coupling object state and behavior in a DBMS is provided such that an object's class definition, behavior information, and state information are included in the DBMS. An object is instantiated using an object class definition, state information, and behavior information from the DBMS. In addition, an object can be stored in the DBMS by storing its class definition along with its state and behavior information in the DBMS. The behavior information stored in the DBMS can be used within and without the DBMS environment.

Abstract: A system and a process for providing improved interfacing to a data source storing a plurality of data using query objects are described. The data source includes a schema describing organization of the data within the data source and an interface defined in a query language. A set of data manipulations are encapsulated in the query object and implemented in the query language. Each such encapsulated data manipulation conforms to the schema of the data source. A connection is handled via the interface between the query object and the data source. At least one such encapsulated data manipulation is performed on the data source in response to a request from a client. A resultant set of the data received in response to the at least one such data manipulation from the data source is processed. The resultant set of the data is provided as pre-determined data types to the client.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for coupling object state and behavior in a DBMS is provided such that an object's class definition, behavior information, and state information are included in the DBMS. An object is instantiated using an object class definition, state information, and behavior information from the DBMS. In addition, an object can be stored in the DBMS by storing its class definition along with its state and behavior information in the DBMS. The behavior information stored in the DBMS can be used within and without the DBMS environment.

Abstract: An improved database management system (DBMS) stores, retrieves and manipulates directed graph data structures in a relational database. Each directed graph data structure contains one or more records of data which are interconnected by pointers. Data is stored in the database in the form of two dimensional tables, also known as flat files. The improved DBMS defines a schema for each table in the database. The schema defines the name and data type of each column in a database table. In tables used to store directed graph data structures, at least one column will be defined as having a reference data type. Non-empty entries in that column are pointers to rows in a specified table. Directed graph data structures are stored in specified tables by storing each record of the directed graph in a distinct row of one of the specified tables, with references corresponding to interconnections between records being stored in reference data type columns.