Access to line-of-business databases in declarative workflow

US8442937B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• Sean K. Gabriel · Bellevue, US
• Alexander Malek · Seattle, US
• Mark Phair · Redmond, US
• Eray Chou · Seattle, US
• Jonathan Thomas Campbell · Redmond, US
• Bradley Stevenson · Seattle, US
• Constantin Stanciu · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 31, 2009
• Grant date: May 14, 2013
• Expiry date: Dec 28, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/06
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.