Application programming interface for efficient object information gathering and listing

摘要

An information system has a database having distinct object structures that store information about corresponding operating components of the system. An association structure describes many-to-many relationships among the components. Targeted requests for information about first objects are satisfied by obtaining information from a first object structure as well as information about associated objects from the second object structure. Bulk requests for information about a large number of objects are handled differently, using a lookup structure that associates the first objects with limited information of the associated second objects, such as externally visible names which would be meaningful to a requestor. Thus response can efficiently provide full information about all first objects as well as limited but useful information about all associated second objects, avoiding traversals of the association structure and corresponding interrogations of the second object structure.

主权项

1. A computer-implemented method of operating an information system including a database containing a first object structure, a second object structure, and an association structure, the first object structure storing first objects each including information about a corresponding first operating component of the system, the second object structure storing second objects each including information about a corresponding second operating component of the system, and the association structure describing associations between the first objects and second objects, the information for each first operating component including an externally visible first component identifier and additional first component information, the information for each second operating component including an externally visible second component identifier and additional second component information, the system including a first provider component providing access to the first object structure, a second provider component providing access to the second object structure, and a business logic component operative to invoke the first and second provider components to obtain information from the first and second object structures, the method comprising:
maintaining a lookup structure including, for each first operating component, the second component identifier of each second operating component with which the first operating component is associated; in response to a targeted request from a client for information about one of the first operating components, invoking a first application programming interface (API) of the business logic component, the first API being operative to retrieve the information by (1) obtaining the information of the first operating component from the first object structure via the first provider component, (2) traversing the association structure to identify each second operating component with which the first operating component is associated, and (3) obtaining the information of each of the identified second operating components via the second provider component, the obtained information of the first operating component and of each identified second operating component being returned to the client in satisfaction of the request; and in response to a bulk request from the client for information about all of the first operating components, (1) invoking the first API to obtain the information of each of the first operating components from the first object structure via the first provider component, and (2) invoking a second API of the first provider component to obtain, via the lookup structure, the second component identifier of each second operating component with which each of the first operating components is associated, the obtained information of the first operating component and the obtained second component identifiers being returned to the client in satisfaction of the request.