Schema annotations for managing cached document fragments

Abstract

The challenge of communicating document caching policies from document servers to client processes in the most generally applicable manner is solved by enabling the application of caching policies to classes of documents, rather than single instances of documents. Caching policies are applied to a given class of documents by specifying caching policies in metadata that describes the structure of the class of documents that conform to the metadata. In the context of XML data documents and document fragments, an XML schema can be annotated to include a representation of a caching policy, thereby specifying the caching policy for XML data documents and fragments that conform to the corresponding XML schema.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram that illustrates a process for managing network content, according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment in which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an operating environment in which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram that illustrates a process for managing XML content received over a network, according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented.

Claims

1. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving first instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of: A) sending the instructions over transmission media;B) receiving the instructions over transmission media;C) storing the instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; andD) executing the instructions;wherein the first instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:storing metadata that describes the structure of a class of documents that conform to the metadata;wherein the metadata specifies a caching policy that is applicable to a particular portion of documents that conform to the metadata;generating a document that conforms to the metadata and includes the particular portion;wherein the document includes a reference to the metadata to which the document conforms; andserving the document to a client process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: providing read access to the metadata to the client process.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving second instructions, wherein the second instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of: reading, by the client process, the metadata from the data repository; andcaching the document, including applying the caching policy to the particular portion of the document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing metadata includes storing the metadata in a data repository.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing metadata includes storing an XML schema in an XML data repository.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is an XML schema and the document that conforms to the metadata is an XML document.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the caching policy specifies the duration for which the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata should be cached at a client or at a server other than a source server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the caching policy specifies which servers other than a source server should be allowed to cache the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the caching policy specifies a link to a resource for refreshing the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata upon expiration of the particular portion of the document.

10. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving first instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of: A) sending the instructions over transmission media;B) receiving the instructions over transmission media;C) storing the instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; andD) executing the instructions;wherein the first instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:storing, in a data repository, metadata that describes the structure of a class of documents that conform to the metadata;wherein the metadata specifies a caching policy that is applicable to a particular portion of documents that conform to the metadata; andproviding read access to the metadata.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving second instructions, wherein the second instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the step of: constructing, by a server, a document that conforms to the metadata and that includes the particular portion, wherein the constructed document is for delivery over a network and includes an implementation of the caching policy specified in the metadata.

12. The method of claim 10, comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving second instructions, wherein the second instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the step of: applying, by a client process, the caching policy to the particular portion of a document received over a network, wherein the document identifies the metadata as metadata to which the received document conforms.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the metadata is an XML schema and the document that conforms to the metadata is an XML document.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the caching policy specifies the duration for which the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata should be cached at a client or at a server other than a source server.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the caching policy specifies which servers other than a source server should be allowed to cache the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the caching policy specifies a link to a resource for refreshing the particular portion of a document that conforms to the metadata upon expiration of the particular portion of the document.

17. A method comprising performing a machine-executed operation involving instructions, wherein the machine-executed operation is at least one of: A) sending the instructions over transmission media;B) receiving the instructions over transmission media;C) storing the instructions onto a machine-readable storage medium; andD) executing the instructions;wherein the instructions are instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:receiving an XML document over a network, wherein the XML document includes a particular portion;determining from the XML document that there is a stored XML schema, corresponding to the XML document, that describes the structure of documents that conform to the schema;accessing and reading the XML schema that corresponds to the XML document;determining, from the XML schema, that there is a caching policy associated with the particular portion of XML documents that conform to the schema; andcaching the XML document, including applying the caching policy to the particular portion of the XML document.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the caching policy specifies the duration for which the particular portion of the XML document should be cached at a client or at a server other than a source server.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the caching policy specifies which servers other than a source server should be allowed to cache the particular portion of the XML document.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the caching policy specifies a link to a resource for refreshing the particular portion of the XML document upon expiration of the particular portion.