Data publishing systems and methods

A method of managing and delivering data comprising:

• maintaining at least two associated databases;
• enabling one of said associated databases for delivery of data therefrom to at least one recipient via a data communication network;
• disabling another one of said associated databases to prevent delivery of data therefrom to the recipient via the data communication network;
• modifying the data contained in the disabled database;
• and
• alternating the enabled and disabled databases after the data in the disabled database is modified to enable the previously disabled database for delivery of data therefrom to the recipient and to disable the previously enabled database to prevent delivery of data therefrom to the recipient.

A metadata publishing system comprising:

• a publication database containing a plurality of metadata records, said metadata records each relating to content of one or more media files, said media files being adapted for rendering by a media player program executed on a client computer;
• a back end database server for collecting source data and generating the publication database from the collected source data;
• a front end database server;
• and
• at least two associated databases managed by the front end database server, one of said associated databases being online for delivery of metadata therefrom to at least one recipient via a data communication network, another one of said associated databases being offline to prevent delivery of data therefrom to the recipient via the data communication network, said back end database server copying a current publication database to the offline database, said front end database server directing queries from the recipient to the online database for data retrieval, said front end database server further alternating the online and offline databases after the current publication database is copied to the offline database so that the offline database becomes online for delivery of metadata therefrom to the recipient and the online database becomes offline to prevent delivery of metadata therefrom to the recipient.

A method of managing and delivering metadata comprising:

• collecting source data;
• generating a current publication database from the collected source data, said publication database containing a plurality of metadata records, said metadata records each relating to content of one or more media files, said media files being adapted for rendering by a media player program executed on a client computer;
• maintaining at least two associated databases;
• enabling one of said associated databases for delivery of metadata therefrom to at least one recipient via a data communication network;
• disabling another one of said associated databases to prevent delivery of metadata therefrom to the recipient via the data communication network;
• copying the current publication database to the disabled database;
• and
• alternating the enabled and disabled databases after the current publication database is copied to the disabled database to enable the previously disabled database for delivery of metadata therefrom to the recipient and to disable the previously enabled database to prevent delivery of metadata therefrom to the recipient.

An automated control database system comprising:

• a back end database server for collecting source data and generating a current publication database from the collected source data, said back end database server copying the current publication database to one of at least two associated front end databases managed by a front end database server, one of said associated front end databases being online for delivery of data therefrom to at least one recipient via a data communication network, another one of said associated front end databases being offline to prevent delivery of data therefrom to the recipient via the data communication network, said current publication database being copied to the offline database;
• and
• an automation control database managed by the back end database server, said automation control database containing job control data for instructing the front end database server which of the associated databases is online and which of the associated databases is offline, said front end database server directing queries from the recipient to the online database for data retrieval, said front end database server receiving and responsive to the job control data for alternating the online and offline databases after the current publication database is copied to the offline database so that the offline database becomes online for delivery of data therefrom to the recipient and the online database becomes offline to prevent delivery of data therefrom to the recipient.