Querying of distributed databases using neutral ontology model for query front end

A method of configuring a software adapter for use in interfacing between an internal computerized system component and an external commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software product comprising:

• providing the adapter with an interface to the internal system component and a method-invoking-mechanism for passing generic arguments as method calls to the associated COTS component as a client, and
• employing a command pattern of the method-invoking-mechanism to represent arguments as objects that execute marshalling and un-marshalling methods on themselves, such that when the COTS client acts to call the adapter interface, the method-invoking-mechanism first builds an AdapterParameter that is sent to the interface via a method call, the interface calls the marshalling method on the parameter, and the AdapterParameter implementation marshals its data into a form the COTS client can receive, and after processing by the COTS client results in a data return, an AdapterReturn object is passed back to the COTS client, and the un-marshalling method is called to un-marshall the command pattern.