System and method for managing fulfillment data associated with a fulfillment system

A system for managing fulfillment data associated with a fulfillment system operating on a computer with memory, the system comprising:

• a fulfillment engine stored and executed using local data storage within a database management system;
• a first interface for communicating fulfillment data with one or more remote application-specific systems stored and executed using remote data storage external to the database management system supporting the fulfillment engine, each remote application-specific system associated with a corresponding fulfillment type;
• and
• a second interface for communicating fulfillment data with the fulfillment system;
• the fulfillment engine operable to performing the following operations in establishing a plurality of fulfillment interfaces for a plurality of fulfillment types, each fulfillment type having a corresponding fulfillment interface that is accessible by a user to access or modify a plurality of target data using the fulfillment data:
• creating within the local data storage a single local parent multi-definition table appropriate for the plurality of fulfillment types;
• for each fulfillment type, creating a name and definition for a local parent view of the single local parent multi-definition table;
• for each fulfillment type, mapping the definition for the local parent view to the single local parent multi-definition table to create the local parent view within the local data storage, the local parent view comprising a view of the single local parent multi-definition table operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the single local parent multi-definition table using the local parent view;
• and
• for each fulfillment type, using the name and mapped definition for the local parent view to create within the remote data storage a remote actual child view of a corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table and a remote staged child view of a corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table, each remote child view comprising a copy of the local parent view, each remote actual child view operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table using the remote actual child view.

A computer-readable storage medium having code stored thereon which, when executed, causes a computer executing as part of a database management system to manage fulfillment data associated with a fulfillment system to provide a first interface for communicating fulfillment data with one or more remote application-specific systems stored and executed using remote data storage external to the database management system supporting the code, each remote application-specific system associated with a corresponding fulfillment type, the code executing to provide a second interface for communicating fulfillment data with the fulfillment system, to establish a plurality of fulfillment interfaces for a plurality of fulfillment types, each fulfillment type having a corresponding fulfillment interface that is accessible by a user to access or modify a plurality of target data using the fulfillment, and to perform the following functions:

• create within the local data storage a single local parent multi-definition table appropriate for the plurality of fulfillment types;
• for each fulfillment type, create a name and definition for a local parent view of the single local parent multi-definition table;
• for each fulfillment type, map the definition for the local parent view to the single local parent multi-definition table to create the local parent view within the local data storage, the local parent view comprising a view of the single local parent multi-definition table operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the single local parent multi-definition table using the local parent view;
• and
• for each fulfillment type, use the name and mapped definition for the local parent view to create within the remote data storage a remote actual child view of a corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table and a remote staged child view of a corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table, each remote child view comprising a copy of the local parent view, each remote actual child view operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table using the remote actual child view.

A method for managing fulfillment data associated with a fulfillment system using a fulfillment engine that is stored and executed using local data storage within a database management system operating on a computer with memory, the fulfillment system comprising a back office accounting system comprising data associated with a plurality of credit card accounts the fulfillment engine providing a first interface for communicating fulfillment data with one or more remote application-specific systems stored and executed using remote data storage external to the database management system supporting the fulfillment engine, each remote application-specific system associated with a corresponding fulfillment type, the fulfillment engine providing a second interface for communicating fulfillment data with the fulfillment system to modify data associated with one or more of the credit card accounts, the method comprising:

• performing the following acts in establishing a plurality of fulfillment interfaces for a plurality of fulfillment types, each fulfillment type having a corresponding fulfillment interface that is accessible by a user to access or modify a plurality of target data using the fulfillment data:
• creating within the local data storage a single local parent multi-definition table appropriate for the plurality of fulfillment types;
• for each fulfillment type, creating a name and definition for a local parent view of the single local parent multi-definition table;
• for each fulfillment type, mapping the definition for the local parent view to the single local parent multi-definition table to create the local parent view within the local data storage, the local parent view comprising a view of the single local parent multi-definition table operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the single local parent multi-definition table using the local parent view;
• and
• for each fulfillment type, using the name and mapped definition for the local parent view to create within the remote data storage remote actual, staged, and historical child views of corresponding remote actual, staged, and historical child multi-definition tables, respectively, each remote child view comprising a copy of the local parent view, each remote actual child view operable to access only fulfillment data that has been stored in the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table using the remote actual child view;
• the remote child views for a fulfillment type provide a simulated fulfillment interface at a remote application-specific system simulating the fulfillment interface associated with the corresponding local parent view at the database management system;
• and
• performing the following operations in storing fulfillment data in the fulfillment system according to the plurality of fulfillment types using the plurality of corresponding established fulfillment interfaces:
• for each fulfillment type, copying all fulfillment data within the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table to the corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table at a particular time, all of this fulfillment data for a fulfillment type being copied substantially simultaneously at the particular time such that the corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table reflects the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table as of the particular time;
• for each remote child view, reading the copied fulfillment data from the corresponding remote staged multi-definition table and writing this copied fulfillment data to the single local parent multi-definition table through the corresponding local parent view, the local parent view for each fulfillment type writing data to and reading data from the single local multi-definition table;
• for each remote child view, copying all fulfillment data within the corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table to the corresponding remote historical child multi-definition table for archival purposes, the fulfillment data within the remote historical child multi-definition tables being available for use in deriving historical fulfillment information;
• and
• for each fulfillment type, in preparation for additional fulfillment data to be stored in the fulfillment system in a subsequent storing operation, deleting from the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table all the fulfillment data that was copied to the corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table and deleting from the corresponding remote staged child multi-definition table all the fulfillment data that was copied from the corresponding remote actual child multi-definition table.