Patent ID: 7577640

Claim:
A computational component for performing a method, the method comprising: storing first data in a first source database on at least a first device; storing second data in a second source database on at least one of the first device and a second device; receiving at a first consolidated database established on at least a third device a first request for selected data from a fourth device comprising a first data client, wherein said selected data identified by said first request for selected data includes a portion of said first data, wherein said portion of said first data is less than all of said first data, and wherein said selected data identified by said first request for selected data includes a portion of said second data; in response to said first request for selected data and after determining by said first consolidated database that said selected data is not entirely stored on said first consolidated database: retrieving by a sparse replication component said portion of said first data from said first source database, wherein said sparse replication component queries said first source database for said portion of said first data, wherein said sparse replication component is interposed between said first and second source databases and said first consolidated database, and wherein said sparse replication component is interposed between said first and second source databases and a second consolidated database; storing said portion of said first data in said first consolidated database; retrieving by said sparse replication component said portion of said second data from said second source database, wherein said sparse replication component queries said second source database for said portion of said second data; storing said portion of said second data in said first consolidated database; detecting by said sparse replication component a modification to said selected data in at least one of said first source database and said second source database; in response to said detecting, determining by said sparse replication component a need to update said selected data stored in said first consolidated database; in response to said determining a need to update said selected data stored in said first consolidated database, retrieving updated selected data from at least one of said first source database and said second source database; and storing said updated selected data in said first consolidated database, wherein said first consolidated database contains only a partial copy of said first data and only a partial copy of said second data.