Patent ID: 7065588

Claim:
A data transformation system for use in a heterogeneous computer system, said data transformation system comprising: at least one client adapted to initiate a request for transformation of data in a first data format to data in a second data format; a plurality of peer transformation servers, each of said transformation servers including a plurality of data converters and a representation of available data transformations between a plurality of input data formats associated with at least some of said transformation servers and a plurality of output data formats associated with at least some of said transformation servers, said representation including a plurality of unidirectional edges, with each one of said edges extending from one of said input and output data formats to another of said input and output data formats, said transformation servers collectively including at least one of said data converters for each of said edges, at least one of said transformation servers adapted to receive said request for transformation of data, select at least one intermediate data format from a plurality of different intermediate data formats and select at least one intermediate data transformation from said first data format to said selected at least one intermediate data format and a final data transformation from a final one of said selected at least one intermediate data format to said second data format, with each of said intermediate and final data transformations being associated with a corresponding one of said edges, said at least one of said transformation servers adapted to initiate a plurality of said data converters corresponding to said selected intermediate and final data transformations, in order to obtain said data in the second data format, and dispose said data in the second data format; and a communication network adapted to provide communication among said transformation servers and said client.