Using live distributed objects for office automation

Abstract

Web services and platforms such as .NET make it easy to integrate interactive end-user applications with backend services. However, it remains hard to build collaborative applications in which information is shared within teams. This paper introduces a new drag-and-drop technology, in which standard office documents (spreadsheets, databases, etc.) are interconnected with event-driven middleware ("live distributed objects"), to create distributed applications in which changes to underlying data propagate quickly to downstream applications. Information is replicated in a consistent manner, making it easy for team members to share updates and to coordinate their actions. We present our middleware platform, and show that it offers good performance and scalability, with small resource footprint. Moreover, because the approach is highly automated, and the underlying middleware is highly configurable, we're in a position to automatically address security and reliability needs that might otherwise be onerous. In addition to reviewing our existing system, we list open issues, which include integration with external data sources, and updating stored, but inactive objects.