Web-enabled mainframe

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a data sources interface of a mainframe, a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network;

calling a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receiving a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

modifying the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield a data source;

sending the data source to the user terminal; and

facilitating version control between the user terminal and the mainframe, the version control allowing modifications to mainframe data indicated by the transaction request if the transaction request corresponds to a current version of mainframe data.

2. The method of claim 1 , the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

3. The method of claim 1 , the data sources function further comprising a C function, a REXX script, or an SQL statement.

4. The method of claim 1 , the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

5. The method of claim 1 , the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

determining whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instructing the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

7. A system comprising:

a data sources interface operable to:

receive a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network; and

send a data source to the user terminal; and

one or more processors comprising hardware and operable to

call a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receive a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

modify the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield the data source; and

facilitate version control between the user terminal and the mainframe, the version control allowing modifications to mainframe data indicated by the transaction request if the transaction request corresponds to a current version of mainframe data.

8. The system of claim 7 , the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

9. The system of claim 7 , the data sources function further comprising a C function, a REXX script, or an SQL statement.

10. The system of claim 7 , the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

11. The system of claim 7 , the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.

12. The system of claim 7 , further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

the one or more processors further operable to:

determine whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instruct the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

13. Logic embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the logic operable to:

receive, by a data sources interface of a mainframe, a transaction request formatted in a web-based format, the transaction request received from a user terminal communicating with the data sources interface through a network;

call a data sources function, the data sources function configured to instruct a mainframe application to perform the requested transaction, the instruction formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

receive a transaction result from the mainframe application, the transaction result formatted in the native format of the mainframe;

modify the transaction result according to the web-based format to yield a data source;

send the data source to the user terminal; and

facilitate version control between the user terminal and the mainframe, the version control allowing modifications to mainframe data indicated by the transaction request if the transaction request corresponds to a current version of mainframe data.

14. The logic of claim 13 , the web-based format further comprising a web services format.

15. The logic of claim 13 , the data sources function further comprising a C function, REXX script, or an SQL statement.

16. The logic of claim 13 , the data source further comprising a table comprising one or more rows and one or more columns, the rows and columns defined according to XML rules.

17. The logic of claim 13 , the transaction request further comprising a query, insert, delete, or update request.

18. The logic of claim 13 , further comprising:

the transaction request comprising a first data set and a second data set, the first data set describing data received from a previous query, the second data set describing user-requested modifications to the received data;

the logic further operable to:

determine whether the first data set matches a current configuration of the mainframe data; and

instruct the mainframe to apply the modifications described by the second data set if the current configuration and the first data set match.

19. The logic of claim 13 , further operable to:

determine one or more users configured to receive notifications associated with the data source; and

send a notification to the one or more users if the mainframe performs an insert, delete, or update operation associated with the data source.

20. The logic claim 13 , wherein the transaction request includes a first request and a second request, the first request linked to the second request in order to facilitate performing the first request in combination with the second request.

21. The logic of claim 13 , wherein the transaction request comprises a metadata query that requests metadata describing one or more available data sources.