Methods are executed upon data objects distributed across a plurality of
nodes of a system from a user-held "special" device (such as a cell phone, palm
top, set top, car GPS system, . . . ). Heterogeneous data at a plurality of remote
nodes is accessed automatically in parallel at high speed using a simple script
request containing a data source object name wherein the heterogeneous data is
treated as a single data source object, the script further containing code representing
a user-defined program to be executed on the data source object. An agent breaks
the user-generated script into new scripts appropriate for execution at the remote
nodes. A messenger process transmits the new scripts to the appropriate remote
nodes where respective agent processes respond to automatically access the appropriate
data and to automatically execute the specified program. If the program is a user-defined
script or executable, the respective agent processes access a metadata repository
to obtain the specified program. A set of complex transactions may be built up
and executed by simply touching or updating the special device screen, according
to a visual methodology in which the results of each sub-transaction are displayed
and become the basis for the next point and touch operation in the sequence of transactions.
