Methods and systems for auto-instantiation of storage hierarchy for project plan

• US 20020184250A1
• Filed: 06/07/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jonathan Kern, Mikhail Okrugin
• Original Assignee: Jonathan Kern, Mikhail Okrugin
• Inventors: Okrugin, Mikhail, Kern, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 7,096,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention allow a user to create a storage hierarchy definition in association with a workflow that models a process, to generate a plan from the workflow that reflects an instance of the process, and to generate a container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow. The container may then be used to store an artifact that is used or produced by the plan in accordance with methods and systems of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system having a workflow that models a process, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a storage hierarchy in association with the workflow;

generating a plan from the workflow that reflects an instance of the process; and

automatically generating a container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

generating another plan from the workflow that reflects another instance of the process; and

generating a different container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when another plan is generated from the workflow.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the container is generated on a network storage medium connected to a virtual file system server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the virtual file system server is a WebDAV server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving an identification of the container;

receiving a role capable of accessing the container; and

storing the role in association with the container identification within the storage hierarchy definition.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of managing user access to the container based on the role.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the container is one of a plurality of related containers generated in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving an identification of the container;

receiving a path reflecting a relationship to another of the plurality of related containers; and

storing the container identification in the storage hierarchy definition to reflect the relationship.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating an activity for the workflow; and

providing the activity with a link to the storage hierarchy definition, wherein the plan receives the link when a task of the plan is generated from the activity.

10. A method in a data processing system having a workflow, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a storage hierarchy in association with the workflow wherein the storage hierarchy definition includes a container identification and a role associated with the container identification;

receiving a user prompt to generate a plan from the workflow;

generating a container having the container identification and the role in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition in response to the user prompt to generate the plan from the workflow; and

managing access to the container based on the role.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

receiving another user prompt to generate another plan from the workflow; and

generating a different container having the container identification and the role in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition in response to the other user prompt to generate the other plan from the workflow.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the container is generated on a network storage medium connected to a virtual file system server.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the container is one of a plurality of related containers generated in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving the identification of the container;

receiving a path reflecting a relationship to another of the plurality of related containers; and

storing the container identification in the storage hierarchy definition to reflect the relationship.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

providing the workflow with a link to the storage hierarchy; and

providing the plan with the link when the plan is generated from the workflow.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

generating another plan from the workflow that reflects another instance of the process; and

generating a different container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when another plan is generated from the workflow.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the container is generated on a network storage medium connected to a virtual file system server.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the virtual file system server is a WebDAV server.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving an identification of the container;

receiving a role capable of accessing the container; and

storing the role in association with the container identification within the storage hierarchy definition.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of managing user access to the container based on the role.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the container is one of a plurality of related containers generated in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving an identification of the container;

receiving a path reflecting a relationship to another of the plurality of related containers; and

storing the container identification in the storage hierarchy definition to reflect the relationship.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

creating an activity for the workflow; and

providing the activity with a link to the storage hierarchy definition, wherein the plan receives the link when a task of the plan is generated from the activity.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving another user prompt to generate another plan from the workflow; and

generating a different container having the container identification and the role in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition in response to the other user prompt to generate the other plan from the workflow.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the container is generated on a network storage medium connected to a virtual file system server.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the container is one of a plurality of related containers generated in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the step of defining the storage hierarchy comprises the steps of:

receiving the identification of the container;

receiving a path reflecting a relationship to another of the plurality of related containers; and

storing the container identification in the storage hierarchy definition to reflect the relationship.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

providing the workflow with a link to the storage hierarchy; and

providing the plan with the link when the plan is generated from the workflow.

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the data processing system having a workflow that models a process, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a storage hierarchy in association with the workflow;

generating a plan from the workflow that reflects an instance of the process; and

automatically generating a container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.

25. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a data processing system to perform a method, the data processing system having a workflow, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a storage hierarchy in association with the workflow wherein the storage hierarchy definition includes a container identification and a role associated with the container identification;

receiving a user prompt to generate a plan from the workflow;

generating a container having the container identification and the role in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition in response to the user prompt to generate the plan from the workflow; and

managing access to the container based on the role.

31. A data processing system comprising:

a secondary storage device further comprising a workflow and a storage hierarchy definition associated with the workflow, the storage hierarchy definition having a plurality of related container identifications;

a memory device further comprising a program that generates a plan from the workflow when prompted by a user, and automatically generates a plurality of containers to reflect the related container identifications in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow; and

a processor for running the program.

32. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein the program further generates another plan from the workflow;

and

generates a different plurality of containers in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when another plan is generated from the workflow.

33. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein the plurality of containers are generated on a network storage medium connected to a virtual file system server.

34. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein the virtual file system server is a WebDAV server.

35. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein the storage hierarchy definition includes a role associated with one of the plurality of container identifications and wherein the program further manages user access to the one container based on the role.

36. The data processing system of claim 31, wherein the workflow has an activity with a link to the storage hierarchy definition and wherein the program further provides the link to the plan when a task of the plan is generated from the activity.

37. A system having a workflow that models a process, comprising:

means for defining a storage hierarchy in association with the workflow;

means for generating a plan from the workflow that reflects an instance of the process; and

means for automatically generating a container in accordance with the storage hierarchy definition when the plan is generated from the workflow.