Data management system

• US 20030110073A1
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Published: 06/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.), British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.), British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Mittal, Vineet, Wojciechowski, John A Jr., Campbell, Lindsay A, Daleman, Stephen I, Muschamp, Paul, Hodgson, Michael, Lang, Kenneth A, Brook, William R, Gabbe, John D, Henderson, Brian R, Legh-Smith, Jonathan, Griffiths, David R, Briel, John V
• Granted Patent: US 7,310,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A data management system, for use in receiving and processing data in relation to one or more products, and recording fulfilment in respect of a generated product description, the system comprising:

an input for product selection data;

a marketplace product store for storing marketplace product definitions;

a product selection store for storing data defining a selection of one or more products from the marketplace product store;

an enterprise capability store for storing data defining capability of an enterprise in relation to supply of one or more products; and

a product fulfilment data store for storing one or more product descriptions;

wherein there is further provided means to generate

at least one link between each product description in the product fulfilment data store to data stored in the enterprise capability store, and

at least one link between each product description in the product fulfilment data store to data stored in the product selection store

said links being determined by a requirement in the respective product description for specified data in the enterprise capability store and the product selection store, such that a valid product description is dependent on presence of said specified data.

Claims

1. A data management system, for use in receiving and processing data in relation to one or more products, and recording fulfilment in respect of a generated product description, the system comprising:

an input for product selection data;

a marketplace product store for storing marketplace product definitions;

a product selection store for storing data defining a selection of one or more products from the marketplace product store;

an enterprise capability store for storing data defining capability of an enterprise in relation to supply of one or more products; and

a product fulfilment data store for storing one or more product descriptions;

wherein there is further provided means to generate

at least one link between each product description in the product fulfilment data store to data stored in the enterprise capability store, and

at least one link between each product description in the product fulfilment data store to data stored in the product selection store

said links being determined by a requirement in the respective product description for specified data in the enterprise capability store and the product selection store, such that a valid product description is dependent on presence of said specified data.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the specified data in the enterprise capability store relates to equipment necessary to support provision of a product identified in the product description.

3. A system according to claim 2 wherein a product description comprises date information, at least one set of data stored in the enterprise capability store comprises said specified data together with availability date data, and the system further comprises means to review the availability date data against the date information, such that a valid product description is dependent on compatibility between the availability date data and the date information.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein said availability date data may be both compatible with the date information and in the future at the time that a product description is loaded to the product fulfilment data store.

5. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein there is further provided means to generate at least one link between each marketplace product definition stored in the marketplace product store to data stored in the enterprise capability store, said links being determined by a requirement in the respective marketplace product definition for specified data in the enterprise capability store, such that a valid marketplace product definition is dependent on presence of said specified data in the enterprise capability store.

6. A system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein there is provided means to update associated links in response to updates to the specified data in the enterprise capability store.

7. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the specified data in the enterprise capability store comprises identifiers for instances of apparatus available to support a product identified in a product description.

8. A system according to claim 7 which further comprises means to update the specified data in the enterprise capability store and to make consequent changes to links relevant to said specified data.

9. A system according to any one of claims 5 to 8 which further comprises means to delete any marketplace product definition stored in the marketplace product store in the event that there is no remaining link for that marketplace product definition to data stored in the enterprise capability store.

10. A method of managing data relating to product provision in relation to supporting capabilities, which method comprises:

storing marketplace product definitions in a marketplace product store;

receiving product selection data in relation to stored marketplace product definitions;

storing data defining a selection of one or more products from the marketplace product store in a product selection store, in response to one or more received inputs;

storing data defining capability of an enterprise in relation to supply of one or more products in an enterprise capability store;

storing one or more product descriptions in a product fulfilment data store; and

generating at least one link between each product description in the product fulfilment data store to data stored in the enterprise capability store;

wherein said at least one link is determined by a requirement in the respective product description for specified data in the enterprise capability store, such that a valid product description is dependent on presence of said specified data.