Multi-purpose configuration model

• US 20030130749A1
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Knierim, Richard, Kalthoff, Wolfgang, Kraemer, Andreas, Haag, Albert, Moser, Gerd
• Application Number:
  US10/291,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130749A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a multi-purpose configuration model. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a machine-readable medium, for defining a configuration model for a product, includes instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to receive input. The product includes instructions to define, based on the input, a base component of the configuration model, the base component including information that describes the product. The product includes instructions to define, based on the input, a first component of the configuration model, the first component including information that describes the product and that is associated with a first business process.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer program application for changing a configuration model of a product, the method comprising:

receiving a configuration model, the configuration model including a first component and at least a second component, the first component including information for a first business process, the second component including information for a second business process, the information of the first and the second component including characteristics and characteristic values that describe the product and constraints specifying dependencies of the characteristics

receiving input that specifies a change to the configuration model; and

determining whether the change violates the characteristics and constraints of the configuration model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the change is a change to the second component;

the second component inherits characteristics and constraints from the first component; and

determining whether the change violates the characteristics and constraints includes determining whether the change violates characteristics and constraints that the second component inherits from the first component.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the change does not violate characteristics and constraints, changing the configuration model in accordance with the input.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the change does violate characteristics and constraints, not changing the configuration model in accordance with the input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a configuration model includes receiving a configuration model that includes one or more components that have information which inclusion is based a role of a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a configuration model includes receiving a configuration model that includes one or more components that have information which inclusion is based on a user'"'"'s access authorization.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a configuration model includes receiving a configuration model that includes one or more constraints for determining whether a user can make the change specified by the input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving a configuration model includes receiving a configuration model in which the first component is a base component and the second component is one of a marketing component, a design component, an engineering component, a sales component, and a production component.

9. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a machine-readable medium, for defining a configuration model for a product, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive input;

define, based on the input, a base component of the configuration model, the base component including information that describes the product; and

define, based on the input, a first component of the configuration model, the first component including information that describes the product and that is associated with a first business process.

10. The product of claim 9, further comprising instructions to:

generate a first view of the configuration model, the first view including information that describes the product; and

generate a second view of the product, the second view including information that describes the product and that is associated with a first business process.

11. The product of claim 9, further comprising instructions to:

define, based on the input, a second component of the configuration model, the second component including information which inclusion is based on a role of a user.

12. The product of claim 9, further comprising instructions to:

define, based on the input, a second component of the configuration model, the second component including information which inclusion is based on an access authorization.

13. The product of claim 9, wherein:

the information that describes the product includes any combination of characteristics, characteristic values, constraints describing dependencies of the characteristics, default values, and values ranges.

14. The product of claim 9, wherein:

the information that is associated with the first business process includes any combination of characteristics, characteristic values, constraints, default values, and values ranges.

15. The product of claim 14, wherein:

the constraints include constraints for describing dependencies of characteristics.

16. The product of claim 9, wherein:

the first business process is one of marketing, product design, production, engineering, and sales.

17. The product of claim 9, wherein the input requests adding a second component that is to be a child of the first component and, furthermore, that includes information for a second business process, the product further comprising instructions to:

check that the information included in the second component does not violate information included in the first component.

18. The product of claim 16, further comprising instructions to:

generate a third view of the configuration model, the third view including information included in the first component and information included in the second component.

19. A method implemented in a computer program application for modeling a product, the method comprising:

defining a configuration model, the configuration model including a first component and at least a second component, the first component including information for a first business process, the second component including information for a second business process, the information of the first and the second component including one or more of characteristics and characteristic values that describe the product and rules specifying dependencies of the characteristics, the first business process defining a baseline configuration for the product and the second business process defining a variation from the baseline configuration;

receiving input that specifies a change to the configuration model; and

determining whether the change violates the characteristics and rules of the configuration model.

20. A computer program product, tangibly stored on a machine-readable medium, for defining a configuration model for a product, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive input;

define, based on the input, a base component of the configuration model, the base component including information that describes a baseline configuration for the product; and

define, based on the input, a first component of the configuration model, the first component including information that describes a variation to the baseline configuration of the product and that is associated with a first business process, where the first component includes restrictions on accessing and modifying the variation information.