Method and system for enterprise business process management

• US 20030233249A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 41 Winding Corporation
• Original Assignee: Data Quality Solutions
• Inventors: Walsh, John G., Walsh, Jeremy M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,920,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An enterprise business process management system and method for definition and execution of business processes formed from portions of one or more business applications present in an enterprise. The enterprise business process management system includes a server, a router, and an interface for defining and executing such business processes. A data quality business process detects, corrects, analyzes, and reports quantitative and qualitative characteristics of application data and transactional data present in the enterprise. An interface module is provided by which a user may select and define function definition information for a business process.

Claims

1. An enterprise business process management system, comprising:

an enterprise business process server capable of receiving data from at least one client;

at least one router accessible by the enterprise business process server;

at least one business process accessible by the at least one router,

wherein the enterprise business process server is configured to access the at least one business process via the router, to execute the at least one business process on at least a portion of the client data, and to generate business process output data as a function of the at least one business process; and

an interface accessible by the enterprise business process server,

wherein the interface operates with the enterprise business process server to output a process designer interactive page,

wherein the process designer interactive page is configured to accept instructions concerning the at least one business process, to generate process information data, and to provide the process information data to the enterprise business process server, and

wherein the enterprise business process server builds an instruction set for the business process based upon the process information data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instruction set is a source code file.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one client comprises at least one additional server.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the business process instructions are selected from a group comprising selection instructions, definition instructions, and linking instructions.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one business application resident on at least one of the enterprise business process server and the at least one client,

wherein the business application comprises the business process.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one connection between the at least one business process and the enterprise business server,

wherein the connection maps input data to the business process and maps output data from the business process corresponding to operation of the business process.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one business process comprises at least one data processing function.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one data processing function accessible by the at least one business process.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the process designer interactive page is further configured to accept instructions concerning the at least one data processing function, to generate function information data, and to provide the function information data to the enterprise business process server, and

wherein the enterprise business process server builds the instruction set for the business process based upon at least one of the process information data and the function information data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the function instructions are selected from a group comprising selection instructions, definition instructions, and linking instructions.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one connection between the at least one data processing function and the at least one business process,

wherein the connection maps input data to the data processing function and maps output data from the data processing function corresponding to operation of the data processing function.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one business process is a data quality analysis process.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one business process is selected from a group comprising:

a data quality analysis process, a biometric analysis process, a photographic imaging analysis process, a regulation compliance analysis process, a tax assignment analysis process, a product comparison analysis process, and a data transformation analysis process.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one business application comprises a plurality of the business processes, and

the enterprise business process server is configured to select and execute at least one of the plurality of business processes.

16. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one business application comprises a plurality of business applications,

the at least one business process comprises a plurality of business processes, and

the enterprise business process server is configured to select and execute at least one of the plurality of business applications and processes.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the process designer interactive page comprises a process definition area,

the process definition area comprises a library comprising the at least one business process identified by a business process identifier, at least one input field identified by an input identifier, and at least one output field identified by an output identifier, and

the input identifier, the business process identifier, and the output identifier are connectible to one another via drag and drop functionality.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the process definition area further comprises:

a process input area;

a process step definition area; and

a process output area,

wherein the input identifier may be inserted into the process input area via drag and drop functionality,

wherein the business process identifier may be inserted into the process step definition area via drag and drop functionality,

wherein the output identifier may be inserted into the process output area via drag and drop functionality, and

wherein the input identifier, the business process identifier, and the output identifier may be connected to one another by links via drag and drop functionality.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the process designer interactive page comprises a process definition area,

the process definition area comprises a library comprising the at least one data processing function identified by a function identifier, at least one input field identified by an input identifier, and at least one output field identified by an output identifier, and

the input identifier, the function identifier, and the output identifier are connectible to one another via drag and drop functionality.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the process definition area further comprises:

a function input area;

a function definition area; and

a function output area,

wherein the input identifier may be inserted into the function input area via drag and drop functionality,

wherein the business process identifier may be inserted into the function definition area via drag and drop functionality,

wherein the output identifier may be inserted into the function output area via drag and drop functionality, and

wherein the input identifier, the function identifier, and the output identifier may be connected to one another by links via drag and drop functionality.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the instruction set may be tested by the enterprise business process server.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one additional router accessible by the enterprise business server,

wherein the at least one additional router and the at least one router are interchangeable.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the at least one router accesses the at least one business process, and

the at least one additional router accesses an additional business process, different from the at least one business process.

24. An enterprise business process management method, comprising:

receiving a request to create or modify a business process, wherein the business process accesses at least one function;

providing, in response to the request, a process designer interactive display;

maintaining, in association with the process designer interactive display, a library containing the function;

accepting, via the process designer interactive display, instructions concerning the function, wherein the function instructions comprise at least one of function inputs, function outputs, an input connection to the function, an output connection from the function, and function settings;

outputting, via the process designer interactive display, a graphical representation of the function instructions; and

assembling an instruction set for the business process based upon the function and the function instructions.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the instruction set is a source code file.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

operational testing of the instruction set.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the business process is a data quality process.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one business process is selected from a group comprising a data quality analysis process, a biometric analysis process, a regulation compliance analysis process, a tax assignment analysis process, a product comparison analysis process, and a data transformation analysis process.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one function comprises a plurality of functions.