Selective deployment of software extensions within an enterprise modeling environment

• US 20040064348A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Giles, Michael, Sutcliffe, John, Pitstick, John M., Mills, Michael C., Thier, Adam, Aschenbrener, Clarence A., Humenansky, Brian S.
• Application Number:
  US10/262,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064348A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

An enterprise business planning system includes a server to an application server to execute an enterprise planning activity in accordance with a model that defines a set of enterprise users. The system further includes an extension manager to selectively deploy software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model. The model may, for example, define roles for the enterprise users, and the extension manager selectively deploys the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the roles assigned to the enterprise users. As another example, enterprise model may comprises a multi-level hierarchy of related nodes, and associates the enterprise users with the nodes. The extension manager may selectively deploy the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the levels of respective nodes associated with the enterprise users.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an application server to execute an enterprise planning activity in accordance with a model that defines a set of enterprise users; and

an extension manager to selectively deploy software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the model defines roles for the enterprise users, and the extension manager selectively deploys the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the roles assigned to the enterprise users.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the enterprise model defines a multi-level hierarchy of related nodes, and associates the enterprise users with the nodes, and wherein the extension manager selectively deploys the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the nodes associated with the enterprise users.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the extension manager provides an interface to assign software extensions to the nodes for deployment of the software extensions to the enterprise users.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the extension manager deploys the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the level of the node associated with each of the enterprise users.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the extension manager provides an interface by which a system administrator can register new software extensions with the enterprise model, and selectively deploy the new software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an administration server to provide an operating environment for the extension manager, wherein the software extensions include administration software extensions to execute on the administration server.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the software extensions include server-side software extensions to execute on the application server.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a web browser executing on a remote computing device of one of the enterprise users to communicate contribution data between the remote computing device and the application server, wherein the software extensions include client-side extensions to execute on the remote computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a contribution module executing on the application server to receive a login request from a requesting user via the web browser, identify newly installed client-side software extensions in response to the login request for deployment to the requesting user in accordance with the model, and communicate the identified software extensions to the remote computing device for execution.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application programming interface (API) by which the software extensions access a database storing the model.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the extension manager stores user-specific extension information for the respective enterprise users defined by the model.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the extension manager provides an interface that allows a system administrator to map the software extensions to system events for invocation of the software extensions in response to the system events.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the software modules conform to a component object model.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the enterprise users include enterprise contributors that submit forecasts for the enterprise in the form of contribution data, and enterprise reviewers that reconcile the contribution data with enterprise targets in the form of target data

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the software extensions include a best-practices software extension that controls the reconciliation of the contribution data and the target data.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the best-practices software extension enforces reconciliation of the contribution data and the target data within a predefined percentage.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the best-practices software extension enforces reduction of the forecast data to a certain level or by a particular percentage.

19. A method comprising:

executing an enterprise planning activity in accordance with a model that defines a set of enterprise users; and

selectively deploying software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the model defines roles for the enterprise users, and selectively deploying the software extensions comprises selectively deploying the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the roles assigned to the enterprise users.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the enterprise model defines a multi-level hierarchy of related nodes associated with the enterprise users, and selectively deploying the software extensions comprises selectively deploying the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the levels of the nodes associated with the enterprise users.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving input from a system administrator; and

assigning the software extensions to the nodes in response to the input for deployment to the enterprise users.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing an interface by which a system administrator can register new software extensions with the enterprise model, and

selectively deploying the new software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a login request from a remote computing device of a requesting one of the users;

identifying any newly installed client-side software extensions in response to the login request; and

communicating the identified software extensions to the remote computing device for execution.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein selectively deploying software extensions comprises selectively deploying administration software extensions, server-side software extensions, and client-side software extensions.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

mapping the software extensions to system events; and

invoking the software extensions in response to the system events.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising selectively deploying a best-practices software extension to control the reconciliation of contribution data that defines forecasts for the enterprise and target data that defines targets for the enterprise.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising enforcing reconciliation of the contribution data and the target data within a predefined defined percentage via the best practices software extension.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising enforcing the reduction of the forecast data to a certain level or by a particular percentage.

30. A computer-readable medium comprising instruction to cause a processor to:

execute an enterprise planning activity in accordance with a model that defines a set of enterprise users, wherein the enterprise model defines hierarchically arranged nodes and associates the enterprise users with the nodes; and

selectively deploy software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the model defines roles for the enterprise users, and the instruction cause the processor to selectively deploy the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the roles assigned to the enterprise users.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the enterprise model comprises a multi-level hierarchy of related nodes associates with the enterprise users, and the instruction cause the processor to selectively deploy the software extensions to the enterprise users based on the levels of the nodes associated with the enterprise users.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the instruction cause the processor to receive input from a system administrator, and assign the software extensions to the nodes in response to the input for deployment to the enterprise users.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the instruction cause the processor to provide an interface by which a system administrator can register new software extensions with the enterprise model, and selectively deploy the new software extensions to the enterprise users in accordance with the model.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein the instruction cause the processor to selectively deploy a best-practices software extension to control the reconciliation of contribution data that defines forecasts for the enterprise and target data that defines targets for the enterprise.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the instruction cause the processor to enforce reconciliation of the contribution data and the target data within a predefined defined percentage via the best-practices software extension.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the instruction cause the processor to enforce the reduction of the forecast data to a certain level or by a particular percentage.