System and method for integrating management of resources between application services and applications

• US 20050050057A1
• Filed: 08/25/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mital, Vijay, Homann, Ulrich, Isaacs, Scott, Mullender, Maarten
• Application Number:
  US10/648,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050057A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• 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 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

An application entity may be created and defined by a user at an application. Related service entities managed by different service applications may be matched and consolidated. The application entity may be associated with one or more related service entities. Metadata corresponding to the associated service entities may be provided to the application. Such metadata may enable the associated service entities to be managed from within the application.

Claims

1. A method for associating an application entity managed by an application with a plurality of related service entities managed by a plurality of application services, the application maintaining application metadata corresponding to the application entity, the application services maintaining service metadata corresponding to the related service entities, the method comprising:

matching the related service entities based on the service metadata;

consolidating the related service entities into a context entity;

consolidating service metadata corresponding to the context entity into context metadata; and

matching the application entity to the context entity based on the application metadata and the context metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the related service entities comprises matching the related service entities based on attributes of the related service entities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the application entity to the context entity comprises matching the application entity to the context entity based on attributes of the application entity and attributes of the context entity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining service metadata corresponding to the related service entities.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the service metadata corresponding to the related service entities to the application comprises:

determining at a context service static actions available on the related service entities; and

querying an action service to determine dynamic actions available on the related service entities.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing the service metadata corresponding to the related service entities to the application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein providing the service metadata corresponding to the related service entities to the application comprises providing static and dynamic actions available on the related service entities to the application.

8. A method for managing at an application a first service entity at a first application service, the method comprising:

matching an application entity to an associated context entity based on application metadata and context metadata;

identifying that the associated context entity is derived from the first service entity;

providing service metadata corresponding to the first service entity to the application; and

managing the first service entity at the application using the provided service metadata.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising matching the application entity to the associated context entity based on attributes of the application entity and attributes of the associated context entity.

10. The method of claim 8, comprising identifying that the associated context entity is derived from the first service entity and a second service entity at a second application service, the first service entity being related to the second service entity.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising obtaining the service metadata corresponding to the first service entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein obtaining the service metadata corresponding to the first service entity comprises:

determining at a context service static actions available on the first service entity; and

querying an action service to determine dynamic actions available on the first service entity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the service metadata corresponding to the first service entity comprises providing the static and dynamic actions available on the first service entity to the application.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein managing the first service entity at the application using the provided service metadata comprises:

generating at the application a display of the static and dynamic actions available on the first service entity; and

selecting from the display at the application an action to be performed on the first service entity at the first application service.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

forwarding the selected action to the first application service; and

performing the selected action at the first application service.

16. A system for managing at an application a first service entity at a first application service, the system comprising:

the first application service, said first application service maintaining first service metadata corresponding to the first service entity and providing the first service metadata to a context service;

the application, said application maintaining application metadata corresponding to an application entity and providing the application metadata to a context service;

the context service, said context service maintaining a context entity derived from the first service entity, matching the application entity to the context entity, and providing the first service metadata to said application, the first service metadata enabling the first service entity to be managed at said application.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a second application service, said second application service maintaining second service metadata corresponding to a second service entity and providing said second service metadata to said context service, the second service entity being related to the first service entity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said context service matches the first service entity and the second service entity based on the first service metadata and the second service metadata.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the context entity is derived from the first service entity and the second service entity.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said context service provides the first service metadata and the second service metadata to said application, the first service metadata enabling the first service entity to be managed at said application, the second service metadata enabling the second service entity to be managed at said application.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising an action service for determining dynamic actions available on the first service entity at said first application service.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said context service queries said action service to determine the dynamic actions available on the first service entity and provides the dynamic actions available on the first service entity to said application.

23. The system of claim 16, further comprising an execution service for providing the application metadata to said context service.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said execution service generates a display of the first service metadata.