Preserving user interface customizations while upgrading an enterprise application

• US 20050203975A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Tao, Victor, Wang, Dejia, Shroff, Vipul, Suklikar, Atul, Lam, Ming, Jindal, Bharat
• Granted Patent: US 8,122,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces

Abstract

In an embodiment, a system for preserving user interface customizations while upgrading an enterprise application is provided. The system preserves customizations by identifying customizations made to user interface (“UI”) objects of an enterprise application, and enabling these UI customizations to function with a newer version of the enterprise application. The system transforms UI customizations so that the transformed UI customizations function with a new UI model. By enabling a portion of an enterprise application to be upgraded while preserving UI customizations, the system dramatically reduces the time and cost incurred by companies when they upgrade enterprise software.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computing system for preserving customizations while upgrading an enterprise application, comprising:

merging multiple pre-merge repositories into a merged repository;

determining a list of objects in a repository that have been customized;

deactivating the customized objects;

copying the customized objects from a pre-merge repository into the merged repository; and

transforming a copied customized object.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes analyzing objects in a pre-merge repository.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes analyzing objects in the merged repository.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transforming comprises:

determining a type of copied customized object;

performing a transformational function based on the determined type; and

identifying and resolving issues relating to the transformation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the type is an applet.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the transformational function enables the applet to function in a grid.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the type is a view.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transformational function creates a categorization for views.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the type is a screen.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes comparing a present state of an object with a state of the object as delivered by a vendor of the object.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the transformed customized object functions with an updated enterprise application.

12. A system for preserving user interface customizations when upgrading an enterprise application, comprising:

a component that merges multiple pre-merge repositories into a merged repository;

a component that deactivates customized user interface objects;

a component that copies the customized user interface objects from a pre-merge repository into the merged repository; and

a component that transforms at least one of the user interface objects, wherein the transformation is dependent on a type of the copied customized object.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the type is an applet.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the type is a view.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the type is a screen.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the deactivation includes renaming an object.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the deactivation includes deactivating objects indicated by a user.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the enterprise application uses objects from multiple repositories.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the component that transforms creates a hierarchical data structure relating to categories of objects.

20. A computer-readable medium containing a data structure for preserving customizations when upgrading an enterprise application, the computer-readable medium comprising:

multiple pre-merge repositories, wherein the pre-merge repositories comprise user interface objects;

a merge repository, wherein the merge repository comprises user interface objects from the pre-merge repositories; and

a hierarchical data structure.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein a user interface object is an applet.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein a user-interface object is a view.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein a user-interface object is a screen.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the hierarchical data structure comprises categories of user interface objects.

25. A method performed by a computing system for preserving customizations when upgrading an enterprise application, comprising:

receiving an indication of user interface objects to preserve during the upgrading;

merging multiple pre-merge repositories into a merged repository;

copying the indicated user interface objects into the merged repository; and

transforming a user interface object.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the transforming comprises:

determining a type of the copied user interface object;

performing a transformational function based on the determined type; and

identifying and resolving issues relating to the transformation.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the type is an applet.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the transformational function enables the applet to function in a grid.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the type is a view.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the transformational function creates a categorization for views.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the type is a screen.

32. A method performed by a computing system for preserving user interface customizations while upgrading an enterprise application, comprising:

merging multiple pre-merge repositories into a merged repository;

determining a list of user interface objects in a repository that have been customized;

deactivating the customized user interface objects;

copying the customized user interface objects from a pre-merge repository into the merged repository; and

transforming at least one of the user interface objects.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the determining includes analyzing objects in a pre-merge repository.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein the determining includes analyzing objects in the merged repository.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the transforming comprises:

determining a type of user interface object;

performing a transformational function based on the determined type; and

identifying and resolving issues relating to the transformation.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the type is an applet.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the transformational function enables the applet to function in a grid.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein the type is a view.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the transformational function creates a categorization for views.

40. The method of claim 35 wherein the type is a screen.

41. The method of claim 32 wherein the determining includes comparing a present state of an object with a state of the object as delivered by a vendor of the object.

42. The method of claim 32 wherein the transformed user interface objects function with an updated enterprise application.