Open content interface for EH&S systems

• US 20050283374A1
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Salomon, Thomas, Ambrosch, Wolfgang
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/86 Mapping to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing an open content interface from importing EH&S data. The invention provides a computer-implemented method that includes: receiving a first input specifying a substance described in a database of an EH&S system; identifying product data available for the substance, the identifying being based on information stored in a first XML file; generating and displaying a data tree that indicates the product data available for the substance, wherein information stored in the first XML file is used to generate the data tree; receiving a second input selecting which of the product data is to be imported to the database of the EH&S system; retrieving the product data from second XML file that includes the product data; using mapping information stored in a third XML file to map the product data retrieved into a data format supported by the EH&S system; and storing the mapped product data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for importing product data into a database,

wherein the database stores the product data in a database specific first data format, and

wherein the product data is available from a variety of content providers in a content provider specific second data format, with:

providing the second data format to an importing interface of the database,

analyzing the second format within the import interface,

generating mapping rules for mapping the second format into the first format based on the analyzing results,

receiving the product data from the content provider within the import interface of the database,

importing the product data into the database using the mapping rules for the data format of the received product data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the product data is data of:

substances, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, safety information, hazardous material management, dangerous goods, physical chemical information, list substances, and/or regulatory content.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with storing the mapping rules within the content provider.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, with providing from the content provider to the import interface the mapping rules prior to importing the product data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with providing from the content provider to the import interface a header file comprising meta data about the data and a list of available data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with providing from the content provider to the import interface a content file comprising data for one product.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with providing the mapping rules, the header file and/or the content file within a markup-language file format.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with parsing the received data within the interface and validating the format of the received data within the interface.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with providing a user selection for selecting product data to be imported using the header file.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with configuring a filter file for pre-selecting an import scope of product data.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with storing the filter file and the mapping rules separately.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, with tracking user selections of data, storing the tracked user selections and displaying the stored user selections when updating data within the database by importing data from the content provider.

13. Data structure for importing product data into a database, wherein the database stores the product data in a database specific first format, and wherein the product data is available from a variety of content providers storing the product data in a second format, with

a header file comprising meta data about the product data and a list of available product data from the content provider,

a content file comprising data for one product, and

mapping rules for mapping the second format into the first format

14. The data structure of claim 13, wherein the mapping rules, the header file and/or the content file have a markup-language file format.

15. The data structure of claim 13, wherein the product data comprise data of:

substances, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, safety information, hazardous material management, dangerous goods, physical chemical information, list substances, and/or regulatory content.

16. A computer system arranged for importing product data comprising

a database for storing the product data in a database specific first format,

a variety of content providers providing the product data in a content provider specific second format, and

an importing interface connected to the database and arranged for receiving the product data from the content provider,

wherein the importing interface is arranged for

analyzing the second format within the import interface,

generating mapping rules for mapping the second format into the first format based on the analyzing results,

receiving the product data from the content provider within the import interface of the database,

importing the product data into the database using the mapping rules for the data format of the received product data.

17. Computer program product for importing product data into a database, wherein the product data is stored in a database specific first format, with a computer program, the program comprising instructions operable to cause the computer to

receive the product data from a variety of content providers in a content provider specific second format within an importing interface of the database,

analyze the second format within the import interface,

receive the product data from the content provider within the import interface of the database,

check a certificate for the data format of the received product data, and

import the product data into the database using the mapping rules for the data format of the received product data.

18. Use of a computer-implemented method for importing product data of substances, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, safety information, hazardous material management data, list substances, and/or regulatory content into a database,

wherein the database stores the product data in a database specific first format, and

wherein the product data is available from a variety of content providers in a second data format, with

providing the second data format to an importing interface of the database,

analyzing the second format within the import interface,

generating mapping rules for mapping the second format into the first format,

receiving the product data from the content provider within the import interface of the database, and

importing the product data into the database using the mapping rules in for the data format of the received product data.

19. A computer implemented method for importing data, the method comprising:

receiving a first input specifying a substance described in a database of an EH&

S system;

identifying product data available for the substance, the identifying being based on information stored in a first XML file;

generating and displaying a data tree that indicates the product data available for the substance, wherein information stored in the first XML file is used to generate the data tree;

receiving a second input selecting which of the product data is to be imported to the database of the EH&

S system;

retrieving the product data from second XML file that includes the product data;

using mapping information stored in a third XML file to map the product data retrieved into a data format supported by the EH&

S system; and

storing the mapped product data in the database.