Computer implemented method and system for running a plurality of business processes

• US 20060036687A1
• Filed: 07/19/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beringer, Joerg, Wood, Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A computer implemented method for running a plurality of business services within an explicitly defined business context wherein the context and the business services are representing meaningful instances of work situation or actions, the method comprising: provisioning web services and/or a composition of services with an additional input/output interface for passing data from and to a parent business context; enabling this interface to handle long running, stateful actions; and implementing a standardized user interaction behavior to make the user interface of an action reusable across contexts. An embodiment of the invention introduces an “action” concept which can be technically described as a wrapping layer on top of enterprise services that provides a special plug&execute interface to enable a service or a composition of services to interact with a parent context.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for running a plurality of business services within an explictly defined business context wherein the context and the business services are representing meaningful instances of work situation or actions, the method comprising:

provisioning web services and/or a composition of services with an additional input/output interface for passing data from and to a parent business context;

enabling this interface to handle long running, stateful actions;

implementing a standardized user interaction behavior to make the user interface of an action reusable across contexts.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein for each action template a predetermined number of action states is defined, which comprise a before execution action state, a during execution action state, an after execution action state and an undo execution action state.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein an action template is designed with a predetermined interface to be used in a plurality of work contexts.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein an action template is designed as part of a series of corresponding activities;

or wherein an action template is designed as an ad hoc activity.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein for each action template an exception handler is defined that couples said action template to a further action template for handling exceptions.

8. A computer program product, comprising program code portions for performing a method as claimed in claim 1, when run on a programmable apparatus.

9. An article of manufacture with a computer usable medium having computer readable instructions therein for providing access to resources available on that computer, the computer readable instructions comprising to cause the computer to perform the steps of a method as claimed in claim 1.

6. A computer implemented method for a plurality of business processes, wherein process data are handled in data objects by a business program run on a computer, the method comprising:

defining a set of work-roles, each work-role active in at least one of said business processes and defining persons or groups of persons performing a predefined work-role in said business processes;

defining for each work-role a plurality of actions to be executed in said work-role, the actions corresponding to a specific instance of work to be executed in said work-role and corresponding to handling of a predefined number of data objects; and

associating said actions to a work context template, the work context template defining an interface format for providing a user interface to perform said action; and

an interface format for interfacing between said business objects.

7. A computer system for running a plurality of business processes, wherein process data are handled in data objects by one or more service oriented business applications run on a computer, the system comprising:

an interface generator for generating a user interface based on a predetermined interface template;

a database comprising a plurality of work context templates, each template arranged to activate one or more services for providing a data-interface to said business objects so as to instantiate a corresponding work context by populating said work context with data interfaced from said business objects;

each work context template associated with a corresponding work-role that is active in at least one of said business processes and that defines persons or groups of persons performing a predefined role in said business processes;

a database comprising a plurality of action templates arranged to activate one or more services for handling of a predefined number of data objects in a work context;

each action template associated with a corresponding specific instance of work to be executed in a predetermined number of work-roles by executing a corresponding action through said one or more services on said data objects;

wherein in at least one of said action templates a predefined interface template is defined corresponding with said interface generator for providing a predefined user interface; and

wherein each of the work context templates is associated with at least one action template.

10. A computer implemented method for running a plurality of business processes, wherein process data are handled in data objects by one or more service oriented business applications run on a computer, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of callable actions;

each action arranged to activate one or more of said services for handling of a predefined number of data objects via a work context;

wherein the work context is arranged for providing a data-interface to said business objects so as to instantiate a corresponding action by populating said action with data interfaced from said business objects; and

wherein the work context is associated with a corresponding work-role that is active in at least one of said business processes and that defines persons or groups of persons performing a predefined role in said business processes;

each action comprises a data-interface to interface with said work context; and

associating at least one action to a predefined work context.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein each action is associated with a corresponding specific instance of work to be executed in a predetermined work-role by executing a corresponding action in said work context.