Managing data administration

• US 20060041588A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kuntz-Mayr, Christiane, Bruss, Ingo, Heusermann, Knut, Brechtel, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

Data administration may be managed by receiving in a computer system a first input identifying a data object to be assigned to a control object in the computer system. A second input for the control object is received in the computer system. The second input specifies a relationship between 1) model-level changes to the data object, and 2) instance-level changes to the data object. After the first and second inputs are received, the control object is sent to another computer system. The control object may be accessed to determine whether a system is authorized to make an object change. This access can be by the system about to make the change, or by a system that receives the object change from another system.

Claims

1. A method of managing data administration, the method comprising:

receiving in a computer system a first input identifying a data object to be assigned to a control object in the computer system;

receiving in the computer system a second input for the control object, the second input specifying a relationship between

     1) model-level changes to the data object, and

     2) instance-level changes to the data object; and

after receiving the first and second inputs, sending the control object to another computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system changes the data object after sending the control object and sends the object change to the other computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the other computer system accesses the control object upon receiving the object change and determines whether the computer system is authorized to make the object change.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the other computer system changes the data object after receiving the control object and sends the object change to the computer system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer system accesses the control object upon receiving the object change and determines whether the other computer system is authorized to make the object change.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control object specifies, for a particular segment of the data object, a control system that is authorized to change the particular segment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the particular segment is one selected from the group consisting of:

a product, a location, a plant, a language, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the control object further specifies an exception where another control system is authorized to change the particular segment.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a change to the particular segment that is not made by the control system is rejected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input specifies that any newly created object is to be assigned to the control object, further comprising using the first input to create an object allocation rule for control object.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the newly created object is assigned to the control object because the newly created object belongs to a class identified by the object allocation rule.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises that a control system that can make the model-level changes can overwrite the instance-level changes.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises that a control system that can make the model-level changes should not overwrite the instance-level changes.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the control object to a class of data objects including the data object.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in the computer system, another control object for the data object, the other control object being older than the control object; and

rejecting the other control object.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a third input in the computer system to change the control object.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising sending the changed control object to the other computer system.

18. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

receive in a computer system a first input identifying a data object to be assigned to a control object in the computer system;

receive in the computer system a second input for the control object, the second input specifying a relationship between

     1) model-level changes to the data object, and

     2) instance-level changes to the data object; and

after receiving the first and second inputs, send the control object to another computer system.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

receive, in the computer system, an object change to the data object made by the other computer system;

access the control object upon receiving the object change; and

determine whether the other computer system is authorized to make the object change.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

receive, in the computer system, another control object for the data object, the other control object being older than the control object; and

reject the other control object.