Association and visualization of schematized business networks

• US 20060229922A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Homann, Ulrich, Isaacs, Scott M., Levy, Marc, Merrifield, Eric Sabbaton Jr., Judah, Norman B., Appel, David Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US11/094,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20060229922A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention extends to associating and visualizing schematized business networks. Users can visualize and navigate a business network without having got understand or create associations between structures of different business layers. Users can configure the level of detail by zooming in and zooming out of relevant portions of the business network such that the appropriate amount of detail for a given task is provided. Accordingly, users are provided business context for completing tasks more efficiently without being overwhelmed by unneeded business details and without lacking all the relevant business details.

Claims

1. At a computer system, a method for generating a map of a business:

model, the method comprising;

an act of accessing a structured business model of a business architecture, the structured business model including business attributes and business attribute relationships that are formatted in accordance with data formats defined in a structured data model;

an act of generating a renderable attribute object for each business attribute;

an act of generating a renderable relationship object for each business attribute relationship;

an act of visually rendering the attribute objects and the relationship objects as a navigable business architecture map that reflects the configuration of the business architecture.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing a structured business model of a business architecture comprises an act of a accessing a structured business model corresponding to a specific business layer.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the act of accessing a structured business model corresponding to a specific business layer comprises an act of accessing a structured business model corresponding to a specific business layer selected from among a business capability layer, a service network layer, a business process flow layer, a business organizational layer, and a geographical layer.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of generating a renderable attribute object for each business attribute comprises an act of utilizing a mapping schema to transform business attributes into renderable attribute objects.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of generating a renderable relationship object for each business attribute relationship comprises an act of utilizing a mapping schema to transform business attribute relationships into renderable relationship objects.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of visually rendering the attribute objects and the relationship objects as a navigable business architecture map comprises an act of presenting the navigable business architecture map at a user-interface.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of accessing a second structured business model of the business architecture, the second structured business model including second business attributes and second business attribute relationships;

an act of generating a second renderable attribute object for each second business attribute;

an act of generating a second renderable relationship object for each second business attribute relationship;

an act of visually rendering the second graphical attribute objects and the second graphical relationship objects such that the second graphical attribute objects and the second graphical relationship objects are overlaid on the navigable business architecture map.

8. At a computer system, a method for navigating a map of a business model, the method comprising:

an act of visually rendering a portion of a navigable business architecture map, the portion of the navigable business architecture map including visually rendered graphical attribute objects and visually rendered graphical relationship objects arranged to reflect the configuration of a corresponding portion of a business architecture;

an act of selecting a first of the graphical objects as the point of focus within the portion of the navigable business architecture map such that the remaining unselected graphical objects provide context to the functionality of a business attribute or a business attribute relationship represented by the selected graphical object;

an act of navigating to a second graphical object within the navigable business architecture map;

an act of selecting the second graphical object as the point of focus; and

an act of visually rendering second unselected graphical attribute objects and second unselected graphical relationship objects around the selected second graphical object to provide context to the functionality of a second business attribute or a second business attribute relationship represented by the selected second graphical object, the visually rendered second unselected graphical attribute objects and visually rendered second unselected graphical relationship objects arranged to reflect the configuration of a corresponding second portion of the business architecture.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of visually rendering a portion of a navigable business architecture map comprises an act of rendering a portion of a navigable business architecture map that represents business components from a plurality of different business layers.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of navigating to a second graphical object within the navigable business architecture map comprises an act of navigating to a second graphical object that is in the same business layer as the first graphical object.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the act of navigating to a second graphical object within the navigable business architecture map comprises an act of navigating to a second graphical object that is different business layer than the first graphical object.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an act of reducing the level of detail associated with the business layer corresponding to the first graphical object in response to navigating to the different business layer.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an act of increasing the level of detail associated with the different business layer in response to navigating to the different business layer.

14. At a computer system, a method altering the level of detail in a map of a business model, the method comprising:

an act of receiving an indication that a business architecture map having an initial level of detail is to be rendered;

an act of visually rendering graphical attribute objects and graphical attribute relationship objects as a navigable business architecture map having the initial level of detail, the navigable business architecture map reflecting the configuration of a corresponding business architecture at the initial level of detail, the graphical attribute objects and graphical relationship objects representing structured business attributes and structured business attribute relationships respectively of the business architecture;

an act of receiving an indication that the initial level of detail is to be changed to an updated level of detail; and

an act of visually rendering at least part of graphical attribute objects and graphical attribute relationship objects as at least a portion of the navigable business architecture map having the updated level of detail, the at least a portion of the navigable business architecture map reflecting the configuration of a portion of the corresponding business architecture at the updated level of detail.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving an indication that a business architecture map having an initial level of detail is to be rendered comprises an act of receiving an indication that at least two different graphical objects representing different business attributes and business attribute relationships are to be initially rendering with different levels of detail

16. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of visually rendering graphical attribute objects and graphical attribute relationship objects as a navigable business architecture map having the initial level of detail comprises an act of visually rendering a plurality of different business layers.

17. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the initial level of detail is to be changed to an updated level of detail comprises an act of zooming in on at least one graphical object such that the graphical object is rendered with increased detail.

18. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the initial level of detail is to be changed to an updated level of detail comprises an act of zooming out on at least one graphical object such that the graphical object is rendered with decreased detail.

19. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the initial level of detail is to be changed to an updated level of detail comprises an act of receiving an indication that the level of detail for a specified business layer is to be increased.

20. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the act of visually rendering at least part of graphical attribute objects and graphical attribute relationship objects comprises an act of rendering a configured amount of context for a specified business component at a user-interface.