Business process extension for productivity suite application

• US 20060271933A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wodtke, Dirk, Vogler-Ivashchanka, Iryna, Moore, Dennis Brian, Kol, Nir, Samson, Frederick E., Agassi, Shai E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to provide extension to a groupware client to enable the groupware client to access a workflow of a business process from the context of the groupware client. An enterprise server that manages the workflow can interface with the groupware client to provide action on the workflow from within the context of the groupware client. The enterprise server passes the action to the enterprise backend to implement the action on the workflow. Thus, action on the workflow from the groupware client affects the workflow on the enterprise level. Status information about the workflow may be persisted in the groupware client to enable continued interaction with the workflow from within the groupware client.

Claims

1. A method for performing an action of a business process, comprising:

receiving, from a groupware client at an enterprise server that manages a workflow, an action on a task of the workflow, the action executed within the context of the groupware client;

implementing the action in enterprise backend services, in response to receiving the action from the groupware client, to affect the task of the workflow at an enterprise level of an enterprise with which the enterprise server is associated, the backend services accessible to the groupware client via the enterprise server; and

providing enterprise-level status information related to the workflow to the groupware client to enable the groupware client to provide a groupware-based user interface for one or more tasks of the workflow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action on the task at the enterprise server comprises:

receiving the action directly from the groupware client via web services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action on the task further comprises:

sending the task to the groupware client; and

receiving the action on the task in response to sending the task to the groupware client.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the task to the groupware client comprises:

sending a task related to the context of the groupware client to the groupware client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action on the task further comprises:

providing an application extension to the groupware client to enable the client to access one or more tasks of the workflow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the action on the task further comprises:

receiving an action on a workflow initiated at the groupware client through the application extension.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the application extension comprises:

providing a tool within the context of the groupware client to enable the groupware client to perform an action on the task of the workflow, the action to include one or more of monitoring, tracking, executing, completing, or initiating.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action executed within the context of the groupware client comprises:

receiving the action executed within the context of an office productivity software application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the action to affect the task comprises:

modifying an enterprise business object related to the task.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the status information to enable the groupware client to provide the interface to the one or more tasks comprises:

providing the status information to enable the groupware client to interface to a task unrelated to the context of the groupware client.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the enterprise-level status information to the groupware client comprises:

providing the status information via a web service accessible to the groupware client.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the enterprise-level status information to the groupware client comprises:

providing the status information to a groupware server with which the groupware client is associated, the groupware server to provide the status information to the groupware client.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the status information to the groupware server comprises:

providing the status information to the groupware server in response to the occurrence of an event affecting the workflow.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein providing the status information to the groupware server comprises:

providing the status information to a groupware server in response to a request for the status information by the groupware server.

15. An article of manufacture comprising a machine accessible medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a machine to perform operations including:

receiving an action on a task of an enterprise-level workflow from a groupware client, the action executed within the context of the groupware client;

implementing the action in enterprise backend services, in response to receiving the action from the groupware client, to affect the task of the workflow at an enterprise level of an enterprise to which the workflow belongs, the backend services accessible to the groupware client via an enterprise-access extension; and

providing enterprise-level status information related to the workflow to the groupware client to enable the groupware client to provide an interface for one or more tasks of the workflow.

16. The article of claim 15, wherein the content for receiving the action from the groupware client comprises:

content for receiving the action from an email client.

17. The article of claim 15, wherein the content for providing the enterprise-level status information comprises:

content for synchronizing information related to the workflow stored in an enterprise database with information related to the workflow that exists locally to the groupware client.

18. An apparatus comprising:

an interface server coupled to an enterprise server to receive, from within a work environment of a groupware application, a request for enterprise-level data related to a workflow, access a backend service of the enterprise server to fulfill the request, and persist status information related to the workflow in the groupware application;

a service mapper of the enterprise server to map the request to a service to enable the interface server to access the backend service; and

a data broker of the enterprise server to access enterprise data related to the workflow to persist in the groupware application.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the service mapper to map the request to a service comprises:

the service mapper to map the request to one or more of a local enterprise service, a remote enterprise service, or a Web service.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a repository local to the groupware application, coupled to the interface server, to receive status information from the interface server, and store information related to the workflow.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, the repository to store information related to the workflow comprising:

the repository to store modifications made to the workflow within the context of the groupware application during a period when the groupware application is offline, and further to provide the stored modifications to the interface server when the groupware application is brought online.