Method for utilizing audience-specific metadata

• US 20060271957A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Weinberg, Paul, Sullivan, Dave
• Granted Patent: US 7,689,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

One or more embodiments of the invention enable a user to create multiple non-redundant views using metadata targeted at a specific audience that comprises language, regional, regulatory and/or cultural specific values. The word “audience” for the purposes of this specification means a group of document consumers such as people or computers that are associated with a language, country, region, regulation or culture. Audience specific data therefore is data targeted at a specific audience and audience specific metadata is related to the descriptive information related to the data, such as a table name or a field name for example. At least one embodiment of the invention makes use of rule-based inheritance in providing metadata values via layers that comprise audience specific data.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method for utilizing audience-specific metadata comprising:

obtaining a first audience identifier, first audience information and first audience metadata from a user;

obtaining at least one audience order identifier associated with said first audience and inserting said at least one audience order identifier into an audience order table; and

,

adding a second metadata value associated with an object to a metadata table wherein said second metadata value is associated with a second audience and wherein said second metadata value differs from a first metadata value associated with said first audience in said metadata table corresponding to said object and said first audience identifier;

finding a metadata value for an object wherein said finding comprises;

accessing said metadata table with respect to said object and said at least one audience order identifier;

checking if said metadata value exists;

determining a next audience order identifier; and

,

returning said metadata value.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising said first metadata value wherein said first metadata value is displayed in a manner that depends on the level of inheritance associated with a first audience order identifier obtained from said audience order table.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

setting a stop flag level associated with said first audience in said audience order table.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

generating a document wherein said document displays at least one metadata value associated with said first audience unless said inheritance level of said at least one metadata value is lower than said stop flag level.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a document comprising at least one metadata value associated with said first audience wherein said at least one metadata value is displayed even if said inheritance level of said at least one metadata value is lower than said stop flag level.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating said adding said second data attribute until enough data exists to generate a document for said first audience.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding support for metadata corresponding to a new audience without altering a main data table.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

searching for metadata corresponding to a first audience using at least one audience layer.

9. In a computer system, a method for utilizing audience specific metadata comprising:

obtaining a current audience identifier wherein said current audience identifier is associated with metadata corresponding to a current audience;

obtaining a first audience order identifier for an initial position from an audience order table;

accessing a first field in a first table in a database corresponding to an audience specific metadata value;

obtaining a value or link from said first field in said first table;

accessing a second table in order to check for the existence of a first audience specific metadata value corresponding to said value or link and said first audience order identifier;

determining if said first audience specific metadata value exists;

returning said first audience specific metadata value if said first audience specific metadata value has been determined to exist via said determining step;

determining a next audience order identifier for a next position from said audience order table; and

,

repeating said accessing said second table, said determining if said first audience specific metadata value exists, and said returning said first audience specific metadata value if said first audience specific metadata value has been determined to exist until all audience order identifiers having said audience identifier have been accessed.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

generating a document comprising said first audience specific metadata value.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

displaying a user interface comprising said first audience specific metadata value wherein said first audience specific metadata value is displayed in a manner that depends on the level of inheritance associated with said first audience order identifier.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

adding support for metadata corresponding to a new audience without altering said first table wherein said first table comprises a main data table.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

accessing an audience table to determine if an audience is enabled.

14. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

setting said first audience order identifier for said initial position to a second audience identifier for utilizing another audience in its entirety when accessing said second table.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

said obtaining said audience identifier further comprising obtaining information from an environment variable on a computer associated with a user.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

said obtaining said audience identifier further comprising obtaining information from a browser session variable.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

searching for metadata corresponding to a first audience using at least one audience layer.

18. A system for utilizing audience-specific metadata comprising:

means for obtaining a first audience identifier, first audience information and first audience metadata from a user;

means for querying said user for at least one audience order identifier associated with said first audience and inserting said at least one audience order identifier into an audience order table; and

,

means for adding a second metadata value associated with an object to a metadata table wherein said second metadata value is associated with a second audience and wherein said second metadata value differs from a first metadata value associated with said first audience in said metadata table corresponding to said object and said first audience identifier.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

means for displaying a user interface comprising said first metadata value wherein said first metadata value is displayed in a manner that depends on the level of inheritance associated with a first audience order identifier obtained from said audience order table.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

means for generating a document wherein said document displays at least one metadata value associated with said first audience unless said inheritance level of said at least one metadata value is lower than a stop flag level.