Invoice data object for a common data object format

• US 20070265944A1
• Filed: 10/16/2003
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Roper, Joshua, Lan, Ying-Chieh, Catahan, Nardo, Liu, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,399 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide methods and data structures for the effective and efficient synchronization or inter-exchange of invoice information between business applications employing disparate DOFs. For one embodiment, a DOF is provided that allows for relationships between entities, also referred to as invoices, to be modeled as attributes of an entity and for customization of the DOF in a manner that facilitates upgrading of the DOF. For one embodiment, the invoice DOF is provided in a common software language such as XML. For one embodiment, invoice information from each of several business applications is translated to a common DOF. The invoice information, in the common DOF, is then inter-exchanged among the several business applications. Each application has only to translate the invoice information from the common DOF to the application-specific DOF of the respective business application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving invoice information in an application-specific data object format from each of a plurality of applications; and

translating the invoice information into a common invoice data object format.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inter-exchanging invoice information in the common invoice data object format between two or more of the plurality of applications.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

translating invoice information in the common invoice data object to an application-specific data object format for use by a respective application.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the common invoice data object format uses an extensible markup language format.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the precedent operations of:

determining essential data elements of a common invoice data object format; and

creating a common invoice data object format including at least the essential data elements.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the essential data elements are determined based upon elements of a plurality of application-specific data object formats.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the essential data elements include an identification data element, a base data element, a pricing data element, a shipping data element, and a line item details data element.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the common invoice data object format includes at least one complex data element.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the common invoice data object format includes one or more related data elements selected from the group consisting of a related party data element, a related payment method data element, a related payment terms data element, and a related comments data element.

10. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, the data structure using an extensible markup language format, the data structure comprising:

an invoice identification data element;

an invoice base data element;

an invoice pricing data element;

an invoice shipping data element; and

an invoice line item details data element.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the data structure further comprises:

at least one complex data element.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the data structure further comprises:

one or more related data elements selected from the group consisting of a related party data element, a related payment method data element, a related payment terms data element, and a related comments data element.

13. A machine-readable medium that provides executable instructions, which, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving invoice information in an application-specific data object format from each of a plurality of applications; and

translating the invoice information into a common invoice data object format.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the method further comprises:

inter-exchanging invoice information in the common invoice data object format between two or more of the plurality of applications.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises:

translating invoice information in the common invoice data object to an application-specific data object format for use by a respective application.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the common invoice data object format uses an extensible markup language format.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises the precedent operations of:

determining essential data elements of a common invoice data object format; and

creating a common invoice data object format including at least the essential data elements.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the essential data elements are determined based upon elements of a plurality of application-specific data object formats.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 wherein the essential data elements include an identification data element, a base data element, a pricing data element, a shipping data element, and a line item details data element.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19 wherein the common invoice data object format includes at least one complex data element.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20 wherein the common invoice data object format includes one or more related data elements selected from the group consisting of a related party data element, a related payment method data element, a related payment terms data element, and a related comments data element.

22. A system comprising:

a plurality of processing systems, each processing system storing at least one application that processes invoice information, the invoice information having an application-specific data object format; and

an integration server, coupled via a network, to each of the plurality of processing systems, the integration server translating invoice information from an application specific data object format to a common invoice data object format.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein invoice information in the common invoice data object format is inter-exchanged between two or more processing systems.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the common invoice data object format uses an extensible markup language format.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the common invoice data object format includes a set of essential data elements, the set of essential data elements are determined based upon elements of a plurality of application-specific data object formats.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the set of essential data elements include an identification data element, a base data element, a pricing data element, a shipping data element, and a line item details data element.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the common invoice data object format includes at least one complex data element.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the common invoice data object format includes one or more related data elements selected from the group consisting of a related party data element, a related payment method data element, a related payment terms data element, and a related comments data element.