SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONNECTING EXTERNAL PRODUCT CATALOG DATA TO BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

• US 20080071642A1
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: LEIBA, Lior
• Application Number:
  US11/532,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071642A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

A system and method for integrating external product catalog data. Employs a protocol that allows for external product catalog data to be integrated into server applications using HTTP via a browser. For example, when a user decides to purchase a product from an external product catalog, the system invokes an external catalog specified by a server and passes selected products from the external catalog to the server via the browser. The external catalog is completely independent from the server and is maintained by a third party. Allows for integration through a configuration phase that includes specifying mappings of the data attributes in external catalog to standardized mappings. This process does not require programming, for example coding software to use a database application programming interface to directly access data in an external catalog. Rather, the access to the catalog data is provided by a web-service interface to the product catalog.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising computer readable instruction code executing in a tangible memory medium of a computer for connecting external product catalog data to business applications wherein said computer readable instruction code configured to:

obtain at least one external catalog web-service URL from a server;

open said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

display a search screen in a viewer in a browser;

obtain at least one product selection from at least one external catalog; and

,

send said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

2. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

interact with at least one external catalog provider to fulfill at least one purchase.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

send an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL from said viewer.

4. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

send data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

send an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL from said viewer; and

,

send data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

communicate over HTTP to obtain said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

communicate over HTTP to open said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

communicate over HTTP to send said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein said computer readable instruction code is further configured to:

display a standardized attribute name in said browser;

display a list of external catalog attribute names in said browser;

obtain a selection of an external catalog attribute name selected from said list of external catalog attributes names that corresponds to said standardized attribute name; and

,

determine whether map more standardized attributes.

8. A system for connecting external product catalog data to business applications comprising:

a browser;

a viewer displayed in said browser;

at least one external catalog;

at least one external catalog web-service associated with said at least one external catalog wherein each of said at least one external catalog web-service has an associated at least one external catalog web-service URL;

a server;

said viewer configured to;

obtain said at least one external catalog web-service URL from said server;

open said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

display a search screen in said viewer in said browser;

obtain at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog; and

,

send said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said server is configured to interact with at least one external catalog provider to fulfill at least one purchase.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein said viewer is further configured to send an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said viewer is further configured to send data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said viewer is further configured to send an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL and send data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said viewer is further configured to communicate over HTTP to obtain said at least one external catalog web-service URL and communicate over HTTP to open said at least one external catalog web-service URL and to communicate over HTTP to send said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

14. A system for connecting external product catalog data to business applications comprising:

means for obtaining at least one external catalog web-service URL from a server;

means for opening said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

means for displaying a search screen in a viewer in a browser;

means for obtaining at least one product selection from at least one external catalog; and

,

means for sending said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for interacting with at least one external catalog provider to fulfill at least one purchase.

16. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for sending an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL from said viewer.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for sending data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

18. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for sending an additional function to said at least one external catalog web-service URL from said viewer; and

,

means for sending data obtained from an additional function execution at said at least one external catalog web-service URL to said server.

19. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for communicating over HTTP for said obtaining said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

means for communicating over HTTP for said opening said at least one external catalog web-service URL;

means for communicating over HTTP for said sending said at least one product selection from said at least one external catalog to said server.

20. The system of claim 14 further comprising:

means for displaying a standardized attribute name in said browser;

means for displaying a list of external catalog attribute names in said browser;

means for obtaining a selection of an external catalog attribute name selected from said list of external catalog attributes names that corresponds to said standardized attribute name; and

,

means for determining whether map more standardized attributes.