AUTOMATED CONSTRUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT OF COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING APPLICATIONS AND BUSINESS ACTIVITY MONITORING DASHBOARDS

• US 20080209078A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Software AG
• Original Assignee: Progress Software Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, John, Smith, Gareth, Bentley, Richard M., Mitchell, Robert Scott, Arsenault, James, Chan, Aston, Palfreyman, Kevin A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,276,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A system and method for constructing and deploying a business activity monitoring (BAM) dashboard associated with an event-based process are disclosed. A configuration module receives an event-based process identifier for an event-based process and data, such as inputs or outputs, for the event-based process. A generation module then generates a dashboard description that includes the identifier and an associated dashboard template having one or more dashboard components. This dashboard description is used by a dashboard server to automatically generate a BAM dashboard for monitoring the event-based process by using the association between the dashboard template and the event-based process to display data associated with the event-based process using one or more dashboard components.

Claims

1. A system for automatically generating a dashboard to display an event-based process, the system comprising:

a configuration module for receiving an identifier identifying the event-based process, the configuration module automatically generating a deployment package that identifies the event-based process and includes a template associating data of the event-based process with a dashboard component; and

a server for providing the dashboard for display of the event-based process, the server coupled to the configuration module to receive the deployment package and coupled to receive event-based process data, the server generating the dashboard using the deployment package and the event-based process data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifier further comprises one from the group of:

an input to the event-based process;

an output generated by the event-based process; and

additional information used internally by the event-based process.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the deployment package further comprises display characteristics for the event-based process data.

4. The system of claim 1 comprising a template storage module for storing a plurality of templates, the template storage module adapted to communicate with the configuration module.

5. The system of claim 1 comprising an event engine having a dashboard store for specifying the event-based process data from the event-based process that is output for presentation in the dashboard.

6. The system of claim 1 comprising an event engine and wherein the configuration module transmits the deployment package to the event engine.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the configuration module receives configuration data that is input using the dashboard, and transmits information to modify the event-based process and to modify the dashboard based on the configuration data.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the configuration module comprises a configurator adapted to receive an input, the input used by the configurator to modify the dashboard component or to modify a relationship between the event-based process and the template.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the server uses the template to generate a business activity monitoring dashboard.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the dashboard components include one from the group of:

data tables, graph displays, chart displays, graphical images, text boxes, labels and similar components for graphically displaying data.

11. An apparatus for automatically generating a dashboard to display an event-based process, the apparatus comprising:

an editing module receiving an identifier identifying the event-based process and data associated with the event-based process; and

a generation module, adapted to communicate with the editing module and adapted to receive a template having a dashboard component specifying what and how data is displayed in the dashboard, the generation module using the identifier to generate a relationship between the data associated with the event-based process and the template, the generation module outputting the relationship.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 comprising a template storage module, adapted to communicate with the generation module, the template storage module including a plurality of templates, each template having a dashboard component specifying what and how data is displayed in the dashboard.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the template comprises a business activity monitoring dashboard.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the editing module includes a dashboard configurator adapted to communicate with the generation module, the dashboard configurator receiving an input, the input modifying the dashboard component of the template or modifying the relationship between the event-based process and the dashboard component.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the input comprises a selection of a subset of the data associated with the event-based process and an association between the subset of the data associated with the event-based process and the dashboard component.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the generation module further generates a dashboard deployment package, the dashboard deployment package comprising the identifier, structured text data describing the template, and the relationship between the event-based process and the template.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus further comprises a deployment module adapted for communication with one from the group of the generation module, the editing module and the template storage module, the deployment module generating a dashboard deployment package and sending the dashboard deployment package to a event engine or a dashboard server for deployment.

18. A method for automatically generating a dashboard to display an event-based process comprising:

receiving an input identifying the event-based process;

identifying data associated with the event-based process;

selecting a template including a dashboard component;

generating a relationship between the data associated with the event-based process and the template; and

generating the dashboard to display the event-based process using the template and the relationship.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the dashboard to display the event-based process comprises a business activity monitoring dashboard.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein generating the relationship between the data associated with the event-based process and the template comprises:

receiving an input modifying a dashboard component included in the template or the relationship between the data associated with the event-based process and the template; and

generating a modified relationship between the data associated with the event-based process and the template.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein generating the dashboard to display the event-based process using the template and the relationship comprises generating a dashboard deployment package comprising an identifier associated with the event-based process, structured text data describing the template, and the relationship between the event-based process and the template.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising transmitting the dashboard deployment package to an event engine or to a dashboard server.