Context-specific modeling of collaborative business process

• US 20090112655A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pentcheva, Dotchka, Stuhec, Gunther
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Among other disclosure, a computer-implemented method for context-specific modeling of a collaborative business process includes receiving an identification of a collaborative business process to involve a communication between at least two entities. The identification is submitted by an entity seeking to model the collaborative business process for a specific context associated with the entity. The method includes selecting, in a repository and using the specific context, at least one modeling artifact that has been defined for use in the identified collaborative business process. The repository includes a plurality of stored modeling artifacts for at least one collaborative business process, each of the stored modeling artifacts associated with at least one context value. The method includes providing the selected modeling artifact to the entity in response to the received identification.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for context-specific modeling of a collaborative business process, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of a collaborative business process to involve a communication between at least two entities, the identification submitted by an entity seeking to model the collaborative business process for a specific context associated with the entity;

selecting, in a repository and using the specific context, at least one modeling artifact that has been defined for use in the identified collaborative business process, the repository including a plurality of stored modeling artifacts for at least one collaborative business process, each of the stored modeling artifacts associated with at least one context value; and

providing the selected modeling artifact to the entity in response to the received identification.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identified collaborative business process includes multiple modeling artifacts stored in the repository, wherein any of the multiple modeling artifacts associated with the specific context are selected and provided to the entity in the response.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the identified collaborative business process is defined in the repository to involve multiple communications between the at least two entities, and wherein each of the multiple modeling artifacts is defined to be included in at least one of the multiple communications.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the entity modifies the provided modeling artifact, further comprising updating the repository based on the modified modeling artifact.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein updating the repository comprises determining whether the modified modeling artifact already is stored in the repository.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the determination indicates that the modified modeling artifact is already stored in the repository and is associated with another specific context, and wherein updating the repository comprises associating the already stored modified modeling artifact also with the specific context.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising thereafter receiving another identification of the collaborative business process to provide any modeling artifact thereof associated with the specific contest, and providing at least the modified modeling artifact in response to the other identification.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the determination indicates that the modified modeling artifact is not already stored in the repository, further comprising storing the modified modeling artifact in the repository.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the modeling artifact includes at least one data element configured for use in assigning an information category to a value in the communication.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the modeling artifact conforms to a standardized protocol for defining semantics of contents in electronic communications.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the specific context is provided by the entity in connection with submitting the identification.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the specific context is not explicitly provided with the identification, further comprising determining the specific context based on at least an identity of the entity.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the identification includes a natural language phrase.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising analyzing the natural language phrase to identify the collaborative business process.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein each of the modeling artifacts in the repository has been provided with at least one name according to a naming convention, and wherein at least one of the names is used in analyzing the natural language phrase.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising providing the repository with the plurality of stored modeling artifacts before the at least one modeling artifact is selected in the repository, the plurality of stored modeling artifacts being stored as a free tree that has a plurality of nodes associated with at least one context value each, wherein the free tree has no root node.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein selecting the at least one modeling artifact in the repository includes:

selecting, as a root node, one of the plurality of nodes whose at least one context value matches the specific context; and

deriving a context-specific root tree from the free tree based on the selected root node, wherein nodes of the context-specific root tree have respective context values that are subsets of the at least one context value of the selected root node.

18. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for context-specific modeling of a collaborative business process, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of a collaborative business process to involve a communication between at least two entities, the identification submitted by an entity seeking to model the collaborative business process for a specific context associated with the entity;

selecting, in a repository and using the specific context, at least one modeling artifact that has been defined for use in the identified collaborative business process, the repository including a plurality of stored modeling artifacts for at least one collaborative business process, each of the stored modeling artifacts associated with at least one context value; and

providing the selected modeling artifact to the entity in response to the received identification.

19. A repository tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, the repository comprising:

a definition of a collaborative business process to involve at least one communication between at least two entities; and

definitions of a plurality of modeling artifacts for use in the collaborative business process, each of the modeling artifacts associated with at least one context value;

wherein the repository is configured so that any of the modeling artifacts associated with a specific context are selected and provided to an entity for modeling the collaborative business process, the specific context associated with the entity.

20. The repository of claim 19, wherein the collaborative business process is defined to involve multiple communications between the at least two entities, and wherein each of the plurality of modeling artifacts is defined to be included in at least one of the multiple communications.

21. The repository of claim 19, wherein the entity modifies at least one modeling artifact provided from the repository, and wherein an approach of updating the repository is chosen based on whether the modified modeling artifact already is stored in the repository.

22. The repository of claim 19, wherein each of the modeling artifacts has been provided with at least one name according to a naming convention, and wherein the entity identifies the collaborative business process to the repository using a natural language phrase which is analyzed using at least one of the names to identify the collaborative business process.

23. The repository of claim 19, wherein the modeling of the collaborative business process is done using a plurality of views, each of the views being accessible using at least one of a plurality of roles.

24. The repository of claim 23, wherein the plurality of views includes at least a business domain view, a business requirements view, a business transaction view, a business information view, and a business expert view.

25. The repository of claim 23, wherein the plurality of roles includes at least a business expert role, a business modeler role and a technical expert role.

26. The repository of claim 19, wherein the plurality of stored modeling artifacts is stored as a free tree that has a plurality of nodes associated with at least one context value each, wherein the free tree has no root node.