CASCADING DEFINITION AND SUPPORT OF EDI RULES

• US 20090138803A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Krishman, Gopal, Laxminarayan, Chaitanya, Francis, Sanjay
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,721 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/742
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems

Abstract

Electronic data interchange (EDI) documents are validated by creating an inventory of all rules, dynamically adjusting the inventory based upon entity specific rules derived from a plurality of companion guides, determining a profile containing pointers to select rules in the inventory for each companion guide and storing the profile for each companion guide in a storage. A runtime checker can then be used to check a received EDI document with a corresponding rule set, forward the EDI document if the EDI document matches its current rule set and return the EDI document if the EDI document does not match its current rule set. EDI rules may be enforced, for example, by determining entity-specific rules from corresponding companion guides, by expressing each rule in a neutral and machine readable format, by classifying the rules and/or by creating an inventory of rules and pointers to entity-specific rules.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer program product to validate a plurality of electronic data interchange (EDI) documents, where each EDI document is associated with at least one of a plurality of entities, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code configured to implement creation of an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities;

computer usable program code configured to facilitate dynamic adjustment of the inventory of all rules based upon entity specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities;

computer usable program code configured to facilitate determination of a profile for each of the plurality of entities where each profile indicates that entity'"'"'s companion guide rules and provides pointers to select rules in the inventory of all rules that are associated with the current rule set of that entity;

computer usable program code configured to store the profile for each companion guide in a storage;

computer usable program code configured to check received EDI documents for validation, each checked EDI document associated with a corresponding entity, comprising;

computer usable program code configured implement a runtime checker to check the storage for a current rule set based upon the profile for the corresponding entity, where the current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the corresponding entity;

computer usable program code configured to compare the received EDI document with the associated current rule set retrieved from storage;

computer usable program code configured to forward the received EDI document to an associated destination entity if the received EDI document matches the associated current rule set, wherein the received EDI document is validated; and

computer usable program code configured to return the received EDI document to the sender if the received EDI document does not match the associated current rule set, wherein the received EDI document is invalidated; and

computer usable program code configured to receive documents, each document associated with one of the plurality of entities, wherein the computer usable program code configured to check received EDI documents is utilized for validation of each received document.

22. The computer program product according to claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to classify the rules by determining for each rule;

whether the rule is common with at least one other rule, or

whether the rule is similar to at least one other rule, or

whether the rule is unique; and

computer usable program code configured to convey the results of classifying the rules having computer usable program code configured to store the set of rules in the storage according to the classification of each rule as common, similar, or unique, thus decreasing the amount of rules actually stored to facilitate rules checking.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to permit ones of the plurality of entities to access, to review and to modify the corresponding companion guide profile through a portal Web page.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to analyze the content of the companion guides and to build an organizer of companion guide rules where each companion guide is associated with one of the plurality of entities; and

computer usable program code configured to employ the organizer of companion guide rules to update companion guide rules to the inventory of rules.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer usable program code configured to analyze the content of the companion guides and to build an organizer of companion guide rules further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to utilize the organizer of companion guide rules to analyze companion guides for common and different rules and to create and update the entries in the inventory of rules based upon the determinations of common and different rules.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to employ an implementation guide for a set of standard rules for EDI documents to determine a set of common validation rules that are common to a plurality of entities; and

computer usable program code configured to add the set of common validation rules to the inventory of rules.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein computer usable program code configured to build an organizer of companion guide rules further comprises computer usable program code configured to create human-readable hierarchies of rules from companion guides.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to update the inventory of rules and the pointers in response to a change in the rules;

computer usable program code configured to create a new rule set when the entity'"'"'s profile is updated; and

computer usable program code configured to update the rules stored in the inventory of rules without having to update individual companion guide profiles, whose pointers remain accurate.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer usable program code configured to implement creation of an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities, further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to create the current rule set for each of the plurality of entities the first time a corresponding companion guide profile is accessed during validating the EDI document associated with that entity, wherein the current rule set is used subsequently each additional time that the corresponding companion guide profile is accessed.

30. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the computer usable program code configured to check received EDI documents for validation further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to check an entity identification code to determine whether the document matches the entity'"'"'s rule set.

31. A system to validate a plurality of electronic data interchange (EDI) documents, where each EDI document is associated with at least one of a plurality of entities, comprising:

a computer system having a processor, a memory, a storage device, a network interface and a bus for exchanging information therebetween, the memory storing computer usable program code executed by the processor to;

implement creation of an inventory of all rules, the inventory including a common set of rules for the plurality of entities;

facilitate dynamic adjustment of the inventory of all rules based upon entity specific rules where the entity specific rules are derived from a plurality of companion guides, each companion guide associated with one of the plurality of entities;

facilitate determination of a profile for each of the plurality of entities where each profile indicates that entity'"'"'s companion guide rules and provides pointers to select rules in the inventory of all rules that are associated with the current rule set of that entity, wherein each is stored by the storage device;

check received EDI documents for validation, each checked EDI document associated with a corresponding entity, comprising;

implement a runtime checker to check the storage device for a current rule set based upon the profile for the corresponding entity, where the current rule set comprises rules from the inventory of rules required by the companion guide associated with the corresponding entity;

compare the received EDI document with the associated current rule set retrieved from storage;

forward the received EDI document to an associated destination entity if the received EDI document matches the associated current rule set, wherein the received EDI document is validated; and

return the received EDI document to the sender if the received EDI document does not match the associated current rule set, wherein the received EDI document is invalidated; and

receive documents, each document associated with one of the plurality of entities, wherein the computer usable program code configured to check received EDI documents is utilized for validation of each received document.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

classify the rules by determining for each rule;

whether the rule is common with at least one other rule, or

whether the rule is similar to at least one other rule, or

whether the rule is unique; and

convey the results of classifying the rules having computer usable program code configured to store the set of rules in the storage according to the classification of each rule as common, similar, or unique, thus decreasing the amount of rules actually stored to facilitate rules checking.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

implement a portal Web page that permits ones of the plurality of entities to access, to review and to modify the corresponding companion guide profile.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

analyze the content of the companion guides and to build an organizer of companion guide rules where each companion guide is associated with one of the plurality of entities; and

employ the organizer of companion guide rules to update companion guide rules to the inventory of rules.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

utilize the organizer of companion guide rules to analyze companion guides for common and different rules and to create and update the entries in the inventory of rules based upon the determinations of common and different rules.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

employ an implementation guide for a set of standard rules for EDI documents to determine a set of common validation rules that are common to a plurality of entities; and

add the set of common validation rules to the inventory of rules.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

create human-readable hierarchies of rules from companion guides.

38. The system of claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

update the inventory of rules and the pointers in response to a change in the rules;

create a new rule set when the entity'"'"'s profile is updated; and

update the rules stored in the inventory of rules without having to update individual companion guide profiles, whose pointers remain accurate.

39. The system of claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

create the current rule set for each of the plurality of entities the first time a corresponding companion guide profile is accessed during validating the EDI document associated with that entity, wherein the current rule set is used subsequently each additional time that the corresponding companion guide profile is accessed.

40. The system of claim 31, wherein the memory further stores computer usable program code executed by the processor to:

check an entity identification code to determine whether the document matches the entity'"'"'s rule set.