IDENTIFYING SCREEN FLOWS TO SUPPORT MULTIPLE ENTITIES AND THEIR DIVERSE RULES WITH A SINGLE APPLICATION INSTANCE

• US 20100121830A1
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Published: 05/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Godoy, Glenn C., Jhingan, Nitin, Snavely, Amy Jeanne, Berry, Charles Franklin
• Granted Patent: US 8,051,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/703
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method and a system for identifying screen flows. An instance of an application utilized by a first entity locates a first key in a first table to identify a first procedure. The same instance of the application utilized by a second entity locates a second key in the first table to identify a second procedure. Using the first procedure, a method and a parameter set based on rules of the first entity are located in a second table. Using the second procedure, the method and a parameter set based on rules of the second entity are located in the second table. The method is executed with each of the parameter sets to identify a first screen flow for the first entity and a second screen flow for the second entity. The first screen flow includes data elements that are different from data elements included in the second screen flow.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of identifying a screen flow, said method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of data elements from a first document provided by a first entity utilizing a calling application being executed by a first computing system, wherein said first entity specifies a first set of rules, and wherein said receiving said first plurality of data elements is performed by a callee application being executed by a second computing system;

receiving, by said callee application, a second plurality of data elements from a second document provided by a second entity utilizing said calling application, wherein said second entity specifies a second set of rules;

subsequent to said receiving said first plurality of data elements, locating a first entity key in a first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said first entity key is an identification of a first procedure for identifying a first screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said first entity key with said first procedure, and wherein said first entity key includes a first set of one or more key data elements included in said first plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said receiving said second plurality of data elements, locating a second entity key in said first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said second entity key is an identification of a second procedure for identifying a second screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said second entity key with said second procedure, and wherein said second entity key includes a second set of one or more key data elements included in said second plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said locating said first entity key, locating a filter and a first set of parameters in a second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said first set of parameters with said first procedure, and wherein said first set of parameters is based on said first set of rules;

subsequent to said locating said second entity key, locating said filter and a second set of parameters in said second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said second set of parameters with said second procedure, and wherein said second set of parameters is based on said second set of rules;

identifying a first screen flow by executing said filter with said first set of parameters;

identifying a second screen flow by executing said filter with said second set of parameters;

displaying said first screen flow on a first display device, wherein said first screen flow includes one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements based said first set of rules; and

displaying said second screen flow on a second display device, wherein said second screen flow includes one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements based on said second set of rules, wherein said identifying said first screen flow and said identifying said second screen flow are performed by a single instance of said callee application being executed by said second computing system, and wherein said one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements are different from said one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying said first screen flow includes displaying a first ordered sequence of screens of a predefined plurality of screens, wherein said displaying said second screen flow includes displaying a second ordered sequence of screens of said predefined plurality of screens, and wherein said first ordered sequence of screens is different from said second ordered sequence of screens.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said locating said first entity key includes extracting said first set of one or more key data elements from said first plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said first plurality of data elements from said first document, and wherein said locating said second entity key includes extracting said second set of one or more key data elements from said second plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said second plurality of data elements from said second document.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said extracting said first set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a first identifier of a corporation (first corporation ID) and a first document type from said first plurality of data elements, wherein said first corporation ID is an identifier of said first entity that provides said first document, wherein said first document type identifies a type of said first document, wherein said extracting said second set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a second identifier of a corporation (second corporation ID) and a second document type from said second plurality of data elements, wherein said second corporation ID is an identifier of said second entity that provides said second document, and wherein said second document type identifies a type of said second document.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said type of said first document identifies a first purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart, and wherein said type of said second document identifies a second purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying said first screen flow includes identifying a first ordered sequence of web pages based on said first set of parameters, wherein said displaying said first screen flow includes displaying said first ordered sequence of web pages on said first display device, wherein said identifying said second screen flow includes identifying a second ordered sequence of web pages based on said second set of parameters, and wherein said displaying said second screen flow includes displaying said second ordered sequence of web pages on said second display device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating said first ordered sequence of web pages by extracting a first plurality of names of screens from said first set of parameters; and

generating said second ordered sequence of web pages by extracting a second plurality of names of screens from said second set of parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said locating said first entity key includes retrieving said first procedure from said first database table based on said first procedure being associated with said first entity key in said first database table, wherein said locating said second entity key includes retrieving said second procedure from said first database table based on said second procedure being associated with said second entity key in said first database table.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a step of said first procedure based on said step of said first procedure being associated with said first procedure in a third database table; and

obtaining a step of said second procedure based on said step of said second procedure being associated with said second procedure in said third database table.

10. A computing system comprising a processor coupled to a computer-readable memory unit, said memory unit comprising a software application, said software application comprising instructions that when executed by said processor implement the method of claim 1.

11. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program code stored therein, said computer-readable program code containing instructions configured to be executed by a processor of a second computing system to implement a method of identifying a screen flow, said method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of data elements from a first document provided by a first entity utilizing a calling application being executed by a first computing system, wherein said first entity specifies a first set of rules, and wherein said receiving said first plurality of data elements is performed by a callee application being executed by said second computing system;

receiving, by said callee application, a second plurality of data elements from a second document provided by a second entity utilizing said calling application, wherein said second entity specifies a second set of rules;

subsequent to said receiving said first plurality of data elements, locating a first entity key in a first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said first entity key is an identification of a first procedure for identifying a first screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said first entity key with said first procedure, and wherein said first entity key includes a first set of one or more key data elements included in said first plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said receiving said second plurality of data elements, locating a second entity key in said first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said second entity key is an identification of a second procedure for identifying a second screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said second entity key with said second procedure, and wherein said second entity key includes a second set of one or more key data elements included in said second plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said locating said first entity key, locating a filter and a first set of parameters in a second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said first set of parameters with said first procedure, and wherein said first set of parameters is based on said first set of rules;

subsequent to said locating said second entity key, locating said filter and a second set of parameters in said second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said second set of parameters with said second procedure, and wherein said second set of parameters is based on said second set of rules;

identifying a first screen flow by executing said filter with said first set of parameters;

identifying a second screen flow by executing said filter with said second set of parameters;

displaying said first screen flow on a first display device, wherein said first screen flow includes one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements based said first set of rules; and

displaying said second screen flow on a second display device, wherein said second screen flow includes one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements based on said second set of rules, wherein said identifying said first screen flow and said identifying said second screen flow are performed by a single instance of said callee application being executed by said second computing system, and wherein said one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements are different from said one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements.

12. The program product of claim 11, wherein said displaying said first screen flow includes displaying a first ordered sequence of screens of a predefined plurality of screens, wherein said displaying said second screen flow includes displaying a second ordered sequence of screens of said predefined plurality of screens, and wherein said first ordered sequence of screens is different from said second ordered sequence of screens.

13. The program product of claim 11, wherein said locating said first entity key includes extracting said first set of one or more key data elements from said first plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said first plurality of data elements from said first document, and wherein said locating said second entity key includes extracting said second set of one or more key data elements from said second plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said second plurality of data elements from said second document.

14. The program product of claim 13, wherein said extracting said first set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a first identifier of a corporation (first corporation ID) and a first document type from said first plurality of data elements, wherein said first corporation ID is an identifier of said first entity that provides said first document, wherein said first document type identifies a type of said first document, wherein said extracting said second set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a second identifier of a corporation (second corporation ID) and a second document type from said second plurality of data elements, wherein said second corporation ID is an identifier of said second entity that provides said second document, and wherein said second document type identifies a type of said second document.

15. The program product of claim 14, wherein said type of said first document identifies a first purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart, and wherein said type of said second document identifies a second purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart.

16. A process for supporting computing infrastructure, said process comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable code in a second computing system, wherein the code in combination with the second computing system is capable of performing a method of identifying a screen flow, said method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of data elements from a first document provided by a first entity utilizing a calling application being executed by a first computing system, wherein said first entity specifies a first set of rules, and wherein said receiving said first plurality of data elements is performed by a callee application being executed by said second computing system;

receiving, by said callee application, a second plurality of data elements from a second document provided by a second entity utilizing said calling application, wherein said second entity specifies a second set of rules;

subsequent to said receiving said first plurality of data elements, locating a first entity key in a first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said first entity key is an identification of a first procedure for identifying a first screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said first entity key with said first procedure, and wherein said first entity key includes a first set of one or more key data elements included in said first plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said receiving said second plurality of data elements, locating a second entity key in said first database table by said callee application, wherein a result of said locating said second entity key is an identification of a second procedure for identifying a second screen flow, wherein said first database table associates said second entity key with said second procedure, and wherein said second entity key includes a second set of one or more key data elements included in said second plurality of data elements;

subsequent to said locating said first entity key, locating a filter and a first set of parameters in a second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said first set of parameters with said first procedure, and wherein said first set of parameters is based on said first set of rules;

subsequent to said locating said second entity key, locating said filter and a second set of parameters in said second database table by said callee application, wherein said second database table associates said filter and said second set of parameters with said second procedure, and wherein said second set of parameters is based on said second set of rules;

identifying a first screen flow by executing said filter with said first set of parameters;

identifying a second screen flow by executing said filter with said second set of parameters;

displaying said first screen flow on a first display device, wherein said first screen flow includes one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements based said first set of rules; and

displaying said second screen flow on a second display device, wherein said second screen flow includes one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements based on said second set of rules, wherein said identifying said first screen flow and said identifying said second screen flow are performed by a single instance of said callee application being executed by said second computing system, and wherein said one or more data elements of said first plurality of data elements are different from said one or more data elements of said second plurality of data elements.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein said displaying said first screen flow includes displaying a first ordered sequence of screens of a predefined plurality of screens, wherein said displaying said second screen flow includes displaying a second ordered sequence of screens of said predefined plurality of screens, and wherein said first ordered sequence of screens is different from said second ordered sequence of screens.

18. The process of claim 16, wherein said locating said first entity key includes extracting said first set of one or more key data elements from said first plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said first plurality of data elements from said first document, and wherein said locating said second entity key includes extracting said second set of one or more key data elements from said second plurality of data elements in response to said receiving said second plurality of data elements from said second document.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein said extracting said first set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a first identifier of a corporation (first corporation ID) and a first document type from said first plurality of data elements, wherein said first corporation ID is an identifier of said first entity that provides said first document, wherein said first document type identifies a type of said first document, wherein said extracting said second set of one or more key data elements includes extracting a second identifier of a corporation (second corporation ID) and a second document type from said second plurality of data elements, wherein said second corporation ID is an identifier of said second entity that provides said second document, and wherein said second document type identifies a type of said second document.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein said type of said first document identifies a first purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart, and wherein said type of said second document identifies a second purchasing document selected from the group consisting of a payment request and a requisition from an online shopping cart.