GENERATING ATTRIBUTE-SPECIFIC ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS

• US 20100169388A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: BECHMANN, FRANK
• Granted Patent: US 7,962,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/944 Business related

Abstract

Described are methods and systems for generating an attribute-specific document for a business scenario. Attributes necessary for generating the attribute-specific document are selected. Based upon the business scenario, a global document and corresponding metadata are determined. The global document includes generic information about the business scenario. Based upon the global document and corresponding metadata, sections associated with the business scenario are determined. Based upon the attributes selected, parameters are determined to overwrite the generic information in the global document. The sections and the parameters are compiled along with the global document, to create the attribute-specific document.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating an attribute-specific electronic document for a business scenario, the method comprising:

selecting one or more attributes for the business scenario;

based upon the business scenario, determining a global document, and corresponding metadata of the global document, the global document including generic information of the business scenario;

based upon the global document and corresponding metadata, determining one or more sections associated with the business scenario;

based upon the selected attributes, determining one or more parameters for overwriting the generic information in the global document; and

compiling the sections and the parameters along with the global document, to create the attribute-specific document.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sections are determined based upon the determined attributes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sections are determined by a user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more auxiliary sections based upon the attributes; and

determining one or more mandatory sections based upon the attributes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary sections and the mandatory sections are appended to the determined sections.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary sections and the mandatory sections are retrieved from a metadata file.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the auxiliary sections are determined based upon a dependency between the determined sections and the auxiliary sections.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a specific document is created based upon the business scenario, the attributes and the sections.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the specific document is stored as a template.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the global document exists in a hierarchical set of documents.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the parameters based upon a dependency that exists between one or more documents in the hierarchical set of documents and the global document.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the parameters based upon the selected sections.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling the identified sections and the determined parameters along with the global document further comprises:

aggregating and merging the determined sections associated with the business scenario; and

replacing values of the parameters present in the global document with values of parameters determined based upon the selected attributes.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein replacing values of the parameters further comprises:

based upon the selected attributes, determining one or more values associated with the parameters; and

overwriting values of the parameters present in the global documents with the determined values of the parameters.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata of the global document comprises the sections of the business scenario.

16. An article of manufacture, comprising machine readable instructions which when executed by a machine causes the machine to execute a method for generating an attribute-specific document for a business scenario, the method comprising:

selecting one or more attributes for the business scenario;

based upon the business scenario, determining a global document, and corresponding metadata of the global document, the global document including generic information of the business scenario;

based upon the global document and corresponding metadata, determining one or more sections associated with the business scenario;

based upon the selected attributes, determining one or more parameters for overwriting the generic information in the global document; and

compiling the sections and the parameters along with the global document, to create the attribute-specific document.

17. A system for generating an attribute-specific document for a business scenario comprising:

an attribute reader for reading an attribute selection performed on one or more attributes, for generating the attribute-specific document;

a metadata repository in communication with the attribute reader, for storing a global document, corresponding metadata of the global document, and one or more sections associated with the business scenario; and

a parameter repository in communication with the metadata repository and the attribute reader, for storing one or more parameters for overwriting generic information present in the global document.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a business scenario builder for determining one or more sections associated with the business scenario, and for determining one or more parameters for overwriting generic information present in the global document.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a metadata file for determining and storing one or more auxiliary sections and one or more mandatory sections, based upon the attributes.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the metadata file determines a specific document available for a given business scenario and a given attribute.