Method, system, and product for performing sub-configuration of entities

• US 20100204970A1
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Published: 08/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Loomans, Jeffrey William, Laane, Lisa Ann
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Techniques to performing sub-configuration of components of an entity. In one method, the entity is configured via a parent model and each sub-configurable component is configured via one of a number of sub-models. Initially a selection to configure a particular sub-configurable component of the entity is received, and a sub-model for the selected component is identified. One or more values for one or more features of the selected component are received (e.g., from the parent model or via the sub-model) and form a configuration for the component, which is then validated based on the associated sub-model and the received values. Configuration of the entity is also validated based on the parent model and the validated configuration for the selected component. Feedbacks may be provided for each configuration of the parent model and sub-models. The data for the parent model and sub-models may be localized or globalized.

Claims

1. A computer program product for performing sub-configuration of components of an entity, comprising a computer-usable storage medium having embodied therein computer-readable program codes executable by a processor to:

configure a parent model, wherein

an entity is configured using a parent model, and

the parent model comprises a plurality of selectable features;

if the plurality of selectable features comprises more than one instance of a subset of the plurality of selectable features, extract the subset of the plurality of selectable features;

in response to the extracting, model the subset of the plurality of selectable features as a sub-model;

select a particular sub-configurable component among a plurality of sub-configurable components of the entity, wherein

the sub-configurable component is configured using the sub-model;

identify the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component, in response to the selection;

configure the selected sub-configurable component by selecting at least one value for at least one selectable feature among the subset of the plurality of selectable features from the sub-model;

validate the configuration of the selected sub-configurable component based on the sub-model and the one or more values for the selected sub-configurable component; and

output a result of the validation.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

providing one or more values from the sub-model to the parent after validating the configuration for the selected sub-configurable component.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

validating configuration of the entity based on the parent model and the validated configuration for the selected sub-configurable component.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

providing an indication of a result of the configuration for the selected sub-configurable component.

5. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

passing a first set of one or more values for a first set one or more features from the parent model to the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein one or more default values are passed from the parent model to the sub-model if the selected sub-configurable component has not been configured previously.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein one or more values from the parent model are passed to the sub-model if the selected sub-configurable component has been configured previously.

8. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer-usable medium is further embodied with computer-readable program codes for

passing a second set of one or more values for a second set of one or more features from the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component back to the parent model.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component is selected from among a plurality of possible sub-models for the component.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein one sub-model is instantiated for each sub-configurable component of the entity selected for configuration.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component includes

a first set of one or more feature tables, wherein each feature table is associated with a respective feature and includes a set of feature values representative of possible choices for the feature.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component includes a plurality of feature tables, and wherein feature values for two or more feature tables enumerate relationships between the two or more feature tables.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the parent model includes

a second set of one or more feature tables for the components of the entity.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the feature tables for the parent model and the feature tables for the sub-model are localized, and wherein the feature tables for the parent model are inaccessible to the sub-model except via parameter passing.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the feature tables for the parent model and the feature tables for the sub-model are globalized, and wherein the feature tables for the sub-model are accessible to the parent model.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein a particular feature of the parent model is not bounded to a corresponding feature of a sub-model until the parent model is executed to validate configuration of the entity.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the parent model and the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component arc displayed on one user interface.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the parent model and the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component are displayed on respective frames or on different pages on the user interface.

27. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein

the sub-model is independent of the parent model;

and

the sub-model comprises a subset of the plurality of the selectable features.

19. In a computer system, a method for performing sub-configuration of components of an entity, comprising:

configuring a parent model, wherein

an entity is configured using the parent model, and

the parent model comprises a plurality of selectable features;

if the plurality of selectable features comprises more than one instance of a subset of the plurality of selectable features, extracting the subset of the plurality of selectable features;

in response to the extracting, modeling the subset of the plurality of selectable features as a sub-model;

selecting a particular sub-configurable component among a plurality of sub-configurable components of the entity, wherein

the sub-configurable component is configured using the sub-model;

identifying the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component, in response to the selection;

configuring the selected sub-configurable component by selecting at least one value for at least one selectable feature among the subset of the plurality of selectable features from the sub-model;

validating the configuration of the selected sub-configurable component based on the sub-model and the one or more values for the component;

validating configuration of the entity based on the parent model and the validated configuration for the selected sub-configurable component; and

outputting a result of the validation of the selected sub-configurable component and the entity.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

providing feedback for each validating.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

configuring and validating each of a plurality of sub-configurable components, one sub-configurable component at a time.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

validating configuration of the entity after configuration and validation of each sub-configurable component.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

localizing data for the sub-model and the parent model.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

globalizing data for the sub-model and the parent model.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying the parent model and the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component on one user interface screen.

28. The computer system of claim 19, wherein

the sub-model is provided with sufficient information to configure and validate an option represented by the sub-model.

26. A computer program product for performing sub-configuration of components of an entity, the computer program product comprising a computer-usable storage medium having embodied therein computer-readable program codes that are executable by a processor and are configured to:

configure a parent model, wherein

an entity is configured using the parent model, and

the parent model comprises a plurality of selectable features;

if the plurality of selectable features comprises more than one instance of a subset of the plurality of selectable features, extract the subset of the plurality of selectable features;

in response to the extracting, model the subset of the plurality of selectable features as a sub-model;

select a particular sub-configurable component among a plurality of sub-configurable components of the entity, wherein

the sub-configurable component is configured using the sub-model;

identify the sub-model for the selected sub-configurable component, in response to the selection;

configure the selected sub-configurable component by selecting at least one value for at least one selectable feature among the subset of the plurality of selectable features from the sub-model;

validate the configuration of the selected sub-configurable component based on the sub-model and the one or more values for the component;

validate configuration of the entity based on the parent model and the validated configuration for the selected sub-configurable component; and

output a result of the validation of the selected sub-configurable component and the entity.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein

a first set of features among the plurality of selectable features consists of mapped features;

each of the mapped features corresponds to a respective feature in the parent model;

a second set of features among the plurality of selectable features consists of local features; and

each of the local features does not affect configuration in the parent model.