PROCESS DRIVEN BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

• US 20120095956A1
• Filed: 10/27/2010
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Business Objects Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: XIONG, Wuzhen, HU, Mingjian, CHEN, Xu, HUANG, MingZhe, SHI, Jianzhuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Described herein is a technology for facilitating process driven business intelligence. In one implementation, context data generated by a business process tool is received. One or more relevant application programming interfaces (APIs) are identified by matching the APIs with the current attribute associated with the context data. The APIs are executable by a processor to retrieve source data from an information source and provide business intelligence based on the source data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving context data generated by a business process tool, wherein the context data is associated with at least one current attribute; and

identifying any relevant application programming interface (API) by matching the API with the current attribute, wherein the API is executable by a processor to retrieve source data from an information source and provide business intelligence based on the source data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the business process tool comprises an enterprise resource planning tool.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the API is executable by the processor to provide business intelligence by generating a report based on the source data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the API is executable by the processor to provide business intelligence by analyzing the source data and presenting results of the analysis to a user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the API is executable by the processor to retrieve the source data from a plurality of information sources.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the context data comprises a business object, a user profile, system information, company profile, user history, application data, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the information source comprises a website.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying any relevant API comprises identifying any API with one or more parameter names that match a name associated with the current attribute.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying any relevant API comprises identifying any API with one or more parameter names that match an alias of a name associated with the current attribute.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying any relevant API comprises identifying any API with one or more parameter names that match a semantic value associated with the current attribute.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying any relevant API comprises identifying a plurality of relevant APIs.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprises:

presenting, to a user, a suggestion list of the relevant APIs;

receiving a selection from the user at least one of the relevant APIs; and

invoking the at least one of the relevant APIs to provide business intelligence.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprises:

computing match scores for the relevant APIs; and

ranking the relevant APIs on the suggestion list according to the match scores.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the computing the match scores comprises computing the match scores according to a system-defined ranking rule.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the computing the match scores according to the system-defined ranking rule comprises determining the match scores based on specificity of match.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the computing the match scores comprises computing the match scores according to a user-defined ranking rule.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the computing the match scores comprises computing the match scores according to historical statistics.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprises:

extracting one or more context values from the context data; and

executing the relevant API using the one or more context values as input parameters of the API.

19. A computer readable medium embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform steps for providing business intelligence, the steps comprising:

receiving context data generated by a business process tool, wherein the context data is associated with at least one current attribute; and

identifying any relevant application programming interface (API) by matching the API with the current attribute, wherein the API is executable by the machine to retrieve source data from an information source and provide business intelligence based on the source data.

20. A system comprising:

a memory device for storing computer readable program code; and

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor being operative with the computer readable program code to;

receive context data generated by a business process tool, wherein the context data is associated with at least one current attribute; and

identify any relevant application programming interface (API) by matching the API with the current attribute, wherein the API is executable by the processor to retrieve source data from an information source and provide business intelligence based on the source data.