USAGE DESCRIPTION LANGUAGE

• US 20150100905A1
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Latzina, Markus, Tiple, Abhay
• Granted Patent: US 10,521,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes incorporating a usage model in a business application hosted on a computing device. The usage model describes anticipated usages of the business application by a user and is specified using a formal machine readable language. The method includes providing an adapter configured to automatically translate the usage model in the business application to a UI profile consistent with a UI technology available on the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to run a business application which includes a usage model describing at least one anticipated usage of the business application by a user,

wherein the usage model is specified in a machine readable language and is stored at least partially in the memory.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the at least one anticipated usage of the business application by a user is represented by a transformational vector.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the usage model in the machine readable language excludes references to user interface (UI) components or elements of a computing platform on which the business application is hosted.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the usage model in the machine readable language is agnostic to a UI technology of a computing platform on which the business application is hosted.

5. The computer system of claim 4, further comprising an adapter configured to automatically translate or convert the usages described in the usage model in the business application into a UI instance that is specific to the UI technology of the computing platform on which the business application is hosted.

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the adapter is customized for the UI technology of the computing platform on which the business application is hosted.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein machine readable language includes language varieties which are tailored toward specific usage paradigms and/or usage contexts.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

incorporating a usage model in a business application hosted on a computing device, the usage model describing anticipated usages of the business application by a user; and

specifying the usage model in a machine readable language.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein specifying the usage model using a formal machine readable language includes defining usage formally in terms of a transformational vector.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein specifying the usage model using a formal machine readable language includes relating the anticipated usages to business objects and/or business process models underlying the business application.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein specifying the usage model using a formal machine readable language includes excluding UI notations from the usage model.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein incorporating the usage model in the business application includes incorporating a usage model that is agnostic to the user interface technology available on the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, providing an adapter configured to automatically translate the usage model in the business application to a UI profile consistent with a UI technology available on the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adapter is customized for the UI technology available on the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, using the adapter to generate a UI instance on a frontend of the business application, wherein the UI instance uses UI components or elements that are specifically supported by computing device on which the business application is hosted.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

instructions capable of being executed on a processor, which instructions when executed allow a computing device to;

create a UI instance on a frontend of a business application hosted on a computing device, the business application including a usage model which models anticipated usage of the business application by a user and the UI instance includes UI components or elements that are specifically supported by the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the usage model is specified in a machine-readable Usage Description Language (UDL).

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the usage model in the business application excludes references to specific UI elements or components.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the usage model in the business application is agnostic to a UI technology of the computing device on which the business application is hosted.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions when executed translate the usage model in the business application to a UI profile, which includes UI components that are specifically supported by the computing device on which the business application is hosted.