Method of creating a computer system

• US 4,841,441 A
• Filed: 08/01/1985
• Issued: 06/20/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adata Software Limited
• Original Assignee: Adata Software Limited
• Inventors: Roselli, Peter J. C., Nixon, Rodger J., Armstrong, David I., de la Bere, Imogen E., Lindley, Martin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meyer, Charles B.
• Application Number:
  US06/761,748
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 364/513, 364/401, 364/300, 364/900, 364/400
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/908 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/916 Electronic or computer, internal or network, circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/922 Computer program preparation

Abstract

An expert system uses internal rules for sound software development and in the end automatically produces a correct running system, without the need for the designer to work out the solution first or to enter any more than the facts (data types and procedure types) of the organization. To operate the user merely inputs data about the organization in response to prompts in the form of conversational language questions. The rest of the development of the software for that organization is actually done by the expert system itself.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a data model of an organizational structure and the operation thereof which comprises the stages of analysing data provided by the customer organization (analysis), designing application software (procedure design), writing programs which collectively enable control of the operating procedures of the organization (programming) and testing the individual programs characterized by performing the stage of analysis with a data processing machine, wherein the analysis stage comprises:

storing in memory of the machine a source series of questions which are presentable in conversational language concerning the entities in the organizational structure, the attributes of those entities, and the relationship between the entities; and

constructing a data model from the answers.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the stage of procedure design is conducted on a data processing machine without human intervention.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the stage of programming is conducted on a data processing machine.

4. A method a claimed in claim 1 including storing in the memory of the machine in coded form a first answer to a first question, comparing every subsequent answer with at least some of the previous answers and in the event of finding data common to two answers, presenting questions in conversational English which investigate the connections if any, between the two answers.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 including the step of presenting questions which offer to the user an opportunity to change an answer which is inconsistent with a previous answer or to add data establishing a link with a consistent answer already given.

6. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 5 including the further step of comparing each identifying attribute entered by the user with all previously entered identifying attributes and if correspondence is discovered questioning the user in order to re-define the attribute until the attribute is rendered unique.

7. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 6 including the further step of comparing each attribute entered by the user with all previously entered attributes and upon finding a word in common, questioning the user whether the two attributes are relatable.

8. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 7 including the further steps of determining the nature of the attribute by asking;

1. Can there be more than one attribute for each entity?

2. Can the attribute have a limited set of values?

3. Can the attribute have an attribute of its own?

and in response to the answers provided by the user either entering the attribute in a table in the memory containing spaces for the reception of subsequent qualifying information or presenting further questions to determine the precise nature of the attribute.

9. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 1 including the further step of comparing each identifying attribute entered by the user with all previously entered identifying attributes and if correspondence is discovered, questioning the user in order to re-define the attribute until the attribute is rendered unique.

10. A method a constructing a data model as claimed in claim 1 including the further step of comparing each attribute entered by the user with all previously entered attributes and upon finding a word in common, questioning the user whether the two attributes are relatable.

11. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 1 including the further steps of determining the nature of the attribute by asking;

1. Can there be more than one attribute for each entity?

2. Can the attribute have a limited set of values?

3. Can the attribute have an attribute of its own?

and in response to the answers provided by the user either entering the attribute in a table in the memory containing spaces for the reception of subsequent qualifying information or presenting further questions to determine the precise nature of the attribute.

13. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 1, wherein the analysis stage comprises investigating whether a new attribute is a repeating group, whether treatment of it as a repeating group is optimum to the design of the model, if so presenting questions to elicit the relationship between the repeating group and its parent entity, if not, reverting to a simple attribute definition.

14. A method of constructing a data model as claimed in claim 1, in which upon a modification or deletion in the data model outdated said data and procedures are correspondingly and automatically modified or deleted.

12. A method of constructing a procedure of an organizational structure and the operation thereof comprising:

performing the stages of analysis and procedure design for a data model with a data processing machine including rendering information automatically includable in the procedure design stage of a computer system generator, and storing information obtained from the analysis and design stages in the memory of a data processing machine.

15. A method of constructing a data model of an organizational structure for a user, utilising a digital or analogue computer system comprising:

(a) storing in a main memory of a computer system a source series of questions which are presentable in conversational language concerning the entities represented in the organizational structure and operation thereof, the attributes of those entities, the relationship between those entities,

(b) storing in the memory in coded form a series of answers in conversational language which are provided by the user to the series of questions which answers in coded form constitute data for the model,

(c) comparing the coded form of answers with coded data in the main memory,

(d) analysing the comparisons and compiling a data model for the user from the comparisons in the data.

16. A method of claimed in claim 15 wherein certain entities receive a code which identifies them as left justified entities so that upon display they will be justified to the left hand side of a display screen.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein certain entities receive a code which identifies them as right justified entities so that upon display they will be justified to the right hand side of a display screen.

18. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein each entity is accorded a code indicating whether it is to be displayed on a display screen as a column or as a row.

19. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein those of the questions concerning entities are constructed to elicit nouns as answers whereafter the noun is accorded a code.

20. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein those of the questions concerning relationships are constructed to elicit verbs as answers whereafter the verb is accorded a code.

21. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein a code corresponding to a user'"'"'s answer is allocated in one direction and in the opposite direction to describe the relationship between two entities as one of the following:

One;

One

Many;

One

One;

Many

Many;

Many

22. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein a comparison is made between codes stored in the memory concerning the entities and their attributes with codes stored in the memory concerning the relationships and if necessary supplementary questions are asked about any of the following:

(a) creation of entities;

(b) deletion of entities;

(c) modification of the definition of entities;

(d) display of entities;

or

(e) listing of entities.

23. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein for a model of a procedure in the organization, the entities concerned in that procedure are identified by reference to codes stored in the memory, the relationships between these entities are compared with standard types of relationship stored in the memory and a suitable procedure is displayed for the user'"'"'s inspection of choice.

24. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein when a relationship between two entities has been expressed and a subsequent relationship between the same two entities is expressed by subsequent question and answer, a comparison is made between the two relationships in order to test their conformity and in the event that disconfirmity is noted a check procedure concerning the truth of at least one of the relationships is initiated.

25. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the attributes are classified as:

1. numeric

2. numeric code

3. monetary values

4. alphabetic

5. alphanumeric

6. date

7. time

8. specific values

26. A method of constructing a procedure model for a user, utilising a digital or analogue computer system comprising:

(a) storing in a main memory of a computer system a source series of questions which are presentable in conversational language concerning the entities represented in the organisational structure and operation thereof, the attributes of those entities, the relationship between those entities,

(b) storing in the memory in coded form a series of answers in conversational language which are provided by the user to the series of questions which answers in coded form constitute data for the model,

(c) comparing the coded form of answers with coded data in the main memory,

(d) analyzing the comparisons and compiling a procedure model for the user from the comparisons in the data.