Knowledge provider with logical hyperlinks

• US 6,134,552 A
• Filed: 01/28/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Fritz, Franz-Joseph, Schroeder, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US09/014,538
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/100, 707/101, 707/1, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 707/200, 707/203, 707/501, 707/513, 707/514, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method is described for the efficient management and storage of documents in a multi-user environment by implementing a three-tiered content model for storage and a context resolution mechanism for retrieval. Source objects may logically reference target objects where the target objects dynamically exist in different versions. In particular, the content model contains three classes in a collection wherein each subsequent class inherits the properties of the previous class. The classes comprise logical objects, physical objects, and components. All physical objects that belong to the same logical object are context specific variants, such as different versions of each other. Physical objects in a collection can be related by different criteria, as well as by user-defined relations. The system provides for versioning of objects, such as variations based on content, format, language, etc., to create variants of objects in the same collection, however variance among physical objects which belong to one logical object is not limited to different versions. Such versioning is controlled through a check-in/-out mechanism to allow use in a multi-user environment. The context resolution mechanism is used to retrieve the most accurate version of an object pursuant to certain user-supplied criteria in response to a call from a client front-end application. The system is linked to various independent front-end editor/browser applications through application programming interfaces. The system also provides for references between various objects in the Knowledge Provider. A dynamic logical hyperlink mechanism is provided to maintain references from source to target objects while a different version of the target object is being created.

Claims

1. An information repository system for managing, storing and retrieving a computer data file comprising:

a content server for storing said file;

content model means for defining a three-tiered content model which comprises nested tiers including component classes, physical object classes, and relations classes, and wherein a logical object contains a reference to said file and describes said file in generic terms and with reference to at least one attribute, and further wherein said logical object contains a reference to at least one physical object associated with said logical object, and contains a reference to at least one component associated with said at least one physical object, and wherein relations from said relations classes are used to connect logical objects and physical objects with other logical objects or physical objects;

an administration data table which contains administration data associated with physical objects;

logical hyperlink means for resolving, in context-based indirect runtime resolution, the logical object, to a physical destination of the file associated with the at least one physical object associated with the logical object;

context resolution means, enabled by said logical hyperlink means, for context-based resolution of a particular physical object associated with the logical object on the basis of the context attributes of a request as determined by correlating requested context attributes against attributes of physical objects associated with the logical object and attributes of a front-end client application; and

a management agent for managing said logical objects and physical objects using said content model means in conformance with said administration data and for identifying and retrieving the physical object resolved via said logical hyperlink means and said context resolution means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a class of logical objects is defined with application-specific attributes.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said physical object classes are defined with application-specific attributes.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said component classes are defined with application-specific attributes.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said relations classes are application-specific and are defined with application-specific attributes.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one attribute is application-specific.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said context attributes utilize versioning based on changes in content.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said context attributes utilize versioning based on changes in language.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said context attributes utilize versioning based on changes in format.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising another administration data table which contains administration data associated with said logical object.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising another administration data table which contains administration data associated with said at least one component.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising another administration data table which contains administration data associated with said relations.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the context attributes include user'"'"'s current language.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the context attributes include format.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the context attributes include content version.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said context attributes include criteria, rules or information that is application specific to said front-end client application.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said context attributes include criteria, rules or information that is user-defined.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the content server is a web-based document server.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the content server means and the management agent are integrated with said front-end client application through at least one business application programming interface.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising content access means to maintain inter-physical object relations and to prevent the simultaneous editing of a physical object by multiple users.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the content access means is implemented as a check-out/check-in mechanism where, when an original physical object is checked-out by a first user, said management agent locks the original physical object via said administration data table by setting checkout information to prevent a subsequent user from accessing the original physical object.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the content access means permits multiple physical object versioning with possible updates of said physical objects.

23. A method for managing, storing and retrieving a computer data file comprising the steps of:

providing said file;

defining a three-tiered content model which comprises nested tiers including component classes, physical object classes, and relations classes, and wherein a logical object contains a reference to said file and describes said file in generic terms and with reference to at least one attribute, and further wherein said logical object contains a reference to at least one physical object associated with said logical object, and contains a reference to at least one component associated with said at least one physical object, and wherein relations from said relations classes are used to connect logical objects and physical objects with other logical objects or physical objects;

defining administration data associated with physical objects;

targeting the logical object with context attributes;

resolving, in context-based resolution, a particular physical object associated with the logical object on the basis of the context attributes of a request as determined by correlating requested context attributes against attributes of physical objects associated with the logical object and attributes of a front-end client application;

enabling said step of resolving by resolving indirectly in runtime, via context-based indirect runtime resolution, the logical object to a physical destination of the file associated with the at least one physical object associated with the logical object;

identifying the particular physical object so resolved by context based resolution; and

managing said resolved object using said three-tier content model in conformance with said administration data.

24. The method of claim 23 further including the step of retrieving said identified physical object.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said context attributes include particular attributes of user'"'"'s current language, format or front-end client application.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said context attributes further include rules or information that is application specific to said front-end client application or user defined.

27. The method of claim 23 further including the step of preventing the simultaneous editing of an object by multiple users by, when an original physical object is checked-out by a first user, locking the original physical object via said administration data table by setting checkout information to prevent a subsequent user from accessing the original physical object.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of managing said resolved objects includes the steps of:

forming a content component record from said components;

defining an absolute path in a content repository, said repository containing at least one content category which provides a logical description of the physical storage location of said file and refers to the content repository;

grouping said files into said content category;

defining a path relative to the absolute path based on said content component record;

creating a unique object ID; and

defining the file location by combining said absolute path, said relative path and said unique object ID.

29. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of managing said resolved objects includes the steps of:

forming a content component record from said components;

defining an absolute path in a content repository, said content repository containing at least one content category which provides a logical description of the physical storage location of said file and refers to the content repository;

grouping said plurality of files into said content category;

defining a path relative to the absolute path based on said content component record;

creating a unique object ID; and

defining the location of the file by combining said absolute path, said relative path and said unique object ID.

30. A method for defining and managing a file stored at a physical storage location, which method allows identical filenames for a plurality of files of different physical objects and comprises the steps of:

creating at least one physical object which refers to components which represent the file, said components forming a content component record;

defining an absolute path in a content repository, said content repository containing at least one content category which provides a logical description of the physical file storage location and refers to the content repository;

grouping said plurality of files into said content category;

defining a path relative to the absolute path based on said content component record;

creating a unique object ID; and

defining the location of the file by combining said absolute path, said relative path and said unique object ID.