Method and apparatus based on relational database design techniques supporting modeling, analysis and automatic hypertext generation for structured document collections

• US 6,212,530 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1998
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Compaq Computer Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadlec, Jaroslav
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M.
• Application Number:
  US09/076,373
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/104, 707/102, 707/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A computer method and apparatus for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents describing a desired system is provided. A conceptual model of the desired system includes entities and relationships among the entities. An entity-relationship diagram is representative of the desired system. Documents are categorized and subsequently maintained with respect to the entities in the entity-relationship diagram. A hierarchy of process-message matrices is employed to determine the communications or dynamic exchanges of message entities in the modeled system and reflected in the entity-relationship diagram. A relational database implements the model and holds document contents (i.e., actual information) needed to automatically generate the collection of documents in a complete formatted manner for printing and/or compiling through word processing and/or compilation and linking means. The database further enables automatic hypertext generation by mapping interdependencies (relationships) between the entities into interdependencies (links) between the documents. One application of the invention automatically generates and maintains a collection of hypertext documents describing a business system.

Claims

1. A method for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a conceptual model of a desired document system in terms of its interdependent entities, the model including (i) a plurality of entities of different entity classes, and (ii) relationships among the entities, said entities and relationships being charted in an entity-relationship diagram;

categorizing each document in the structured collection of documents into one of the entity classes from the conceptual model, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

based on the entity-relationship diagram, automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class, such that the structured collection of documents is automatically generated and maintained;

forming a relational database based on the conceptual model and entity-relationship diagram, such that the database holds actual information contents needed to automatically generate and format each document and hence the structured collection of documents;

the step of generating and updating includes automatically generating the documents in complete formatted printable and compilable form from the contents stored in the database, enabling post processing into an on-line hypertext documentation; and

wherein the step of providing a conceptual model includes charting and analyzing dynamic exchange among entities in a hierarchy of process-message matrices.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of generating and updating further includes mapping relationships between the entities implemented in the relational database into hypertext links between the documents in the hypertext documentation, the relational database providing a sequence of links to automatically propagate a change in each affected document upon an administrator-user entering a change in the relational database.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein the step of providing a conceptual model provides a Business System Model having business related entities, such that the entity-relationship diagram charts relationships among the business related entities;

and

the step of generating includes automatically creating, maintaining and distributing operation-related, management-related and quality-related documents as the structured collection of documents.

4. A method for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a conceptual model of a desired document system in terms of its interdependent entities, the model including (i) a plurality of entities of different entity classes, and (ii) relationships among the entities, said entities and relationships being charted in an entity-relationship diagram;

categorizing each document in the structured collection of documents into one of the entity classes from the conceptual model, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

based on the entity-relationship diagram, automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class, such that the structured collection of documents is automatically generated and maintained;

forming a relational database based on the conceptual model and entity-relationship diagram, such that the database holds actual information contents needed to automatically generate and format each document and hence the structured collection of documents; and

the step of generating and updating includes automatically generating the documents in complete formatted printable and compilable form from the contents held in the database, enabling post processing into an on-line hypertext documentation.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the step of generating and updating further includes mapping relationships between the entities implemented in the relational database into links between the documents in the hypertext documentation, the relational database providing a sequence of links to propagate a change in each affected document upon an administrator-user entering a change in the relational database.

6. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the steps are performed in a computer system having a working memory for executing programs such that:

the step of forming a relational database includes employing a database application program executed by the computer system in working memory; and

the step of generating each document includes executing a word processing application program by the computer system in working memory.

7. In a computer system, computer apparatus for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents from a conceptual model of a desired document system, the conceptual model including (i) a plurality of interdependent entities and (ii) relationships among the entities, the computer apparatus comprising:

a source for indicating (a) the relationships among the entities in the conceptual model, and (b) entity class, from the conceptual model, of each document in the structured collection of documents, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

generation and maintenance means responsive to the source for automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class and the relationships indicated among respective entities in the source; and

wherein the source includes a relational database, the database holding (i) indications of the entities, (ii) indications of the relationships among the entities, and (iii) document contents with respect to the entities, such that the generation and maintenance means is able to automatically generate complete formatted documents as the structured collection of documents, in at least one of printable and compilable form.

8. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 7 further comprising an automatic hypertext generator coupled to the generation and maintenance means, said generator mapping relationships between the entities within the relational database to hyperlinks between related documents enabling automatic hypertext generation in the structured collection of documents.

9. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the modeled system is a business system and the structured collection of documents includes operation-related, management-related and quality-related documents.

10. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein:

a database application program is executed in working memory of the computer system to form the relational database; and

the generation and maintenance means employs a word processor for generating the documents.

11. A method for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a conceptual model of a desired document system in terms of its interdependent entities, the model including (i) a plurality of entities of different entity classes, and (ii) relationships among the entities, said entities and relationships being charted in an entity-relationship diagram, including charting and analyzing dynamic exchange among the entities in a hierarchy of process-message matrices;

categorizing each document in the structured collection of documents into one of the entity classes from the conceptual model, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

forming a relational database based on the conceptual model and entity-relationship diagram, such that the database holds actual information contents needed to automatically generate and format each document and hence the structured collection of documents; and

based on the entity-relationship diagram, automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class, such that the structured collection of documents is automatically generated and maintained, including automatically generating the documents in complete formatted printable and compilable form from the contents stored in the database, enabling post processing into an on-line hypertext documentation, and further including mapping relationships between the entities implemented in the relational database into hypertext links between the documents in the hypertext documentation, the relational database providing a sequence of links to automatically propagate a change in each affected document upon an administrator-user entering a change in the relational database.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the step of providing a conceptual model provides a Business System Model having business related entities, such that the entity-relationship diagram charts relationships among the business related entities;

and

the step of generating includes automatically creating, maintaining and distributing operation-related, management-related and quality-related documents as the structured collection of documents.

13. A method for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a conceptual model of a desired document system in terms of its interdependent entities, the model including (i) a plurality of entities of different entity classes, and (ii) relationships among the entities, said entities and relationships being charted in an entity-relationship diagram;

categorizing each document in the structured collection of documents into one of the entity classes from the conceptual model, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

forming a relational database based on the conceptual model and entity-relationship diagram, such that the database holds actual information contents needed to automatically generate and format each document and hence the structured collection of documents; and

based on the entity-relationship diagram, automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class, such that the structured collection of documents is automatically generated and maintained, including automatically generating the documents in complete formatted printable and compilable form from the contents held in the database, enabling post processing into an on-line hypertext documentation, and further including mapping relationships between the entities implemented in the relational database into links between the documents in the hypertext documentation, the relational database providing a sequence of links to propagate a change in each affected document upon an administrator-user entering a change in the relational database.

14. In a computer system, computer apparatus for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents from a conceptual model of a desired document system, the conceptual model including (i) a plurality of interdependent entities and (ii) relationships among the entities, the computer apparatus comprising:

a source for indicating (a) the relationships among the entities in the conceptual model, and (b) entity class, from the conceptual model, of each document in the structured collection of documents, such that each document is an instance of a respective entity class;

generation and maintenance means responsive to the source for automatically generating and updating each document according to respective entity class and the relationships indicated among respective entities in the source;

an automatic hypertext generator coupled to the generation and maintenance means, said generator mapping relationships between the entities within the relational database to hyperlinks between related documents enabling automatic hypertext generation in the structured collection of documents; and

wherein the source includes a relational database, the database holding (i) indications of the entities, (ii) indications of the relationships among the entities, and (iii) document contents with respect to the entities, such that the generation and maintenance means is able to automatically generate complete formatted documents as the structured collection of documents, in at least one of printable and compilable form.

15. Computer apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the modeled system is a business system and the structured collection of documents includes operation-related, management-related and quality-related documents.

16. In a computer system executing at least a database application program and a word processing application program in working memory, a computer method for generating and maintaining a structured collection of documents describing a business system, the method comprising the steps of:

executing the database application program in working memory to form a relational database to implement a conceptual model of the business system, the model including (a) business related entities and (b) relationships among the entities, the database holding indications of each entity and the relationships among the entities with respect to the business system, the business system formed of a hierarchy of business processes, each process having an exchange of message entities;

storing document contents in the database with respect to the entities as indicated in the database;

coupling the database to the word processing application program in a manner such that execution of the word processing application program in working memory automatically generates the structured collection of documents as updated and maintained throughout the database implementation of the model of the business system, such that the document contents include desired cross-references and are as recent as the indications in the database, such that the most up-to-date version of the structured collection of documents is generated; and

forming matrices to chart dynamic exchange of message entities among the business related entities, the hierarchy being formed of an ordered set of matrices, there being a different matrix for each business process, each matrix (i) providing an indication of communication exchange of a message entity among other entities with respect to a respective business process, and (ii) having a succeeding matrix providing indications of exchanges of message entities among other entities with respect to another business process.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

using the database, mapping interdependencies of the entities according to their relationships into interdependencies of the documents;

executing the word processing application program in working memory to automatically generate and insert hypertext references for linking interdependent documents to each other in the structured collection of documents based on said mapping, the word processing application program generating a collection of hyperlinked documents; and

transmitting on-line the collection of hyperlinked documents on a network of computers upon generation thereof, such that the collection of hyperlinked documents transmitted on-line are viewable by a network user.