Object-oriented workflow for multi-enterprise collaboration

• US 6,397,191 B1
• Filed: 09/18/1998
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JDA Software Group Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: i2 Technologies US Incorporated (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Notani, Ranjit N., Parasnis, Abhay V., Whipple, Mark B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US09/154,661
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1,7,8,9 709/205 700/99 707/103
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer implemented process is disclosed for enterprise collaboration. The process includes instantiating an object-oriented workflow where the object-oriented workflow comprises objects associated with activities to be performed within the workflow. The objects of the object-oriented workflow are then deployed across enterprise boundaries to nodes on which associated activities are to be performed. After deployment, the deployed objects are executed to provide multi-enterprise collaboration with the activities communicating data using objects that carry both data and behavior. Further, in one embodiment, the process further includes creating in-memory object models at nodes which objects executing at the nodes can access.

Claims

1. A system providing collaboration between two or more enterprises, comprising a collaboration manager operable to:

generate an object-oriented workflow, the object-oriented workflow comprising a plurality of activities executable at a plurality of nodes, when executed at a node an activity being operable to;

communicate data and behavior to one or more other activities executed at other nodes using objects; and

access an in-memory object model within an enterprise associated with the node at which the activity is executed to create, modify, or destroy objects associated with the node at which the activity is executed; and

deploy the activities across one or more enterprise boundaries to the nodes for execution at the nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity is operable to access the in-memory object model to off-load work into the in-memory object model.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-memory object model is embedded in a workflow engine within the enterprise.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the in-memory object model provides local access to and control over information for activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-memory object model is accessible to activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise, the activities being within a single instance of a single workflow, within different instances of a single workflow, or within instances of different workflows.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects communicated between activities are executable on an enterprise platform executing the collaboration manager.

7. A system providing data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, comprising:

an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, the accessor component operable to;

receive data in a first native format and generate at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format; and

communicate the first derived format object to a first transformer component within the first activity; and

the first transformer component within the first activity, operable to;

receive the first derived format object from the accessor component; and

communicate at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first native format and the second native format comprise the same native format.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the transfer object comprises the first derived format object.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the transfer object corresponds particularly to the first native format.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the transfer object comprises at least one common data model object generated from the first derived format object.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the data in the first native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data; and

the data in the second native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the first native format is associated with a first type of planning system and the second native format is associated with a second type of planning system, the first type of planning system being different from the second type of planning system.

14. A method of collaboration between two or more enterprises, comprising:

generating an object-oriented workflow, the object-oriented workflow comprising a plurality of activities executable at a plurality of nodes, when executed at a node an activity being operable to;

communicate data and behavior to one or more other activities executed at other nodes using objects; and

access an in-memory object model within an enterprise associated with the node at which the activity is executed to create, modify, or destroy objects associated with the node at which the activity is executed; and

deploying the activities across one or more enterprise boundaries to the nodes for execution at the nodes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the activity is operable to access the in-memory object model to off-load work into the in-memory object model.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-memory object model is embedded in a workflow engine within the enterprise.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-memory object model provides local access to and control over information for activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the in-memory object model is accessible to activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise, the activities being within a single instance of a single workflow, within different instances of a single workflow, or within instances of different workflows.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects communicated between activities are executable on an enterprise platform executing the collaboration manager.

20. A method of data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, comprising:

receiving, at an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, data in a first native format;

using the accessor component within the first activity, generating at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;

communicating the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity to a first transformer component within the first activity;

receiving, at the first transformer component within the first activity, the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity; and

communicating at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object from the first transformer component within the first activity to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first native format and the second native format comprise the same native format.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the transfer object comprises the first derived format object.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the transfer object corresponds particularly to the first native format.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the transfer object comprises at least one common data model object generated from the first derived format object.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the first native format is associated with a first type of planning system and the second native format is associated with a second type of planning system, the first type of planning system being different from the second type of planning system.

25. The method of claim 25, wherein:

the data in the first native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data; and

the data in the second native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data.

27. Software providing collaboration between two or more enterprises, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to:

generate an object-oriented workflow, the object-oriented workflow comprising a plurality of activities executable at a plurality of nodes, when executed at a node an activity being operable to;

communicate data and behavior to one or more other activities executed at other nodes using objects; and

access an in-memory object model within an enterprise associated with the node at which the activity is executed to create, modify, or destroy objects associated with the node at which the activity is executed; and

deploy the activities across one or more enterprise boundaries to the nodes for execution at the nodes.

28. The software of claim 27, wherein the activity is operable to access the in-memory object model to off-load work into the in-memory object model.

29. The software of claim 27, wherein the in-memory object model is embedded in a workflow engine within the enterprise.

30. The software of claim 27, wherein the in-memory object model provides local access to and control over information for activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise.

31. The software of claim 27, wherein the in-memory object model is accessible to activities executed at one or more nodes within the enterprise, the activities being within a single instance of a single workflow, within different instances of a single workflow, or within instances of different workflows.

32. The software of claim 27, wherein the objects communicated between activities are executable on an enterprise platform executing the collaboration manager.

33. Software providing data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, the software embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to:

receive, at an accessor component within a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, data in a first native format;

using the accessor component within the first activity, generate at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;

communicate the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity to a first transformer component within the first activity;

receive, at the first transformer component within the first activity, the first derived format object from the accessor component within the first activity; and

communicate at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object from the first transformer component within the first activity to a second transformer component within a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.

34. The software of claim 33, wherein the first native format and the second native format comprise the same native format.

35. The software of claim 33, wherein the transfer object comprises the first derived format object.

36. The software of claim 33, wherein the transfer object corresponds particularly to the first native format.

37. The software of claim 33, wherein the transfer object comprises at least one common data model object generated from the first derived format object.

38. The software of claim 33, wherein:

the data in the first native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data; and

the data in the second native format comprises EDI, XML, or relational data.

39. The software of claim 33, wherein the first native format is associated with a first type of planning system and the second native format is associated with a second type of planning system, the first type of planning system being different from the second type of planning system.

40. A system providing data access and transformation for an object-oriented workflow, comprising:

means for receiving, at a first activity within an object-oriented workflow, data in a first native format

means for generating, at the first activity, at least one first derived format object based on the data received in the first native format, the first derived format object corresponding particularly to the first native format;

means for communicating at least one transfer object reflecting the first derived format object from the first activity to a second activity within the workflow for transformation into at least one second derived format object corresponding to data in a second native format, the second derived format object corresponding particularly to the second native format.