System and method for integrating schedule and design environments

• US 6,487,469 B1
• Filed: 11/10/1999
• Issued: 11/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Formenti, Jose Antonio Vieira
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bahta, Kidest
• Application Number:
  US09/436,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 700/100-108, 700/83, 700/97, 700/98, 700/110, 700/109, 705/7, 705/9, 705/11, 345/440
• US Class Current: 700/97
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/02 CAD in a network environment, e.g. collaborative CAD or distributed simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for project management integration includes a design database having design data stored in a hierarchical manner representable by design hierarchical data. The system further includes a schedule database having scheduling data stored in a hierarchical manner representable by schedule hierarchical data. The system also includes an integration module in communication with the design database and the schedule database, the integration module operable to compare the design hierarchical data and the schedule hierarchical data in response to changes to one of the design or schedule databases, the integration module further operable to change one of the design and schedule databases in response thereto.

Claims

1. A system for project management integration, the system comprising:

a design database having design data stored in a hierarchical manner representable by design hierarchical data;

a schedule database having scheduling data stored in a hierarchical manner representable by schedule hierarchical data; and

an integration module in communication with the design database and the schedule database, the integration module operable to compare the design hierarchical data and the schedule hierarchical data in response to changes to one of the design and schedule databases, the integration module further operable to change one of the design and schedule databases in response to the comparison, the integration module includes a filter operable to filter hierarchical data in response to a filtering scheme.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a ticket database having action items stored in a hierarchical manner representable by ticket hierarchical data, the integration module operable to compare the schedule hierarchical data to the ticket hierarchical data in response to changes to the scheduling data, the integration module operable to change the action items in response to comparing the schedule hierarchical data to the ticket hierarchical data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the integration module includes a monitor in communication with one of the design and schedule databases, the monitor operable to detect changes to the data therein.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the integration module includes a parser operable to parse data of one of the design and schedule databases to generate hierarchical data associated therewith.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering hierarchical data related to predetermined views within the design database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the integration module comprises:

a design record operable to store the design hierarchical data;

a schedule record operable to store the schedule hierarchical data; and

a comparator operable to compare the design record and the schedule record, the comparator operable to change the data of one of the design and schedule databases in response to comparing the design record and the schedule record.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the integration module comprises:

a design record operable to store the design hierarchical data;

a schedule record operable to store the schedule hierarchical data;

a comparator operable to compare the design record and the schedule record; and

a command generator operable to send an update command to the schedule database in response to the comparator comparing the design record and the schedule record.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined elements within a specified design.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined levels of design cells from the design data that will not be compared with the schedule database.

10. A system for automatically updating data of a first database in response to changes made to a second database, the system comprising:

a first interface in communication with the first database;

a second interface in communication with the second database, the second interface operable to detect changes to data in the second database; and

a comparison module in communication with the first and second interface, the comparison module operable to compare first hierarchical data associated with the first database to second hierarchical data associated with the second database in response to a change detected by the second interface, the comparison module operable to send update data to the first interface in response to comparing the first and second hierarchical data, the first interface operable to change the data in the first database in response to the update data, the second interface includes a filter operable to filter the second hierarchical data in response to a filtering scheme.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second database is a design database having design data and the second interface is a design interface.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second database is a schedule database having scheduling data and the second interface is a schedule interface.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second interface includes a parser operable to generate the second hierarchical data associated with the second database.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering hierarchical data related to predetermined portions of the data from the first database.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the comparison module comprises:

a first record operable to store the first hierarchical data;

a second record operable to store the second hierarchical data; and

a comparator operable to compare at least one field of the first record to a corresponding at least one field of the second record, the comparator sending the update data to the first interface in response comparing the fields.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first interface includes a command generator operable to generate and send an instruction to the first database, the instruction operable to modify the data of the first database in response to the update data sent by the comparison module.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined portions of the data in the first database.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined portions of the data from the first database that will not be compared with the data from the second database.

19. A method of project management integration, the method comprising:

detecting a change to data of a first database;

parsing data of the first database to generate the first hierarchical data associated with the first database;

filtering the first hierarchical data in response to a filtering scheme;

translating the filtered first hierarchical data into a comparison format;

obtaining second hierarchical data associated with the second database in response to the detected change;

comparing the first hierarchical data to the second hierarchical data and identifying at least one difference between the first and second of hierarchical data; and

automatically generating and sending an update command to the second database in response to the at least one identified difference.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting the change comprises polling the first database.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting the change comprises detecting an interrupt generated by the first database.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering hierarchical data related to predetermined portions of the data from the first database.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein comparing the first and second hierarchical data comprises:

placing the first hierarchical data into a first record, the first record having a first set of fields;

placing the second hierarchical data into a second record, the second record having a second set of fields;

comparing at least one pair of corresponding fields of the first and second records; and

identifying a difference in the at least one pair of corresponding fields.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the update command comprises:

generating update data indicative of the at least one identified difference between the first and second hierarchical data; and

translating the update data into the update command, the update command operable to change the data stored in the second database.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein automatically generating and sending an update command comprises:

receiving user-defined data establishing parameters of the update command;

generating the update command in response to the user defined data, the update command including instructions for changing the data in the second database, the instructions determined by the user-defined data; and

sending the update command to the second database, the update command initiating data modifications to the second database.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined portions of the data in the first database.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the filtering scheme includes commands filtering predetermined portions of the data from the first database that will not be compared with the data from the second database.