Decision management system which automatically searches for strategy components in a strategy

• US 6,609,120 B1
• Filed: 06/18/1999
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CGI Technologies and Solutions Incorporated (CGI Group)
• Original Assignee: American Management Systems, Incorporated (CGI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Payne, Blake, Honarvar, Laurence, Fatigante, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Metjahic, Safet
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, TE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/335,476
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7-10, 705/35, 707/2-5, 707/100, 707/103, 703/4-6, 709/246, 706/45, 706/46, 706/52, 706/60
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A computer-implemented, software based, decision management system which automatically searches for a respective strategy component through a strategy to identify where the strategy component is being used in the strategy, and to determine the strategy component'"'"'s inter-relationships in the strategy. For example, an end user of the system selects a respective strategy component to be searched. A plurality of selectable inquiries are then automatically presented to the end user, where the plurality of selectable inquiries are context sensitive to correspond to the selected strategy component. The end user then selects a respective inquiry. Then, the system automatically searches for the selected strategy component through the strategy in accordance with the selected inquiry to identify where the strategy component is being used in the strategy. The strategy can be searched, for example, by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

providing a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components; and

automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy to identify where the respective strategy component is being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by an end user of the process.

2. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically searching automatically searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy to determine the strategy component'"'"'s inter-relationships in the strategy.

3. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

automatically presenting a plurality of selectable inquiries to an end user of the process, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component in accordance with a respective inquiry of the plurality of selectable inquiries selected by the end user.

4. A process as in claim 3, wherein said automatically presenting presents the plurality of inquiries to the end user in a pop-up display on a screen display.

5. A process as in claim 3, wherein the presented plurality of inquiries are context sensitive to correspond to the respective strategy component.

6. A process as in claim 3, wherein the searching is a top-down search or a bottom-up search in accordance with the inquiry selected by the end user and whether the search is to be initiated from a general or detailed context.

7. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically searching comprises:

searching for a first strategy component through the strategy in accordance with a first inquiry selected by an end user of the process, to determine a second strategy component satisfying the selected inquiry; and

searching for the second strategy component through the strategy in accordance with a second inquiry selected by the end user.

8. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy by analyzing a data model for implementing the strategy.

9. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

10. A process as in claim 1, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy via a global reference table linking tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

11. A process as in claim 10, wherein the global reference table includes fields for linking component classes and component types in linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

12. A process as in claim 3, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy via a global reference table linking tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

13. A process as in claim 12, wherein the global reference table includes fields for linking component classes and component types in linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

14. A process as in claim 1, wherein the strategy components include at least one of the group consisting of a system, version, attribute, inbound event, outbound event, function, function set, segment, report instruction, continuous dimension, test group and report group, of the strategy.

31. A process as in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a result of said automatically searching to an end user of the process.

15. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

providing a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components;

selecting a strategy component of the plurality of strategy components;

automatically presenting a plurality of selectable inquiries to an end user of the process, the plurality of selectable inquiries relating to the type and location of the selected strategy component in the strategy;

selecting a respective inquiry of the plurality of selectable inquiries by the end user; and

automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy in accordance with the selected inquiry to identify where the respective strategy component is being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by the end user.

16. A process as in claim 15, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

17. A process as in claim 15, wherein the strategy components include at least one of the group consisting of a system, version, attribute, inbound event, outbound event, function, function set, segment, report instruction, continuous dimension, test group and report group, of the strategy.

32. A process as in claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a result of said automatically searching to the end user.

18. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

providing a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components;

selecting a first strategy component;

automatically presenting a first group of selectable inquiries to an end user of the process, the inquiries of the first group being context sensitive to thereby correspond to the first strategy component;

selecting a respective inquiry of the first group of selectable inquiries by the end user;

automatically searching for the first strategy component through the strategy in accordance with the selected inquiry of the first group of selectable inquiries, to determine a second strategy component satisfying the selected inquiry;

automatically presenting a second group of selectable inquiries to the end user of the process, the inquiries of the second group being context sensitive to thereby correspond to the second strategy component;

selecting a respective inquiry of the second group of selectable inquiries by the end user; and

automatically searching for the second strategy component through the strategy in accordance with the selected inquiry of the second group of selectable inquiries, to thereby allow navigation to the second strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the second strategy component by the end user.

19. A process as in claim 18, wherein

said automatically searching for the first strategy component searches for the first strategy component through the strategy by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy, and

said automatically searching for the second strategy component searches for the second strategy component through the strategy by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

20. A process as in claim 18, wherein the strategy components include at least one of the group consisting of a system, version, attribute, inbound event, outbound event, function, function set, segment, report instruction, continuous dimension, test group and report group, of the strategy.

33. A process as in claim 18, further comprising:

displaying a result of said automatically searching to the end user.

21. A process comprising:

providing a decision management system which applies a strategy to determine actions to be taken, monitors performance based on the taken actions, and refines the strategy in accordance with the monitored performance, the strategy being formed of a plurality of strategy components; and

automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy to identify where the respective strategy component is being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by an end user of the process.

22. A process as in claim 21, further comprising:

automatically presenting a plurality of selectable inquiries to an end user of the decision management system, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component in accordance with a respective inquiry of the plurality of selectable inquiries selected by the end user.

23. A process as in claim 22, wherein said automatically presenting presents the plurality of inquiries to the end user in a pop-up display on a screen display.

24. A process as in claim 22, wherein the presented plurality of inquiries are context sensitive to correspond to the respective strategy component.

34. A process as in claim 21, further comprising:

displaying a result of said automatically searching to an end user of the process.

25. A computer-implemented decision management system comprising:

means for providing a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components; and

means for automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy to identify where the respective strategy component is being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by an end user of the system.

26. A computer-implemented decision management system comprising:

a strategy creator creating a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components; and

a strategy searcher automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy to identify where the respective strategy component is being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by an end user of the system.

35. A decision management system as in claim 26, further comprising:

means for displaying a result of the searching by the strategy searcher.

27. A computer-implemented decision management process comprising:

providing a decision management strategy formed of a plurality of strategy components; and

automatically searching for a respective strategy component through the strategy to identify where the respective strategy component is not being used in the strategy, to thereby allow navigation to the respective strategy component for viewing or changing properties of the respective strategy component by an end user of the process.

28. A process as in claim 27, further comprising:

automatically presenting a plurality of selectable inquiries to an end user of the process, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component in accordance with a respective inquiry of the plurality of selectable inquiries selected by the end user.

29. A process as in claim 27, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy by analyzing a data model for implementing the strategy.

30. A process as in claim 27, wherein said automatically searching searches for the respective strategy component through the strategy by analyzing linked tables of a relational data model for implementing the strategy.

36. A process as in claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a result of said automatically searching to an end user of the process.