Dynamic group generation and management

• US 6,671,695 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: McFadden, Terrence Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/883,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/100, 707/101, 707/103, 707/104, 707/9, 707/7, 707/10, 709/216, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/656
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/944 Business related
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An apparatus, program product, and method utilize “dynamic” groups to represent collections of individuals in a computer environment. With a dynamic group, a group membership criterion and a set of member identifiers are associated with one another within a dynamic group data structure, such that the set of member identifiers identifies those users from a plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion for the dynamic group. Dynamic updates are performed periodically and/or in response to predetermined events, such that the set of member identifiers for a dynamic group are updated to reflect modifications to the plurality of users, and thereby maintain the identification of members in the dynamic group current. Dynamic group data structures may be utilized in connection with multiple networked target computer environments having users that span multiple computer domains and/or enterprises, wherein the target computer environments are networked with a hub computer upon which is resident a database that maintains a dynamic group data structure. Within at least a portion of such target computer environments, mirrored group data structures are distributed and maintained, with each including at least a subset of member identifiers from the set of member identifiers associated with the dynamic group data structure.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

(a) a database within which is resident a dynamic group data structure, the dynamic group data structure including a group membership criterion and a set of member identifiers, each member identifier identifying a user from a plurality of users that meets the group membership criterion; and

(b) a program, coupled to the database, the program configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure by updating the set of member identifiers to include those of the plurality of users that currently meet the group membership criterion as of the dynamic update;

wherein the program is configured to initially generate the dynamic group data structure by associating the group membership criterion with the dynamic group data structure, and by determining those of the plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion to initially associate the set of member identifiers with the group data structures;

wherein the program is further configured to generate the dynamic group data structure without user enumerations of any users to be associated with the dynamic group data structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each user is associated with at least one characteristic, and wherein the group membership criterion selects users having a common characteristic.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a user record, each user record including at least one attribute value for an attribute so as to represent a characteristic associated with the user associated with such user record, wherein each member identifier identifies the user record associated with its identified user, and wherein the group membership criterion identifies at least one attribute used to determine whether a user meets the group membership criterion.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one characteristic associated with each user is selected from the group consisting of user skill, user job assignment, user specialty, user task, user role, user physical location, user organizational location, user network location, user domain, user interest, organization, company, work group, skills, roles, and combinations thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a security program configured to access the dynamic group data structure during authorization of a selected user from the plurality of users.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the security program is configured to grant access to a resource when the selected user is authorized.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the resource includes an electronically distributed computer program.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the resource includes electronically distributed artistic content.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the resource includes a network resource.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second program configured to access the dynamic group data structure when obtaining an electronic messaging address for a selected user from the plurality of users.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a user record maintained a user database among a plurality of distributed user databases.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of distributed user databases are under the control of the same business enterprise.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of distributed user databases are under the control of different business enterprises.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program is configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure by initiating a query on each of the plurality of distributed user databases to retrieve member identifiers associated with users from each of the distributed user databases that match the group membership criterion.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a first computer configured to store the database, wherein the program is further configured to generate a mirrored group data structure including at least a subset of member identifiers from the set of member identifiers associated with the dynamic group data structure, and to distribute the mirrored group data structure to a second database in a second computer interfaced with the first computer.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the mirrored group data structure includes the entire set of member identifiers.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the mirrored group data structure includes only those member identifiers from the set of member identifiers that are associated with the same business enterprise as that associated with the second computer.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program is further configured to synchronize the mirrored group data structure with the dynamic group data structure.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the program is configured to synchronize the mirrored group data structure with the dynamic group data structure in response to an update to at least one of the dynamic group data structure and the mirrored group data structure.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second databases share a common database platform.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second databases are based on separate database platforms, and wherein the program is further configured to convert the mirrored group data structure to a format suitable for the database platform for the second database prior to distributing the mirrored group data structure to the second database.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program is further configured to generate a second mirrored group data structure including at least a second subset of member identifiers from the set of member identifiers associated with the dynamic group data structure, and to distribute the second mirrored group data structure to a third database in a third computer interfaced with the first computer.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the second and third databases are based on separate database platforms.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic group data structure further has associated therewith a security policy that controls access to the dynamic group data structure.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the security policy for the dynamic group data structure includes security rights associated with individual member identifiers from the set of member identifiers.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program is configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure in response to a modification to the group membership criterion.

27. A computer-implemented method of managing a group of members, the method comprising;

(a) accessing a dynamic group data structure in a database, the dynamic group data structure including a group membership criterion and a set of member identifiers, each member identifier identifying a user from a plurality of users that meets the group membership criterion; and

(b) dynamically updating the dynamic group data structure by updating the set of member identifiers to include those of the plurality of users that currently meet the group membership criterion as of the dynamic update;

wherein the method is configured to initially generate the dynamic group data structure by associating the group membership criterion with the dynamic group data structure, and by determining those of the plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion to initially associate the set of member identifiers with the group data structures;

wherein the method is further configured to generate the dynamic group data structure without user enumerations of any users to be associated with the dynamic group data structure.

28. A computer implemented method of creating a group of member users among a plurality of users, the method comprising:

(a) associating with a dynamic group data structure a group membership criterion;

(b) determining those of the plurality of users that meets the group membership criterion;

(and) (c) associating with the dynamic group data structure a set of member identifiers that identify those users that meet the group membership criterion; and

(d) dynamically updating the dynamic group data structure by updating the set of member identifiers to include those of the plurality of users that currently meet the group membership criterion as of the dynamic update;

wherein the method is configured to initially generate the dynamic group data structure by associating the group membership criterion with the dynamic group data structure, and by determining those of the plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion to initially associate the set of member identifiers with the group data structures;

wherein the method is further configured to generate the dynamic group data structure without user enumerations of any users to be associated with the dynamic group data structure.

29. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure, which includes a group membership criterion and a set of member identifiers, each of which identifying a user from a plurality of users that meets the group membership criterion, the program configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure by updating the set of member identifiers to include those of the plurality of users that currently meet the group membership criterion as of the dynamic update;

wherein the program is configured to initially generate the dynamic group data structure by associating the group membership criterion with the dynamic group data structure, and by determining those of the plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion to initially associate the set of member identifiers with the group data structures;

wherein the program is further configured to generate the dynamic group data structure without user enumerations of any users to be associated with the dynamic group data structure; and

(b) a signal bearing medium bearing the program.

30. A data processing system, comprising:

(a) a hub computer;

(b) a plurality of target computer environments networked to the hub computer;

(c) a database resident on the hub computer, the database including a dynamic group data structure, the dynamic group data structure including a group membership criterion and a set of member identifiers, each member identifier identifying a user from a plurality of users that meets the group membership criterion; and

(d) a program, coupled to the database, the program configured to generate a mirrored group data structure including at least a subset of member identifiers from the set of member identifiers associated with the dynamic group data structure, and to distribute the mirrored group data structure to a target computer environment from the plurality of target computer environments;

wherein the program is configured to initially generate the dynamic group data structure by associating the group membership criterion with the dynamic group data structure, and by determining those of the plurality of users that meet the group membership criterion to initially associate the set of member identifiers with the group data structures;

wherein the program is further configured to generate the dynamic group data structure without user enumerations of any users to be associated with the dynamic group data structure.

31. The data processing system of claim 30, wherein the program is further configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure by updating the set of member identifiers to include those of the plurality of users that currently meet the group membership criterion as of the dynamic update.

32. The data processing system of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of users is associated with a user record maintained a user database among a plurality of distributed user databases, each user database resident in a target computer environment from the plurality of target computer environments.

33. The data processing system of claim 32, wherein the plurality of target computer environments are under the control of the same business enterprise.

34. The data processing system of claim 32, wherein at least a portion of the target computer environments are under the control of different business enterprises.

35. The data processing system of claim 32, wherein the program is configured to dynamically update the dynamic group data structure by initiating a query on each of the plurality of distributed user databases to retrieve member identifiers associated with users from each of the distributed user databases that match the group membership criterion.