System and method for retrieving and presenting data using class-based component and view model

• US 6,700,590 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2000
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: IndX Software Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Johnson, David C., DeMesa, Jesse G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEN, PO WEI
• Application Number:
  US09/704,471
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 345/745, 345/744, 345/440, 709/224
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A system and method for retrieving and presenting data using class-based component and view model is disclosed. The disclosed system retrieves data of various formats, including relational data, point data and time-series data, and connects such data to class-based components and component members. Using a class based, i.e., object oriented model, it provides means for developers and users to define and modify reusable components, and means for developers and users to define and modify reusable views to present data in graphics including animation.

Claims

1. A method of generating a model for the collection and display of data from multiple sources, the method comprising:

generating a first component that represents a first type of business element that exists within a business entity, said first component being a reusable software component for collecting data associated with business elements of the first type;

defining a first view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed;

creating multiple instances of the first component, each of which corresponds to a different respective business element of said first type;

connecting each instance of the first component to a respective set of back-end data sources associated with the respective business element, to allow the instances of the first component to collect data associated with their respective business elements, wherein the step of connecting each instance of the first component to a respective set of back-end data sources comprises separately specifying for each instance a frequency with which to poll a back-end data source for new data; and

providing a navigation interface through which a user may navigate the multiple instances of the first component to view collected data associated with each of the multiple business elements of the first type, wherein the navigation interface displays said data according to at least said first view;

whereby the first component and the first view are reused to collect and display data associated with the multiple different business elements of the first type.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a second view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed, wherein the navigation interface provides an option for users to select between at least the first and second views to view data collected by an instance of the first component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component is configured to collect data describing a status of at least one element of machinery within a manufacturing facility.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component is configured to collect real-time data from back-end data sources.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first component is further configured to collect non-real-time data from at least one back-end database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component represents a business unit that is replicated within the business entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first component is configured to collect data from a disparate set of back-end data sources that are associated with each such replicated business unit.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first component comprises a second component that represents a business sub-unit that exists within each replicated business unit, said second component being associated with a second view that specifies how data associated with the business sub-unit is displayed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the navigation interface represents each such business sub-unit within a navigation node structure as a child of the respective business unit to which that sub-unit corresponds.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first component comprises multiple members, and wherein the step of connecting the multiple instances of the first component to respective sets of back-end data sources comprises connecting each member of each instance of the first component to a different respective back-end data source.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the first view comprises defining an animation, said animation providing an image that changes in appearance in response to fluctuations in data collected from a back-end data source.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the first view comprises including within the first view a hyperlink to a second view that corresponds to a second component.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a second component that represents a second type of business element that exists within the business entity, wherein the second component contains the first component, and wherein the navigation interface permits a user to drill down from an instance of the second component to a corresponding instance of the first component to view data collected by the first component.

14. A model generated according to the method of claim 1 represented within computer memory.

15. A model development system that is configured to perform the method of claim 1 under the control of a user to generate a model.

16. A system for the collection and display of data from multiple sources, the system comprising, within computer memory:

a plurality of instances of a first component, said first component representing a first type of business element that exists within a business entity, each instance of the first component representing, and being configured to collect data associated with, a respective one of said business elements;

a plurality of views that each correspond to the first component, each such view specifying how data collected by the first component is to be displayed; and

a navigation interface that provides functionality for users to navigate the plurality of instances of the first component, wherein the navigation interface provides a user option to select between the plurality of views to view the data collected by each of the plurality of instances of the first component;

wherein the first component includes a second component that represents a second type of business element that is a member of the first type of business element, wherein each instance of the first component includes a respective instance of the second component, and wherein the navigation interface represents each instance of the second component as a child node of a parent node that represents the corresponding instance of the first component.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first component is configured to collect real-time data from back-end systems of the first type of business element.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first component is further configured to collect non-real-time data from a back-end database of the first type of business element.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein each instance of the first component is connected to a different respective set of back-end data sources.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the back-end data sources include units of machinery within a manufacturing facility.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation interface displays a listing of the plurality of views in response to a user clicking on a node representing an instance of the first component, such that the user may select a view from said listing for viewing associated data.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising a second view that specifies how data collected by the second component is to be displayed, said second view being different from each of the plurality of views corresponding to the first component.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the views includes an animation that displays an image that changes in appearance in response to fluctuations in data from a back-end data source.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the first component includes a plurality of members, each of which is configured to connect to a different respective type of back-end data source.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the navigation interface supports navigation of the plurality of instances of the first component via a web browser.

26. A development system for developing a model for the collection and display of data, the development system comprising:

a component builder that provides functionality for generating reusable components for collecting data from back-end data sources, including back-end data sources associated with business elements, whereby a user may create a reusable component that represents a particular type of business element, wherein the component builder provides functionality for generating a component that includes one or more other components generated by the component builder, whereby sub-units of an element are modeled as sub-components of the component representing that element;

a view builder that provides functionality for generating views that correspond to specific components generated by the component builder, whereby a user can generate one or more views that specify how data collected by a corresponding component is to be displayed, wherein the view builder provides functionality for inserting a view corresponding to a first component within a view corresponding to a parent component of the first component;

a catalog that contains components generated with the component builder; and

a module that provides functionality for selecting components from the catalog, creating multiple instances of a selected component to represent multiple elements of a common type, and connecting an instance to a respective source of back-end data to allow that instance to collect data.

27. The development system of claim 26, further comprising a navigation interface that represents each instance of each selected component as a respective node of a hierarchical node structure that may be browsed by users to view collected data.

28. The development system of claim 26, wherein the view builder enables a user to generate a first view that includes a hyperlink to a second view.

29. The development system of claim 26, wherein the view builder enables a user to define multiple views for a given component, and wherein the system further comprises a navigation interface that allows users to select between said multiple views to view data collected by instances of the given component.

30. The development system of claim 26, wherein the view builder provides functionality for incorporating into a view an animation that changes the appearance of a graphical image in response to fluctuations in back-end data collected by a corresponding component.

31. The development system of claim 26, wherein the module includes a connection tool that provides functionality for connecting a selected instance of a component to a disparate set of back-end data sources.

32. The development system of claim 31, wherein the connection tool supports connections to point sources of real-time data and to back-end databases.

33. The development system of claim 31, wherein the connection tool enables a user to specify a frequency with which data is to be collected from a selected data source.

34. The development system of claim 26, wherein the system supports an ability to make a modification to an existing component with the component builder, and to propagate the modification to multiple existing instances of that component.

35. A development system for developing a model for the collection and display of data, the development system comprising:

a component builder that provides functionality for generating reusable components for collecting data from back-end data sources, including back-end data sources associated with business elements, whereby a user may create a reusable component that represents a particular type of business element;

a view builder that provides functionality for generating views that correspond to specific components generated by the component builder, whereby a user can generate one or more views that specify how data collected by a corresponding component is to be displayed;

a catalog that contains components generated with the component builder; and

a module that provides functionality for selecting components from the catalog, creating multiple instances of a selected component to represent multiple elements of a common type, and connecting an instance to a respective source of back-end data to allow that instance to collect data

wherein the module includes a connection tool that provides functionality for connecting a selected instance of a component to a disparate set of back-end data sources,

and the connection tool enables a user to specify a frequency with which data is to be collected from a selected data source.

36. The development system of claim 35, wherein the component builder provides functionality for generating a component that includes one or more other components generated by the component builder, whereby sub-units of an element are modeled as sub-components of the component representing that element.

37. The development system of claim 35, further comprising a navigation interface that represents each instance of each selected component as a respective node of a hierarchical node structure that may be browsed by users to view collected data.

38. The development system of claim 35, wherein the view builder provides functionality for inserting a view corresponding to a first component within a view corresponding to a parent component of the first component.

39. The development system of claim 35, wherein the view builder enables a user to generate a first view that includes a hyperlink to a second view.

40. The development system of claim 35, wherein the view builder enables a user to define multiple views for a given component, and wherein the system further comprises a navigation interface that allows users to select between said multiple views to view data collected by instances of the given component.

41. The development system of claim 35, wherein the view builder provides functionality for incorporating into a view an animation that changes the appearance of a graphical image in response to fluctuations in back-end data collected by a corresponding component.

42. The development system of claim 35, wherein the connection tool supports connections to point sources of real-time data and to back-end databases.

43. The development system of claim 35, wherein the system supports an ability to make a modification to an existing component with the component builder, and to propagate the modification to multiple existing instances of that component.

44. A method of generating a model for the collection and display of data from multiple sources, the method comprising:

generating a first component that represents a first type of business element that exists within a business entity, said first component being a reusable software component for collecting data associated with business elements of the first type, wherein the first component represents a business unit that is replicated within the business entity, and comprises a second component that represents a business sub-unit that exists within each replicated business unit, said second component being associated with a second view that specifies how data associated with the business sub-unit is displayed;

defining a first view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed;

creating multiple instances of the first component, each of which corresponds to a different respective business element of said first type;

connecting each instance of the first component to a respective set of back-end data sources associated with the respective business element, to allow the instances of the first component to collect data associated with their respective business elements; and

providing a navigation interface through which a user may navigate the multiple instances of the first component to view collected data associated with each of the multiple business elements of the first type, wherein the navigation interface displays said data according to at least said first view;

whereby the first component and the first view are reused to collect and display data associated with the multiple different business elements of the first type.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising defining a third view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed, wherein the navigation interface provides an option for users to select between at least the first and third views to view data collected by an instance of the first component.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the first component is configured to collect data describing a status of at least one element of machinery within a manufacturing facility.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the first component is configured to collect real-time data from back-end data sources.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the first component is further configured to collect non-real-time data from at least one back-end database.

49. The method of claim 44, wherein the first component is configured to collect data from a disparate set of back-end data sources that are associated with each such replicated business unit.

50. The method of claim 44, wherein the navigation interface represents each such business sub-unit within a navigation node structure as a child of the respective business unit to which that sub-unit corresponds.

51. The method of claim 44, wherein the first component comprises multiple members, and wherein the step of connecting the multiple instances of the first component to respective sets of back-end data sources comprises connecting each member of each instance of the first component to a different respective back-end data source.

52. The method of claim 44, wherein defining the first view comprises defining an animation, said animation providing an image that changes in appearance in response to fluctuations in data collected from a back-end data source.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein defining the first view comprises including within the first view a hyperlink to a second view that corresponds to a second component.

54. The method of claim 44, further comprising generating a third component that represents a third type of business element that exists within the business entity, wherein the third component contains the first component, and wherein the navigation interface permits a user to drill down from an instance of the third component to a corresponding instance of the first component to view data collected by the first component.

55. A model generated according to the method of claim 44 represented within a computer memory.

56. A model development system that is configured to perform the method of claim 44 under the control of a user to generate a model.

57. A method of generating a model for the collection and display of data from multiple sources, the method comprising:

generating a first component that represents a first type of business element that exists within a business entity, said first component being a reusable software component for collecting data associated with business elements of the first type;

defining a first view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed;

creating multiple instances of the first component, each of which corresponds to a different respective business element of said first type;

connecting each instance of the first component to a respective set of back-end data sources associated with the respective business element, to allow the instances of the first component to collect data associated with their respective business elements; and

providing a navigation interface through which a user may navigate the multiple instances of the first component to view collected data associated with each of the multiple business elements of the first type, wherein the navigation interface displays said data according to at least said first view;

whereby the first component and the first view are reused to collect and display data associated with the multiple different business elements of the first type;

and wherein the method further comprises generating a second component that represents a second type of business element that exists within the business entity, wherein the second component contains the first component, and wherein the navigation interface permits a user to drill down from an instance of the second component to a corresponding instance of the first component to view data collected by the first component.

58. The method of claim 57, further comprising defining a second view that specifies how data collected by the first component is to be displayed, wherein the navigation interface provides an option for users to select between at least the first and second views to view data collected by an instance of the first component.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein the first component is configured to collect data describing a status of at least one element of machinery within a manufacturing facility.

60. The method of claim 57, wherein the first component is configured to collect real-time data from back-end data sources.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the first component is further configured to collect non-real-time data from at least one back-end database.

62. The method of claim 57, wherein the first component represents a business unit that is replicated within the business entity.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the first component is configured to collect data from a disparate set of back-end data sources that are associated with each such replicated business unit.

64. The method of claim 57, wherein the first component comprises multiple members, and wherein the step of connecting the multiple instances of the first component to respective sets of back-end data sources comprises connecting each member of each instance of the first component to a different respective back-end data source.

65. The method of claim 57, wherein defining the first view comprises defining an animation, said animation providing an image that changes in appearance in response to fluctuations in data collected from a back-end data source.

66. The method of claim 57, wherein defining the first view comprises including within the first view a hyperlink to a second view that corresponds to a third component.

67. A model generated according to the method of claim 57 represented within computer memory.

68. A model development system that is configured to perform the method of claim 57 under the control of a user to generate a model.