Database system and information processing system with process code information

• US 7,475,400 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2001
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Ai
• Assistant Examiner(s): To; Jennifer N
• Application Number:
  US09/875,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20020016810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,771 Days
• Field of Search: 718100-108, 705 5- 9, 707/104.1, 707/201
• US Class Current: 718/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

System (software) development is performed based on a state transition diagram. The workflow of a business process is partitioned for each event therein and assigns process codes to the respective process results. A process code is an identification code to indicate a certain state of a process. For example, a process code AA is assigned to the waiting state before completion of a process A, and a process code AB is assigned to the completion state thereof, wherein the process code AB is set as a condition to start a process B. The process codes that are set based on the state transition diagram are managed in an external database (DB) so that flexible modification of the state transition configuration and the state transition order is possible. This provides an entirely new method of system design that facilitates business process reengineering.

Claims

1. An information processing method, comprising the steps of:

assigning each of a series of business processes a position in a given sequence in a state transition diagram representing a given workflow process;

assigning process codes to results of the processes, each of the process codes being assigned to a respective one of the business processes, and each of the process codes including a first character indicating a status of the business process to which said each of the process codes is assigned, and a second character identifying the process that is next in the given sequence after the business process to which said each of the process codes is assigned, and wherein said process codes determine said given sequence of business processes;

recording, in a state transition database, the process codes and state transition data describing states of said business processes;

providing a process code management database based on said recorded state transition data;

storing in said process code management database

i) information identifying each of said business processes,

ii) first process code information to determine whether or not to start the processes, and

iii) second process code information to represent, after execution of each process, the state of said each executed process;

providing a given business application to execute said processes;

said business application calling a determination section to determine whether a specified one of said processes is executable;

in response to said call, said determination section using said first process code information in the process code management database to determine whether said specified process is executable by said business application; and

changing said first process code information thereby changing said given sequence of the business processes and changing said given workflow process.

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising the further step of using the determination section to inform said next process to be executed.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein:

the presentation logic queries the determination section if a process is executable or not; and

if the process is executable, the presentation logic obtains information from a business database for display on an input/output section; and

the business logic updates the business database according to input from the input/output section.