Method for utilizing a multi-layered data model to generate audience specific documents

• US 7,640,255 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Brookler, David
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Baoquoc N
• Application Number:
  US11/204,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,597 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/103.R, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Audience specific documents targeted at a plurality of media types are generated by accessing data from a multi-layered data model comprising an audience hierarchy. When obtaining a data value for a particular audience, if that value does not exist for that audience then the audience hierarchy may be utilized to find the data value for an inherited audience. By adding regional, cultural or regulatory subdivisions within the audience hierarchy and inheriting large portions of existing audience specific data entries, a large number of audience specific documents may be generated with a minimal amount of data entry required. Audiences may be specified in a given order for traversal within the hierarchy and displayed in a data entry and editing application utilizing visual characteristics to inform a user if the value for a particular piece of data is inherited from another layer or utilized from the particular layer in use.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method utilizing a multi-layered data model to generate an audience specific document comprising:

creating a family structure related to a main data structure wherein said family structure comprises at least one family that defines a sub-group of main data structure values from said main data structure wherein said sub-group of main data structure values are related by at least one value in said main data structure having a same value in a plurality of main data structure values;

creating layout metadata in a family layout structure for said at least one family, said layout metadata is configured to format an audience specific document;

creating an audience identified by an audience identifier stored in an audience structure wherein said audience structure comprises values for language, country and region;

creating at least one data attribute in a data attribute structure associated with said main data structure and said audience wherein said audience is associated with said audience identifier stored in said data attribute structure;

accepting a subset of data for said audience with respect to another audience into said data attribute structure wherein said subset of data is unique with respect to said another audience, wherein audience data not contained in said subset of data is inherited from at least one other parent audience, and wherein said audience and said another audience differ in one or more of language, country, region, regulatory or cultural designations;

creating an audience order structure establishing a selecting hierarchy for said at least one data attribute wherein said at least one data attribute is selected utilizing a parent audience identifier from a parent audience when said at least one data attribute does not exist in association with said audience identifier in said data attribute structure; and

,

generating said audience specific document of said at least one family comprising said at least one data attribute obtained from said parent audience of said audience for a plurality of media types using said layout metadata selected from said family layout structure corresponding to said at least one family; and

displaying said audience specific document.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said common elements are fields in said main data structure values are also related by at least one data attribute value that is held in a Structure external to said main data structure.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inserting at least one audience order identifiers into said audience order structure wherein said audience order structure comprises a hierarchical relationship between a plurality of audiences.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

inserting a plurality audience order identifiers into said audience order structure wherein said audience order structure comprises a hierarchical relationship between a plurality of audiences; and

,

inserting a stop flag level for said audience in said audience order structure.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adding support for said audience without altering said main data structure.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

disabling support for said audience by setting a disable flag for said audience.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

enabling support for said audience by setting a enable flag for said audience.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

dynamically updating a display to graphically depict said layout metadata using said data attribute as said layout metadata is modified.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

depicting said layout metadata by graphically signifying an inheritance level of said at least one Data attribute.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of media types comprises paper and markup.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises interfacing to a desktop publishing program.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises sending a modified data attribute to a desktop publishing program.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises accepting a modified layout from a desktop publishing program.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises:

selecting values to publish.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises:

selecting families to publish.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises:

selecting a sequence of families to publish in an order of publication.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said generating said audience specific document further comprises:

overriding said layout metadata using publication specific metadata.