Sequencing updates to business objects

• US 7,657,575 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pecht-Seibert, Guenter, Eberlein, Peter, Getzner, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBERLY, VAN HONG
• Application Number:
  US11/322,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20070185720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A system and method for compensating for disruptions to update transmissions is disclosed. A first application component stores an instance of a business object. The first application component reconciles the instance with data stored on a second application component. The first application component receives a business object update from the second application component. The first application component checks a reconciliation value associated with the business object update. If the first reconciliation value indicates the first business object update was sent after the reconciliation, the first application component applies the business object update to the instance.

Claims

1. A method of compensating for sequencing errors in the transmission of updates to business objects within an inventory management system stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:

storing, in a first computer memory, a first instance of a business object of a first application component, including a count value associated with data stored in the first instance;

receiving, in a first queue of the first application component, update messages including data associated with a second application component, wherein the second application component data is stored in a second computer memory;

overwriting the data of the first instance with the second application component data;

if a disruption is detected in said receiving of update messages, the detected disruption causing the first queue to stall;

receiving a reconciliation message from the second application component in a second queue of the first application component, the reconciliation message including reconciliation data and a reconciliation value; and

discarding the second application component data update messages from the first queue;

comparing the reconciliation value with the count value;

if the reconciliation value is greater than the count value, overwriting the data of the first instance with the reconciliation data and setting the count value equal to the reconciliation value; and

if the reconciliation value is less than or equal to the count value, discarding the reconciliation message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a disruption based on a consistency report.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the update messages comprise delta updates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the update messages comprise absolute updates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reconciliation data comprises a first reconciliation data portion and a second reconciliation data portion; and

the first and second reconciliation data portions apply, respectively, to a first aspect and a second aspect of the first instance of the business object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the reconciliation message comprises a first reconciliation value and a second reconciliation value, the first and second reconciliation values associated, respectively, with the first reconciliation data portion and the second reconciliation data portion; and

said comparing comprises comparing the first reconciliation value with a first count value, the first count value associated with the first aspect of the first instance, and comparing the second reconciliation value with a second count value, the second count value associated with the second aspect of the first instance.

7. A computer readable medium storing a set of program instructions adapted to perform a compensating for sequencing errors in the transmission of updates to business objects, comprising:

storing a first instance of a business object of a first application component, including a count value associated with data stored in the first instance;

receiving, in a first queue of the first application component, update messages including data associated with a second application component;

overwriting the data of the first instance with the second application component data;

if a disruption is detected in said receiving of update messages, the detected disruption causing the first queue to stall;

receiving a reconciliation message from the second application component in a second queue of the first application component, the reconciliation message including reconciliation data and a reconciliation value; and

discarding update messages from the first queue;

comparing the reconciliation value with the count value;

if the reconciliation value is greater than the count value, overwriting the data of the first instance with the reconciliation data and setting the count value equal to the reconciliation value; and

if the reconciliation value is less than or equal to the count value, discarding the reconciliation message.

8. The set of program instructions of claim 7, wherein a disruption is detected based on a consistency report.

9. The set of program instructions of claim 7, wherein the update messages comprise delta updates.

10. The set of program instructions of claim 7, wherein the update messages comprise absolute updates.

11. The set of program instructions of claim 7, wherein:

the reconciliation data comprises a first reconciliation data portion and a second reconciliation data portion; and

the first and second reconciliation data portions apply, respectively, to a first aspect and a second aspect of the first instance of the business object.

12. The set of program instructions of claim 11, wherein:

the reconciliation message comprises a first reconciliation value and a second reconciliation value, the first and second reconciliation values associated, respectively, with the first reconciliation data portion and the second reconciliation data portion; and

said comparing comprises comparing the first reconciliation value with a first count value, the first count value associated with the first aspect of the first instance, and comparing the second reconciliation value with a second count value, the second count value associated with the second aspect of the first instance.

13. An application component of an inventory management system comprising:

a data storage medium to store a first instance of a business object, including a count value associated with data stored in the first instance;

a first queue, defined by a first computer memory portion, to receive update messages to overwrite the first instance with data stored on a second application component;

a second queue, defined by a second computer memory portion, to receive a reconciliation message from the second application component upon detection of a disruption in the receiving of update messages, the disruption causing the first queue to stall, and the reconciliation message including reconciliation data and a reconciliation value;

a processor to discard update messages from the first queue upon the detection of the disruption, to compare the reconciliation value with the count value and, if the reconciliation value is greater than the count value, to overwrite the first instance data with the reconciliation data and to set the count value equal to the reconciliation value, and, if the reconciliation value is less than or equal to the count value, to discard the reconciliation message.

14. The application component of claim 13, wherein a disruption is detected based on a consistency report.

15. The application component of claim 13, wherein the update messages comprise delta updates.

16. The application component of claim 13, wherein the update messages comprise absolute updates.

17. The application component of claim 13, wherein:

the reconciliation data comprises a first reconciliation data portion and a second reconciliation data portion; and

the first and second reconciliation data portions apply, respectively, to a first aspect and a second aspect of the first instance of the business object.

18. The application component of claim 17, wherein:

the reconciliation message comprises a first reconciliation value and a second reconciliation value, the first and second reconciliation values associated, respectively, with the first reconciliation data portion and the second reconciliation data portion; and

the processor is disposed to compare the first reconciliation value with a first count value, the first count value associated with the first aspect of the first instance, and to compare the second reconciliation value with a second count value, the second count value associated with the second aspect of the first instance.

19. A method of compensating for sequencing errors in the transmission of updates to business objects within an inventory management system stored on a computer readable medium, comprising:

storing, in a first computer memory, a first instance of a business object of a first application component, including a count value associated with data stored in the first instance;

receiving, in a first queue of the first application component, update messages from a second application component, wherein the update messages include data associated with the second application component, the second application component storing data in a second computer memory;

overwriting the data of the first instance with the second application component data in the update messages;

if a disruption is detected in said receiving of update messages in the first queue;

stalling the first queue, preventing the overwriting of data of the first instance with any second application component data in update messages in the first queue;

switching from the first queue to a second queue of the first application component,

discarding update messages from the first queue;

receiving a reconciliation message from the second application component in the second queue, the reconciliation message including reconciliation data and a reconciliation value; and

comparing the reconciliation value with the count value;

if the reconciliation value is greater than the count value, overwriting the data of the first instance with the reconciliation data and setting the count value equal to the reconciliation value; and

if the reconciliation value is less than or equal to the count value, discarding the reconciliation message.