Error handling for intermittently connected mobile applications

• US 7,689,567 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Lock, Hendrik, Matic, Dragon
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US11/647,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/200, 709217-218, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation

Abstract

An intermittently connected mobile device asynchronously communicates with a middleware system for subsequent communication with a back-end system. Local data objects are given an inconsistent state when charged on the mobile device and the back-end system is not available for data validation. Due to the intermittent communication, a waiting period for possible validation may be hours, days, weeks, etc. If an error occurs, the mobile device then receives and maintains a list of the error notifications. Upon selection of an error notification, an error resolution process is executed on the mobile device so that the user can select between the local data object and the remote data object. If the back-end object is selected, the process terminates otherwise if the local is selected, the user is presented the interface to update the data object, which is again verified by the back-end system.

Claims

1. A computer-implement method for error handling in an intermittently connected mobile application, the method comprising:

(i) storing, by a processor, a local data object in a local data storage device;

(ii) setting, by the processor, the local data object to an inconsistent state;

(iii) transferring, by the processor, the local data object to an outgoing message queue;

(iv) checking, by the processor, for a communication link between the mobile application and a back-end processing system;

(v) upon detection of the communication link, transmitting, by a transmitting device, a data message to the back-end processing system, the data message including the data object from the outgoing message queue, wherein the mobile application is operative to perform other operations when the communication link is not available;

(vi) responsive to the back-end processing system rejecting the local data object, receiving, by a receiving device, an error message from a back-end server;

(vii) setting, by the processor, the local data object to a rejected state;

(viii) executing, by the processor, an error resolution process including;

displaying the local data object and a remote data object;

receiving a user-selection of the local data object or the remote data object;

when the remote data object is selected, replacing the local data object with the remote data object in the local data storage device and terminating the error resolution process; and

when the local data object is selected, receiving a user adjustment to the local data object and repeating steps i-viii,

wherein displaying of the local data object and the remote data object is based on retrieving the data objects from the local storage device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data message is transmitted through a middleware application.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the data message is transmitted from a remote device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein during the error resolution process, when remote data object is selected, the method further comprises setting, by the processor, the local data object to a consistent state.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein during the error resolution process, when the local data object is selected, the method further comprises displaying a user input screen for receiving the user adjustment to update the local data object.

6. A mobile device with an intermittently connected mobile application, the mobile device comprising:

a receiving device and a transmitting device, both, in intermittent operative communication with a back-end server;

a memory device including executable instructions; and

a processing device, in response to the executable instructions, operative to;

(i) store a local data object in a local data storage device;

(ii) set the local data object to an inconsistent state,

(iii) transfer the local data object to an outgoing message queue;

(iv) check for a communication link between the mobile application and a back-end processing system;

(v) upon detection of the communication link, transmit, by the transmitting device, a data message to the back-end processing system, the data message including the data object from the outgoing message queue, wherein the mobile application is operative to perform other operations when the communication link is not available;

(vi) responsive to the back-end processing system rejecting the local data object, receive, by the receiving device, an error message from a back-end server;

(vii) set the local data object to a rejected state;

(viii) execute an error resolution process including;

displaying the local data object and a remote data object;

receiving a user-selection of the local data object or the remote data object;

when the remote data object is selected, replacing the local data object with the remote data object in the local data storage device and terminating the error resolution process; and

when the local data object is selected, receiving a user adjustment to the local data object and repeating steps i-viii,

wherein the processing device is operative to display the local data object and the remote data object based on retrieving the objects from the local data storage device.

7. The mobile device of claim 6 wherein the data message is transmitted through a middleware application.

8. The mobile device of claim 6, wherein the processing device is further operative to, during the error resolution process, when remote data object is selected, the method further comprises set the local data object to a consistent state.

9. The mobile device of claim 6 further comprising:

an input device; and

wherein the processing device is further operative to, during the error resolution process, if when the local data object is selected, the method further comprises display a user input screen for receiving the user adjustment to update the local data object.

10. A wireless computing system having a mobile device with an intermittently connected mobile application, the mobile device comprising:

a back-end processing system including, a back-end processing device and a back-end server;

a middleware processing system including a middleware processing device; and

the mobile device including;

a receiving device and a transmitting device, both, in intermittent operative communication with the back-end server;

a memory device including executable instructions; and

a processing device, in response to the executable instructions, operative to;

(i) store a local data object in a local data storage device;

(ii) set the local data object to an inconsistent state;

(iii) transfer the local data object, to an outgoing message queue;

(iv) check for a communication link between the mobile application and the back-end processing system;

(v) upon detection of the communication link, transmit, by the transmitting device, a data message to the back-end processing system, the data message including the data object from the outgoing message queue, wherein the mobile application is operative to perform other operations when the communication link is not available;

(vi) responsive to the back-end processing system rejecting the local data object, receive, by the receiving device, an error message from a back-end server;

(vii) set the local data object to a rejected state;

(viii) execute an error resolution process including;

displaying the local data object and a remote data object;

receiving a user-selection of the local data object or the remote data object;

when the remote data object is selected, replacing the local data object with the remote data object in the local data storage device and terminating the error resolution process; and

when the local data object is selected, receiving a user adjustment to the local data object and repeating steps i-viii,

wherein the processing device is operative to display the local data object and the remote data object based on retrieving the objects from the local data storage device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the data message is transmitted through a middleware application executable on the middleware processing device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing device of the mobile device is further operative to, during the error resolution process, when remote data object is selected, the method further comprises set the local data object to a consistent state.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the mobile device further includes:

an input device; and

wherein the processing device is further operative to, during the error resolution process, if when the local data object is selected, the method further comprises display a user input screen for receiving the user adjustment to update the local data object.