Business process extension for productivity suite application

• US 7,853,959 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Kol, Nir, Samson, Frederick E., Agassi, Shai E., Wodtke, Dirk, Vogler-Ivashchanka, Iryna, Moore, Dennis Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough; H. S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seye; Abdou K
• Application Number:
  US11/350,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 719/319
• US Class Current: 719/319
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to provide extension to a groupware client to enable the groupware client to access a workflow of a business process from the context of the groupware client. An enterprise server that manages the workflow can interface with the groupware client to provide action on the workflow from within the context of the groupware client. The enterprise server passes the action to the enterprise backend to implement the action on the workflow. Thus, action on the workflow from the groupware client affects the workflow on the enterprise level. Status information about the workflow may be persisted in the groupware client to enable continued interaction with the workflow from within the groupware client.

Claims

1. A method for performing an action of a business process, comprising:

receiving at a server side enterprise server that manages a workflow instance, a request from a client side groupware client application to perform an action at the enterprise server on a task of the workflow,

the request generated by executing the action within a context of the groupware client application to request the action be applied at the enterprise server,

wherein the groupware client application executes on a client device separate from the enterprise server, and has native functionality to access an associated groupware server, separate from the enterprise server that manages the workflow instance, and does not have native functionality to interact with the enterprise server, and

wherein the groupware client application includes an extension module executing under the groupware client application to enable the groupware client application to interact with the enterprise server to generate the request for the action within the context of the groupware client application, bypassing the groupware server;

implementing the action in enterprise backend services to apply the action to the workflow instance, in response to receiving the request to perform the action from the groupware client application, to affect the task of the workflow instance at an enterprise level of an enterprise with which the enterprise server is associated, the backend services accessible to the groupware client via the extension module that enables the groupware client application to interact with the enterprise server and bypass the groupware server; and

in response to the request, providing enterprise-level status information related to the workflow instance from the enterprise server to the groupware client application via the extension module to enable the groupware client application to provide a groupware-based user interface for one or more tasks of the workflow instance to perform actions on the tasks and receive status through the groupware client application, wherein performing actions on the tasks and receiving workflow instance status provide for viewing and performing operations on the workflow instance within the context of the groupware client application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to perform the action on the task at the enterprise server comprises:

receiving the action directly from the groupware client application via web services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the action on the task further comprises:

sending the task from the enterprise server to the groupware client application; and

receiving the request to perform the action on the task in response to sending the task to the groupware client application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein sending the task to the groupware client application comprises:

sending a task related to the context of the groupware client to the groupware client application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to perform the action on the task further comprises:

receiving a request for an action associated with initiating a workflow instance at the groupware client application through the application extension.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the action includes one or more of monitoring, tracking, executing, completing, or initiating.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request to perform the action executed within the context of the groupware client application comprises:

receiving the action executed within the context of an office productivity software application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the action to affect the task comprises:

modifying an enterprise business object related to the task.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the status information to enable the groupware client application to provide the interface to the one or more tasks comprises:

providing the status information to enable the groupware client application to interface to a task unrelated to the context of the groupware client application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the enterprise-level status information to the groupware client application comprises:

providing the status information to from the enterprise server to the associated groupware server, the groupware server to provide the status information to the groupware client application.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the status information to the groupware server comprises:

providing the status information to the groupware server in response to the occurrence of an event affecting the workflow instance.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein providing the status information to the groupware server comprises:

providing the status information to a groupware server in response to a request for the status information by the groupware server.

13. An article of manufacture comprising a machine accessible storage medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to cause a machine to perform operations including:

receiving a request from a groupware client application to perform an action on a task of an enterprise-level workflow instance,

the request generated by executing the action within a context of the groupware client application to request the action be applied at an enterprise server that manages the workflow instance,

wherein the groupware client application is to execute on a client device separate from the enterprise server, and has native functionality to access an associated groupware server, separate from the enterprise server, and does not have native functionality to interact with the enterprise server, and

wherein the groupware client application includes an enterprise-access extension executing under the groupware client application to enable the groupware client application to interact with the enterprise server to generate the request for the action within the context of the groupware client application, bypassing the groupware server;

implementing the action in enterprise backend services to apply the action to the workflow instance, in response to receiving the request to perform the action from the groupware client application, to affect the task of the workflow instance at an enterprise level of an enterprise to which the workflow instance belongs, the backend services accessible to the groupware client application via the enterprise-access extension that enables the groupware client application to interact with the enterprise server and bypass the groupware server; and

in response to the request, providing enterprise-level status information related to the workflow instance to the groupware client application via the extension to enable the groupware client application to provide a groupware-based user interface for one or more tasks of the workflow instance via the groupware client application to perform actions on the tasks and receive status through the groupware client application, wherein performing actions on the tasks and receiving workflow instance status provide for viewing and performing operations on the workflow instance within the context of the qroupware client application.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for receiving the request to perform the action from the groupware client application comprises:

content to provide instructions for receiving the request to perform the action from an email client.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the content to provide instructions for providing the enterprise-level status information comprises:

content to provide instructions for synchronizing information related to the workflow instance stored in an enterprise database with information related to the workflow instance that exists locally to the groupware client application.

16. An apparatus comprising:

an interface server coupled to an enterprise server to receive, from within a work environment of a groupware application to execute on a client separate from the enterprise server, a request for enterprise-level data related to a workflow instance, access a backend service of the enterprise server to fulfill the request, and persist status information related to the workflow instance in the groupware application;

wherein the groupware application to have native functionality to access an associated groupware server, separate from the enterprise server, and not have native functionality to interact with the enterprise server, and

wherein the groupware application to include an enterprise-access extension to execute under the groupware application to enable the groupware application to interact with the enterprise server to generate the request for an action to be performed within a context of the groupware application to be applied to the workflow instance at the enterprise server, bypassing the groupware server;

the interface server to implement the action in enterprise backend services to apply the action to the workflow instance, in response to receiving the request to perform the action from the groupware client application, to affect a task of the workflow instance at an enterprise level of an enterprise to which the workflow instance belongs, the backend services accessible to the groupware client application via the enterprise-access extension that enables the groupware client application to interact with the enterprise server and bypass the groupware server, and

in response to the request, provide enterprise-level status information related to the workflow instance to the groupware client application via the extension to enable the groupware client application to provide a groupware-based user interface for one or more tasks of the workflow instance via the groupware client application to perform actions on the tasks and receive status through the groupware client application, wherein performing actions on the tasks and receiving workflow instance status provide for viewing and performing operations on the workflow instance within the context of the groupware client application;

a service mapper of the enterprise server to map the request to a service to enable the interface server to access the backend service; and

a data broker of the enterprise server to access enterprise data related to the workflow instance to persist in the groupware application.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, the service mapper to map the request to a service comprises:

the service mapper to map the request to one or more of a local enterprise service, a remote enterprise service, or a Web service.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a repository local to the groupware application, coupled to the interface server, to receive status information from the interface server, and store information related to the workflow instance.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, the repository to store information related to the workflow instance comprising:

the repository to store modifications made to the workflow instance within the context of the groupware application during a period when the groupware application is offline, and further to provide the stored modifications to the interface server when the groupware application is brought online.