Triggering workflows based on middleware events

• US 7,870,563 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Satyanarayana, Sudhir Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Lechi
• Application Number:
  US11/523,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 719/314, 709/206
• US Class Current: 719/314
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Workflows are triggered for time-sensitive, user-specific data queued for delivery to a plurality of users. Responsive to time-sensitive data being queued, time-based triggers are created based at least in part upon content of the time-sensitive data. If the time-sensitive data is still in the queue when the time-based trigger expires, one-or-more rules are executed to change a destination of the time-sensitive data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

queuing user-specific data for a plurality of users by a processor, at least some of the data being time-sensitive;

storing the queued user-specific data for a plurality of users in a computer-readable storage medium associated with a middleware platform;

searching, by the processor, for the time-sensitive data;

extracting, by the processor, rule information from the time-sensitive data;

responsive to time-sensitive data being queued, creating a first time-based trigger based at least in part upon the extracted rule information;

generating a workflow tracking message indicating that the time-sensitive data has been removed from the queue if the time-sensitive data is removed from the queue; and

changing a destination of the time-sensitive data based upon the extracted rule information if the time-sensitive data is still in the queue when the first time-based trigger expires;

wherein changing the destination of the time-sensitive data comprises;

changing the destination of the queued data from a first user to a second user; and

replacing the first time-based trigger with a second time-based trigger;

wherein the time-sensitive data is associated with a workflow, the method further comprising;

responsive to changing the destination of the time-sensitive data, generating a workflow tracking message indicating that the destination of the time-sensitive data has been changed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

canceling the first time-based trigger if the time-sensitive data is removed from the queue.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to transmitting at least some of the queued time-sensitive data to a device of a respective user of the plurality of users, removing the transmitted data from the queue.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein changing the destination of the time-sensitive data comprises:

transmitting at least some of the queued time-sensitive data to a destination other than the plurality of users; and

removing the transmitted data from the queue.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific data includes an identifier indicating time-sensitivity.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying at least one rule to determine whether the user-specific data is time-sensitive.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the destination of the time-sensitive data includes executing at least one rule.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the rule to be executed to change the destination of the time-sensitive data is included in the time-sensitive data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time-based trigger is created on a first computer, the method further comprising:

opening a communication session between the first computer and a second computer over a network;

responsive to the opening of the communication session, moving the user-specific data from the first computer to a local data store of the second computer;

closing the communication session;

responsive to the time-sensitive being moved to the local data store, setting a second time-based trigger on the second computer; and

executing a rule on the second computer to change a destination of the time-sensitive data if the time-sensitive data is still in the local data store when the second time-based trigger expires.

10. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising, responsive to the time-sensitive data being moved to the local data store of the second computer, canceling the first time-based trigger on the first computer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the time-sensitive data is associated with a workflow, the method further comprising the first computer generating a workflow tracking message indicating that the time-sensitive data has been moved to the second computer if the time-sensitive data is moved from the first computer to the second computer.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second time-based trigger is set based at least in part upon content of the time-sensitive data.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating the second time-based trigger on the first computer; and

transmitting the second time-based trigger to the second computer during the communication session.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising, responsive to a device of a respective user of the plurality of users connecting to the second computer:

transmitting at least some of the time-sensitive data from the local data store to the device;

removing the transmitted data from the local data store; and

canceling the second time-based trigger.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the time-sensitive data is associated with a workflow, the method further comprising, responsive to the device of the respective user connecting to the second computer:

generating a workflow tracking message indicating that the time-sensitive data has been delivered to the respective user;

storing the workflow tracking message in the local data store; and

transmitting the workflow tracking message to the first computer during a next communication session.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a computer to perform a method comprising:

adding a time-based trigger to a list of time-based triggers if user-specific data is inserted into a memory and is time-sensitive, the memory to queue user-specific data for one or more users for distribution, wherein the time-based trigger is configured based upon rule information extracted from the time-sensitive user-specific data;

generating a workflow tracking message for a workflow engine indicating that the time-sensitive user-specific data has been removed from the queue if the time-sensitive data is removed from the queue;

responsive to determining that at least one of the time-based triggers in the list has expired, initiating an operation to act upon the time-sensitive data in memory that is associated with the expired time-based trigger, wherein the operation is chosen based upon the rule information extracted from the time-sensitive user-specific data; and

deleting the time-based trigger from the list if the time-sensitive data associated with a respective trigger is removed from the memory;

determining whether user-specific data is time-sensitive by application of one or more rules to a respective data if the user-specific data is inserted into the memory;

transmitting, to a second computer, a copy of the time-based triggers from the list together with associated queued user-specific data, if the queued user-specific data is transferred from the first computer to the second computer for distribution to one or more users from the second computer.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the method further comprising:

transmitting, to a second computer, a copy of the time-based triggers from the list together with associated queued user-specific data, if the queued user-specific data is transferred from the first computer to the second computer for distribution to one or more users from the second computer.

18. A system comprising:

a workflow engine module to generate workflow tasks in conjunction with one or more software application programs, and to monitor progress toward completion of the workflow tasks;

a middleware module to queue user-specific data associated with workflow tasks for delivery to one or more users, wherein the middleware module is to determine whether the user-specific data is time-sensitive based upon information embedded in the user-specific data by the workflow engine module and, if the user-specific data is time-sensitive, the middleware is to generate a time-based trigger associated with the time-sensitive user-specific data, the middleware module including;

memory to store the queued user-specific data; and

an event generation module to manage the queued user-specific data in the memory that is time-sensitive and

a rules engine module, the rules engine module to determine an operations to be executed upon the time-sensitive data in memory by application of one or more rules to attributes of a respective data, wherein the operations to be executed upon the time-sensitive data are chosen based upon the information embedded in the user-specific data by the workflow engine module and the operations are applied after expiration of the time-based trigger;

wherein the middleware module is to communicate to the workflow engine module operations executed upon the user-specific data associated with the workflow tasks;

wherein the middleware module is to determine whether user-specific data is time-sensitive based upon information embedded in the user-specific data by said one or more software application programs.