Methods and apparatus for process thumbnail view

• US 7,925,985 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moore, Dennis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William L
• Assistant Examiner(s): NUNEZ, JORDANY
• Application Number:
  US11/254,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 715/772, 717/704, 705/7, 705/9
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]

Abstract

The structure and status of a process are displayed jointly. Multiple visualization mechanisms are used to provide the visualization of business process data. Drill-down of the data provides interactivity for a user to access information. In one embodiment color coding is used to provide a color distribution to visually indicate information to a user regarding a process.

Claims

1. A method of presenting runtime structure and state information associated with a composite application executing in an enterprise environment, the method comprising:

accessing enterprise server data from a server of an enterprise system, wherein the enterprise server data corresponds to a plurality of runtime business processes of the composite application and describes a structure and status for multiple business process phases within each of the plurality of runtime business process, and wherein one or more of the runtime business processes include a guided procedure service having a

logical flow of the multiple business process phases associated with the guided procedure service including a chronological order of business process phases for the guided procedure service, and a level of progress of the business process phases for the guided procedure service, and wherein the guided procedure service specifies one or more human interactions to be performed and completed in fulfillment of the guided procedure service; and

generating and rendering a display interface based on credentials and viewing preferences of a user of the composite application, wherein generating and rendering the display interface comprises;

generating a cockpit view of the composite application wherein the cockpit view comprises a thumbnail representation for each of the plurality of runtime business processes within the composite application;

generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application, wherein generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations comprises;

generating a process phase status icon for each of the multiple business process phases of the respective runtime business process, wherein each phase status icon to graphically represent business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation and to graphically indicate a status of the business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation, and

generating a minimized view of an actual instance of the respective runtime business process within the composite application to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds including a real-time presentation of enterprise-level data associated with the respective runtime business process to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds, and

displaying each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each phase status icon graphically indicates the status of a respective business process phase via a particular color.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the business process phase status comprises a level of development of the business process phase towards completion of the business process phase.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the business process phase status comprises an indication of a threshold task to be addressed prior to completion of the business process phase.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the threshold task comprises resolving an error condition.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

expanding a business process phase status icon to display specific applications of the business process phase.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein expanding the business process phase status icon comprises displaying the specific applications of the business process phase in response to a mouse-over of the business process phase status icon by the user.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein expanding the business process phase status icon comprises displaying the specific applications of the business process phase in response to a cursor click by the user.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein expanding the business process phase status icon comprises displaying the specific applications of the business process phase in response to a user activating an icon to expand the business process.

10. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

expanding the composite application to display application-specific data.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein expanding the composite application comprises showing a link to an enterprise-level object related to the composite application.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein expanding the composite application comprises showing information related to the composite application.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein expanding the composite application comprises showing a link to a task related to the composite application.

23. A method according to claim 1, further comprising graphically indicating the status of all business process phases of a respective runtime business process by providing a color distribution to represent the overall state of the respective runtime business process.

24. A method according to claim 1, further comprising graphically indicating the status of all business process phases of a respective runtime business process by generating the process phase status icons to have a particular shape associated with a level of progress of the business process phase.

14. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-accessible storage medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to result in a machine performing operations including:

accessing enterprise server data from a server of an enterprise system, wherein the enterprise server data corresponds to a plurality of runtime business processes of a composite application and describes a structure and status for multiple business process phases within each of the plurality of runtime business process, and wherein one or more of the runtime business processes include a guided procedure service having a logical flow of the multiple business process phases associated with the guided procedure service including a chronological order of business process phases for the guided procedure service, and a level of progress of the business process phases for the guided procedure service, and wherein the guided procedure service specifies one or more human interactions to be performed and completed in fulfillment of the guided procedure service; and

generating and rendering a display interface based on credentials and viewing preferences of a user of the composite application, wherein generating and rendering the display interface comprises;

generating a cockpit view of the composite application wherein the cockpit view comprises a thumbnail representation for each of the plurality of runtime business processes within the composite application;

generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application, wherein generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations comprises;

generating a process phase status icon for each of the multiple business process phases of the respective runtime business process, wherein each phase status icon to graphically represent business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation and to graphically indicate a status of the business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation, and

generating a minimized view of an actual instance of the respective runtime business process within the composite application to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds including a real-time presentation of enterprise-level data associated with the respective runtime business process to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds, and

displaying each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application.

15. An article of manufacture according to claim 14, wherein each phase status icon to indicate graphically the status of the respective business process phase via a particular color.

16. An article of manufacture according to claim 14, wherein the business process phase status comprises one or more of a degree of completion of the business process phase or an error condition associated with the business process phase.

17. An article of manufacture according to claim 14, further comprising the content to provide instructions to result in the machine performing operations including:

expanding a thumbnail to display a business process task associated with the business process phase.

18. An article of manufacture according to claim 17, further comprising the content to provide instructions to result in the machine performing operations including:

expanding the business process task to display one or more of a link to an enterprise-level object related to the task, enterprise-level data associated with the task, or a link to an action related to the task.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon to cause the apparatus to perform operations including;

accessing enterprise server data from a server of an enterprise system, wherein the enterprise server data corresponds to a plurality of runtime business processes of a composite application and describes a structure and status for multiple business process phases within each of the plurality of runtime business process, and wherein one or more of the runtime business processes include a guided procedure service having a logical flow of the multiple business process phases associated with the guided procedure service including a chronological order of business process phases for the guided procedure service, and a level of progress of the business process phases for the guided procedure service, and wherein the guided procedure service specifies one or more human interactions to be performed and completed in fulfillment of the guided procedure service; and

generating and rendering a display interface based on credentials and viewing preferences of a user of the composite application, wherein generating and rendering the display interface comprises;

generating a cockpit view of the composite application wherein the cockpit view comprises a thumbnail representation for each of the plurality of runtime business processes within the composite application;

generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application, wherein generating the contents of each of the plurality of thumbnail representations comprises;

generating a process phase status icon for each of the multiple business process phases of the respective runtime business process, wherein each phase status icon to graphically represent business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation and to graphically indicate a status of the business process phase within the respective thumbnail representation, and

generating a minimized view of an actual instance of the respective runtime business process within the composite application to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds including a real-time presentation of enterprise-level data associated with the respective runtime business process to which the thumbnail representation of the cockpit view corresponds, and

displaying each of the plurality of thumbnail representations for the cockpit view of the composite application; and

a processor coupled to the memory to execute the instructions on the memory.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein each phase status icon to indicate graphically the status of the respective business process phase via a particular color associated with a level of progress of the business process phase.

21. An apparatus according to claim 19, the memory further having instructions to cause the apparatus to perform operations including:

expanding the status icon to display a business process task associated with the business process phase.

22. An apparatus according to claim 21, the memory further having instructions to cause the apparatus to perform operations including:

expanding the business process task to display one or more of a link to an enterprise-level object related to the task, enterprise-level data associated with the task, or a link to an action related to the task.