Automatic data determination

• US 8,046,389 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ritter, Gerd M
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen; Syling
• Application Number:
  US11/615,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20080154854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 527/411, 715/764, 715/804, 715/825, 715/781, 707/102, 707/706, 707/713, 707/722, 707/736, 707/758, 707/781, 707/791, 707/802, 707/803, 707/805, 707/809, 707/999.1, 707/999.101, 707/999.102, 707/999.103, 707/999.107, 713/183, 713/184, 726/17, 726/18, 726/19, 705/50
• US Class Current: 707/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

In a computing system, a value that a user enters under guidance of a graphical user interface may be received for association with a field of a document. The received value is used to determine a value to be automatically associated with at least another field of the document. Information indicating the value received in the input field and a rule used in determining the value for the at least another input field are stored in one or more fields of the document associated with the at least another input field.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of documenting and displaying an indication of a rule used to determine a value for entry in a field of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a first value that a user enters under guidance of a graphical user interface, the first value entered for association with a first input field of a document;

accessing a rule, from a plurality of predefined rules stored in an electronic storage device, the accessed rule selected based on the rule having been assigned to the first value, each of the rules specifying a respective procedure for obtaining a determined value based on a specific entered value;

determining, using the received first value and the procedure specified by the accessed rule, a second value to be automatically associated with at least another input field of the document in response to receiving the first value, and associating a name of the accessed rule with the second value;

storing, in a database record associated with the document, (i) the received first value, and (ii) the determined second value with the associated name of the accessed rule; and

displaying on a display device a determination information overview regarding the document, the determination information overview indicating the first value as having been user entered, and indicating the second value as having been determined using the accessed rule assigned to the second value;

wherein the first value, the second value, and the name of the accessed rule assigned to the second value are displayed following an access of the database record associated with the document to retrieve the stored first value and the stored second value with the assigned name of the accessed rule;

wherein the procedure for obtaining a determined value using an entered value further includes using master data accessed from an electronic storage location, the master data being different than the received first value, and wherein determining the second value includes using both the received first value and the accessed master data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying in the graphical user interface the determined second value in the at least another input field of the document.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving, after displaying the determined second value, a value that a user enters under guidance of the graphical user interface, and replacing the determined second value with the user-entered value.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the accessed rule comprises a plurality of rules applied consecutively to determine the second value to be automatically associated with the at least another field of the document.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising making a subsequent decision based on the accessed rule.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising making a subsequent decision based on the name of the accessed rule.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determined second value is an attachment.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the received first value and the name of the accessed rule are displayed in the graphical user interface when the user makes a selection associated with the at least another input field.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the received first value and the name of the accessed rule are displayed as a tool tip in the graphical user interface, and wherein the selection comprises hovering a pointing indicator in the user interface over the at least another input field of the document.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from an external system, a third value to be automatically associated with at least another third input field of the document, and storing, in a database record associated with the document, information indicating how the third value was determined, comprising a name of a rule used in determining the third value for the at least another third input field, the information received from the external system.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a fourth value that a user enters under guidance of the graphical user interface for association with a fourth input field of a document, and assigning to the fourth value a rule name that indicates manual entry.

12. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for documenting and displaying an indication of a rule used to determine a value for entry in a field of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a first value that a user enters under guidance of a graphical user interface, the first value entered for association with a first input field of a document;

accessing a rule, from a plurality of predefined rules stored in an electronic storage device, the accessed rule selected based on the rule having been assigned to the first value, each of the rules specifying a respective procedure for obtaining a determined value based on a specific entered value;

determining, using the received first value and the procedure specified by the accessed rule, a second value to be automatically associated with at least another input field of the document in response to receiving the first value, and associating a name of the accessed rule with the second value;

storing, in a database record associated with the document, (i) the received first value, and (ii) the determined second value with the associated name of the accessed rule; and

displaying on a display device a determination information overview regarding the document, the determination information overview indicating the first value as having been user entered, and indicating the second value as having been determined using the accessed rule assigned to the second value;

wherein the first value, the second value, and the name of the accessed rule assigned to the second value are displayed following an access of the database record associated with the document to retrieve the stored first value and the stored second value with the assigned name of the accessed rule;

wherein the procedure for obtaining a determined value using an entered value further includes using master data accessed from an electronic storage location, the master data being different than the received first value, and wherein determining the second value includes using both the received first value and the accessed master data.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising instructions that when executed display in the graphical user interface the determined second value in the at least another input field of the document.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising instructions that when executed receive, after displaying the determined second value, a value that a user enters under guidance of the graphical user interface, and replace the determined second value with the user-entered value.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the accessed rule comprises a plurality of rules applied consecutively to determine the second value to be automatically associated with the at least another field of the document.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising instructions that when executed make a subsequent decision based on the accessed rule.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising instructions that when executed make a subsequent decision based on the name of the accessed rule.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the determined second value is an attachment.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the received first value and the name of the accessed rule are displayed in the graphical user interface when the user makes a selection associated with the at least another input field.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the received first value and the name of the accessed rule are displayed as a tool tip in the graphical user interface, and wherein the selection comprises hovering a pointing indicator in the user interface over the at least another input field of the document.

21. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising instructions that when executed receive, from an external system, a third value to be automatically associated with at least another third input field of the document, and store, in a database record associated with the document, information indicating how the third value was determined, comprising a name of a rule used in determining the third value for the at least another third input field, the information received from the external system.

22. A computer-implemented method of documenting and displaying an indication of a rule used to determine a value for entry in a field of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a first value that a user enters under guidance of a graphical user interface, the first value entered for association with a first input field of a document;

accessing a rule, from a plurality of predefined rules stored in an electronic storage device, the accessed rule selected based on the rule having been assigned to the first value, each of the rules specifying a respective procedure for obtaining a determined value based on a specific entered value;

determining, using the received first value and the procedure specified by the accessed rule, a second value to be automatically associated with at least another input field of the document in response to receiving the first value, and associating a name of the accessed rule with the second value;

storing, in a database record associated with the document, (i) the received first value, and (ii) the determined second value with the associated name of the accessed rule;

displaying on a display device a determination information overview regarding the document, the determination information overview indicating the first value as having been user entered, and indicating the second value as having been determined using the accessed rule assigned to the second value; and

receiving, from an external system, a third value to be automatically associated with at least another third input field of the document, and storing, in a database record associated with the document, information indicating how the third value was determined, comprising a name of a rule used in determining the third value for the at least another third input field, the information received from the external system;

wherein the first value, the second value, and the name of the accessed rule assigned to the second value are displayed following an access of the database record associated with the document to retrieve the stored first value and the stored second value with the assigned name of the accessed rule.

23. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium and comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for documenting and displaying an indication of a rule used to determine a value for entry in a field of an electronic document, the method comprising:

receiving a first value that a user enters under guidance of a graphical user interface, the first value entered for association with a first input field of a document;

accessing a rule, from a plurality of predefined rules stored in an electronic storage device, the accessed rule selected based on the rule having been assigned to the first value, each of the rules specifying a respective procedure for obtaining a determined value based on a specific entered value;

determining, using the received first value and the procedure specified by the accessed rule, a second value to be automatically associated with at least another input field of the document in response to receiving the first value, and associating a name of the accessed rule with the second value;

storing, in a database record associated with the document, (i) the received first value, and (ii) the determined second value with the associated name of the accessed rule;

displaying on a display device a determination information overview regarding the document, the determination information overview indicating the first value as having been user entered, and indicating the second value as having been determined using the accessed rule assigned to the second value; and

receiving, from an external system, a third value to be automatically associated with at least another third input field of the document, and storing, in a database record associated with the document, information indicating how the third value was determined, comprising a name of a rule used in determining the third value for the at least another third input field, the information received from the external system;

wherein the first value, the second value, and the name of the accessed rule assigned to the second value are displayed following an access of the database record associated with the document to retrieve the stored first value and the stored second value with the assigned name of the accessed rule.