Method and system for enhancing computer object rules and catalogs

• US 8,108,331 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Ziegler, Carsten, Beuter, Hans-Georg, Aakolk, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Lut
• Application Number:
  US12/199,798
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 706/47, 705/500
• US Class Current: 706/47
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method, a machine-readable storage medium and a system are provided for enhancing computer rules in a computer application. In an embodiment, a rule is accessed from a set of computer rules provided by a computer application. The rule includes a number of fields, e.g., an attribute field and an enhancement type field. In response to receiving an input attribute and an input enhancement type, the rule is updated in the set of computer rules. The updated rule is implemented and operation of the updated rule in the computer application is altered based on the inputs.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing computer rules after implementation of the rules in a computer application, comprising:

accessing a rule from a set of computer rules provided by a computer application, the rule comprising a number of fields including an enhancement type field and attribute fields, wherein the enhancement type field identifies the enhancements that can be made to the rule and the attribute field indicates how the rule will be executed;

in response to receiving an attribute input into the attribute field and an enhancement type input into the enhancement type field from one party of a plurality of parties, updating the rule in the set of computer rules, wherein updating the rule includes;

determining changes to be applied to the rule from the attribute input and enhancement type input, wherein determining the changes includes;

analyzing whether there is a conflict between the rule and the attribute input and enhancement type input based on whether the attribute input and the enhancement type input were received from a particular party of the plurality of parties,

and if there is a conflict, determining whether the attribute input and enhancement type input take precedence over the rule based on an analysis of whether the rule was previously created by a particular party of the plurality of parties, or previously modified by a particular party of the plurality of parties,

storing the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input, and

merging the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input into the rule; and

implementing the updated rule, wherein operation of the rule in the computer application is altered based on the input attribute and input enhancement type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of computer rules includes a rules hierarchy, wherein rules established by a particular party of the plurality of parties take precedence over rules established by particular other parties of the plurality of parties.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an attribute is either an input to the rule or an output result of a rule, wherein if an input the attribute identifies an event to which the rule outputs a specified result, and if an output result, the attribute identifies the resulting action of the computer in response to the input event.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to execute instructions for enhancing computer rules after implementation of the rules in a computer application, comprising:

accessing a rule from a set of computer rules provided by a computer application, the rule comprising a number of fields including an enhancement type field and an attribute field, wherein the enhancement type field identifies the enhancements that can be made to the rule and the attribute field indicates how the rule will be executed;

in response to receiving an attribute input into the attribute field and an enhancement type input into the enhancement type field from one party of a plurality of parties, updating the rule in the set of computer rules wherein updating the rule includes;

determining changes to be applied to the rule from the attribute input and enhancement type input, wherein determining the changes includes;

analyzing whether there is a conflict between the rule and the attribute input and enhancement type input based on whether the attribute input and the enhancement type input were received from a particular party of the plurality of parties,

and if there is a conflict, determining whether the attribute input and enhancement type input take precedence over the rule based on an analysis of whether the rule was previously created by a particular party of the plurality of parties, or previously modified by a particular party of the plurality of parties,

storing the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input, and

merging the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input into the rule; and

implementing the updated rule, wherein operation of the rule in the computer application is altered based on the input attribute and input enhancement type.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein the set of computer rules includes a rules hierarchy, wherein rules established by a particular party of the plurality of parties take precedence over rules established by particular other parties of the plurality of parties.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein an attribute is either an input to the rule or an output result of a rule, wherein if an input the attribute identifies an event to which the rule outputs a specified result, and if an output result, the attribute identifies the resulting action of the computer in response to the input event.

7. A system for enhancing computer rules after implementation of the rules in a computer application, comprising:

a display device for displaying a graphical user interface;

a data storage for storing data;

a processor for executing computer instructions, the computer instructions comprising;

accessing a rule from a set of computer rules provided by a computer application, the rule comprising a number of fields including an enhancement type field and an attribute field, wherein the enhancement type field identifies the enhancements that can be made to the rule and the attribute field indicates how the rule will be executed;

in response to receiving an attribute input into the attribute field and an enhancement type input into the enhancement type field via the graphical user interface from one party of a plurality of parties, updating the rule in the set of computer rules, wherein updating the rule includes;

determining changes to be applied to the rule from the attribute input and enhancement type input, wherein determining the changes includes;

analyzing whether there is a conflict between the rule and the attribute input and enhancement type input based on whether the attribute input and the enhancement type input were received from a particular party of the plurality of parties,

and if there is a conflict, determining whether the attribute input and enhancement type input take precedence over the rule based on an analysis of whether the rule was previously created by a particular party of the plurality of parties, or previously modified by a particular party of the plurality of parties,

storing the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input, and

merging the changes resulting from the attribute input and enhancement type input into the rule; and

implementing the updated rule, wherein operation of the rule in the computer application is altered based on the input attribute and input enhancement type.

8. The system of claim 7, the graphical user interface displayed by the display device, further comprising:

a first user control for indicating instructions for updating a rule;

a second user control that indicates that the rule is allowed enhancement according to a first inputted enhancement type; and

a third user control that indicates that specific attributes can be enhanced according to a second inputted enhancement type, wherein the second enhancement type can be the same or different from the first inputted enhancement type.