Rule management using a configuration database

• US 8,122,432 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brunn, Jonathan F., Coleman, Clayton P., Howard, Troy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAVIS, JOHN Q
• Application Number:
  US11/538,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,966 Days
• Field of Search: 717/117
• US Class Current: 717/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A method is presented that enables custom applications to embed rule authoring capabilities. In one embodiment, the method includes: imbedding a rule picker into an existing software application; presenting a choice of rules to be implemented in the existing software application, wherein a business vocabulary context defines and limits the choice of rules that is presented; and integrating a selected rule, from the choice of rules, into the existing software application. The business vocabulary context may be determined by a business vocabulary of the existing software application, wherein the business vocabulary is composed of software objects that describe a current session of the existing software application. The business vocabulary context may be defined as a name of a category that is passed to a rule creation engine by a rule picker in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), such that a rule picker tag may be rendered in the IDE.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

imbedding a rule picker into an existing software application;

a processor presenting a choice of rules to be implemented in the existing software application, wherein a business vocabulary context is a set of terms and objects available at a time in which the rules will be executed, wherein the business vocabulary context defines and limits the choice of rules that is presented as an option for creating a new rule, and wherein the choice of rules is presented to a user; and

the processor integrating a user-selected rule, from the choice of rules, into the existing software application, wherein the user-selected rule causes the existing software application to be modified when the user-selected rule is implemented in the existing software application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein potential objects and terms for a business vocabulary context are categorized, and wherein a specific business vocabulary context is represented by a category to determine which choice of rules is presented to a particular user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the processor identifying which business vocabulary terms are authorized for the user;

the processor identifying out of context rules as rules that use business vocabulary terms that are not authorized for the user; and

the processor displaying the out of context rules in a color-coded text to indicate that the out of context rules are unavailable to the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the business vocabulary context is determined by a business vocabulary of the existing software application, wherein the business vocabulary is composed of software objects that describe a current session of the existing software application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

creating a new rule that comports with the business vocabulary context in the existing software application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

categorizing the new rule as a categorized new rule; and

storing the categorized new rule in a rule repository that is accessible to the existing software application.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the business vocabulary context is a name of a category that is passed to a rule creation engine by a rule picker in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

rendering a rule picker tag in the IDE, wherein the rule picker tag presents an option to create a new rule, and wherein the rule picker tag is a Java Server Page (JSP) tag found in a JSP file that rendered the existing software application in the IDE; and

the processor executing the JSP tag to render a link to a page that contains the user-selected rule.

9. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the data bus; and

a non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for;

imbedding a rule picker into an existing software application;

presenting a choice of rules to be implemented in the existing software application, wherein a business vocabulary context defines and limits the choice of rules that is presented, and wherein the choice of rules is presented to a user; and

integrating a user-selected rule, from the choice of rules, into the existing software application, wherein the user-selected rule causes the existing software application to be modified when the user-selected rule is implemented in the existing software application.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the business vocabulary context is determined by a business vocabulary of the existing software application, wherein the business vocabulary is composed of software objects that describe a current session of the existing software application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further configured for:

creating a new rule that comports with the business vocabulary context in the existing software application.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further configured for:

categorizing the new rule as a categorized new rule; and

storing the categorized new rule in a rule repository that is accessible to the existing software application.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the business vocabulary context is a name of a category that is passed to a rule creation engine by a rule picker in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE).

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further configured for:

rendering a rule picker tag in the IDE, wherein the rule picker tag presents an option to create a new rule, and wherein the rule picker tag is a Java Server Page (JSP) tag found in a JSP file that rendered the existing software application in the IDE.

15. A non-transitory computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

imbedding a rule picker into an existing software application;

presenting a choice of rules to be implemented in the existing software application, wherein a business vocabulary context defines and limits the choice of rules that is presented, and wherein the choice of rules is presented to a user; and

integrating a user-selected rule, from the choice of rules, into the existing software application, wherein the user-selected rule causes the existing software application to be modified when the user-selected rule is implemented in the existing software application.

16. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the business vocabulary context is determined by a business vocabulary of the existing software application, wherein the business vocabulary is composed of software objects that describe a current session of the existing software application.

17. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 16, wherein the computer executable instructions are further configured for:

creating a new rule that comports with the business vocabulary context in the existing software application.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer executable instructions are further configured for:

categorizing the new rule as a categorized new rule; and

storing the categorized new rule in a rule repository that is accessible to the existing software application.

19. The non-transitory computer-useable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-usable medium is a component of a remote server, and wherein the computer executable instructions are deployable to a client computer from the remote server.

20. The non-transitory computer-useable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer executable instructions are capable of being provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.