Management of hierarchical reference data

• US 8,522,345 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FMR LLC
• Original Assignee: FMR LLC
• Inventors: Sharma, Dinesh, Goldsmith, Mark, Salloway, Brian G., Murphy, Michael, Karedla, Venkat Narsimha
• Primary Examiner(s): Colin, Carl
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZAIDI, SYED A
• Application Number:
  US12/917,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110214065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24564 Applying rules; Deductive queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions

Abstract

There are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for managing hierarchical reference data. There is a Web page for access by a user, where the Web page includes (i) data representing a hierarchy and (ii) rules defining modifications that are permitted to be made to data. The user is enabled to make a real-time modification to the data based on the rules.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

retrieving, from a server computing device, code to generate a web page on a client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on the server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, by the client computing device, instructions for a modification to the data;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device, that the modification to the data complies with the local rules;

sending, from the client computing device to the server computing device, a request to determine whether the modification complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device based on data received from the server computing device in response to the request, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device; and

causing, by the client computing device based on verifying, the server computing device to update the hierarchy with the modification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing local rule enforcement at the client computing device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein performing local rule enforcement further comprises comparing a first data element of a first member of the hierarchy with a second data element of a second member in the hierarchy to identify a possible conflict between the first data element and the second data element.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the possible conflict comprises the first data element being identical to the second data element.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the first and second data elements comprise an identifier.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a member code and a member description.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring, in real-time, the modification to the data representing the hierarchy, prior to the modification being saved as part of the hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating an audit report including information corresponding to the modification.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising monitoring other modifications occurring at other web pages.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising preventing the modification if the modification conflicts with the other modifications occurring at the other web pages.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting an application server rule enforcement.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting performance of a master data rule enforcement.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising preventing the modification to the hierarchy if the modification conflicts with an entry in stored master data.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

searching for a conflict; and

storing the modification if no conflict is found.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the data representing the hierarchy is a first set of data representing a first hierarchy, the method further comprising making available a second set of data representing a second hierarchy.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising enabling a user to move a portion of the second set of data to the first set of data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising preventing a modification to the moved portion of the second set of data.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising maintaining an original hierarchical relationship of the moved portion of the second set of data in the first hierarchy.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising automatically updating the moved portion of the second set of data in the first hierarchy when there is a change to a portion of the second set of data in the second hierarchy corresponding to the moved portion of the second set of data in the first hierarchy.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user to establish an arrangement of a portion of the hierarchy.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising storing the arrangement of a portion of the hierarchy.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the local rules comprises a conflict check.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the local rules comprises preventing the modification if a user of the client computing device does not have permission to make the modification.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising establishing permission using an ownership attribute.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a report based on transactional data and the data representing the hierarchy.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein generating further comprises making some portions of the transactional data viewable and other portions of the transactional data summarized based on the data representing the hierarchy.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising enabling a user to modify the data representing the hierarchy to indicate viewable and non-viewable portions.

28. The method of claim 1 further comprising notifying a subscriber of the modification.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein the hierarchy comprises a node tree.

30. A method comprising:

sending, by a server computing device to a first client computing device, code to generate a web page on the first client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on a server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on a server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, from the first client computing device, a request to determine whether a modification to the data complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

comparing, by the server computing device, the requested modification to one or more other modifications to the hierarchy that are requested by one or more second client computing devices;

verifying, in real-time by the server computing device based on comparing, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device;

receiving, from the first client computing device, data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules; and

updating, by the server computing device, the hierarchy with the requested modification, with updating based on verifying and further based on receiving the data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules.

31. A system comprising

a client computing device;

and

a machine-readable medium that is configured to store instructions that are executable by the client computing device to perform operations comprising;

retrieving, from a server computing device, code to generate a web page on a client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on the server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, by the client computing device, instructions for a modification to the data;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device, that the modification to the data complies with the local rules;

sending, from the client computing device to the server computing device, a request to determine whether the modification complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device based on data received from the server computing device in response to the request, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device; and

causing, by the client computing device based on verifying, the server computing device to update the hierarchy with the modification.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing local rule enforcement at the client computing device.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring, in real-time, the modification to the data representing the hierarchy, prior to the modification being saved as part of the hierarchy.

34. The system of claim 31 further comprising a storage device storing the data representing the hierarchy.

35. The system of claim 31 further comprising a database including the data representing the hierarchy.

36. The system of claim 31 further comprising a network wherein the web page is transmitted using the network.

37. A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage device configured to store instructions that are executable to cause a client computing device to perform operations comprising:

retrieving, from a server computing device, code to generate a web page on a client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on the server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, by the client computing device, instructions for a modification to the data;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device, that the modification to the data complies with the local rules;

sending, from the client computing device to the server computing device, a request to determine whether the modification complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

verifying, in real-time by the client computing device based on data received from the server computing device in response to the request, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device; and

causing, by the client computing device based on verifying, the server computing device to update the hierarchy with the modification.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

performing local rule enforcement at the client computing device.

39. A computer program product residing on a computer readable storage device configured to store instructions that are executable to cause a server computing device to perform operations comprising:

sending, by the server computing device to a first client computing device, code to generate a web page on the first client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on a server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on a server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, from the first client computing device, a request to determine whether a modification to the data complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

comparing, by the server computing device, the requested modification to one or more other modifications to the hierarchy that are requested by one or more second client computing devices;

verifying, in real-time by the server computing device based on comparing, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device;

receiving, from the first client computing device, data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules; and

updating, by the server computing device, the hierarchy with the requested modification, with updating based on verifying and further based on receiving the data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules.

40. A system comprising

a server computing device;

and

a machine-readable medium that is configured to store instructions that are executable by the server computing device to perform operations comprising;

sending, by the server computing device to a first client computing device, code to generate a web page on the first client computing device, the code for the web page comprising;

data representing a hierarchy stored on a server computing device, with modifications to the data being in accordance with local rules included in the code for the web page, with one or more remote rules that are stored on a server computing device, and with the one or more remote rules defining acceptable modifications to the hierarchy;

receiving, from the first client computing device, a request to determine whether a modification to the data complies with the one or more remote rules of the hierarchy;

comparing, by the server computing device, the requested modification to one or more other modifications to the hierarchy that are requested by one or more second client computing devices;

verifying, in real-time by the server computing device based on comparing, that the modification complies with the one or more remote rules that are stored on the server computing device;

receiving, from the first client computing device, data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules; and

updating, by the server computing device, the hierarchy with the requested modification, with updating based on verifying and further based on receiving the data specifying that the modification complies with the local rules.