Selectively transmitting transaction data

• US 8,650,583 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schreter, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Lechi
• Application Number:
  US12/758,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20100198785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 719/318
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems

Abstract

A last transaction for a business object may be identified. Transactions related to that occur prior to the last transaction and subsequent to a last upload event are associated with the last transaction. Data describing the last transaction and the associated transactions may be transmitted over a communications network. Related apparatuses, techniques, systems, computer program products are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

processing a business object with a mobile computing device, the business object representing a physical or logical object of significance to a business; and

synchronizing, using the mobile computing device, data related to the business object between the mobile device and a central data repository by;

identifying a last transaction for the business object processed by the mobile device;

associating transactions for the business object occurring prior to the last transaction and subsequent to a last upload event with the last transaction;

appending, by the mobile computing device, the last transaction for the business object to an instance of the business object; and

transmitting data characterizing the last transaction and the associated transactions over a communications network to the central data repository;

wherein each transaction includes a unique transaction identifier;

wherein the unique transaction identifiers are assigned to the transactions sequentially.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the transmitting data comprises:

transmitting at least one message for each of the last transaction and the associated transaction, the message identifying changes made since the last upload event.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the message is an XML document identifying changes to the business object.

4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the mobile computing device, a table having at least one field containing the unique transaction identifier and an associated message describing the transaction.

5. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the mobile computing device, related preceding transactions for each of the last transaction and the associated transactions.

6. A method as in claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the mobile computing device, an order in which to transmit data associated with each of the last transaction and the associated transactions based on the determined related preceding transactions.

7. A method as in claim 5, further comprising:

ranking, by the mobile computing device, each of the last transaction and associated transactions so that data associated therewith is transmitted subsequent to a corresponding determined related preceding transaction.

8. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the mobile computing device, each business object having at least one transaction subsequent to an upload event on a graphical user interface.

9. A mobile communications device comprising:

a communications interface for connecting with a communications network;

and one or more processors comprising;

processing unit for processing a business object received over the communications network;

the business object representing a physical or logical object of significance to a business; and

an identification unit to identify a last transaction for the business object; and

an association unit to associate transactions occurring prior to the last transaction and subsequent to a last upload event for the business object with the last transaction and to append the last transaction for the business object to an instance of the business object; and

a transmitter to transmit data characterizing the last transaction and the associated transactions over the communications network to a central data repository for synchronization of the data with data at the central data repository,

wherein each transaction includes a unique transaction identifier;

wherein the unique transaction identifiers are assigned to the transactions sequentially.

10. A device as in claim 9, further comprising a storage device having a data repository coupled to the association unit to store data describing the transactions.

11. A device as in claim 9, the one or more processors further comprising:

an assignation unit to assign a sequential transaction identifier to each transaction.

12. A device as in claim 9, the one or more processors further comprising a prioritization unit to determine an order in which data associated with each transaction is transmitted by the transmitter.

13. A device as in claim 9, wherein the transmitter transmits at least one message describing changes made to at least one business object during each of the last transaction and the associated transactions.

14. A method executed by one or more processors, the method comprising:

associating, by the one or more processors, a plurality of transactions with at least one business object of a plurality of business objects;

the business object representing a physical or logical object of significance to a business; and

identify a last transaction for the business object;

receiving, by the one or more processors, instructions requesting an upload of data for the at least one business object; and

associating transactions for the business object occurring prior to the last transaction and subsequent to a last upload event with the last transaction;

transmitting, by the one or more processors and using a dependency graph, data describing the associated transactions associated with the at least one business object over a communications network to a central data repository for synchronization of the data with data at the central data repository, the dependency graph being a directed acyclic graph having edges defining a topological ordering of a plurality of transactions;

wherein each transaction includes a unique transaction identifier;

wherein the unique transaction identifiers are assigned to the transactions sequentially.

15. A method as in claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, by the one or more processors via a graphical user interface, each of the at least one business objects having an associated transaction subsequent to the last upload event.

16. A method as in claim 14, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors, a last transaction for the at least one business object; and

determining, by the one or more processors, related preceding transactions for each of the determined last transactions.