Systems and methods for automatic detection and processing of instances of business rules

• US 8,676,618 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Pfeifer, Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett, Scott L
• Application Number:
  US11/647,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,637 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for processing instances of business rules, includes providing a business rule, parsing the business rule to extract entities used as rule parts, creating a hierarchical entity buffer indicating the entities used as the rule parts and identifying instances of each of the entities and real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities and creating a step result table indicating instances of the business rule and information identifying the real data in the hierarchical entity buffer used by each of the instances of the business rule.

Claims

1. A method of processing instances of business rule for implementation by one or more data processors forming part of at least one computing system, the method comprising:

providing, by at least one data processor, a business rule;

parsing, by at least one data processor, the business rule to extract links to hierarchical business entities as rule parts;

creating, by at least one data processor, a hierarchical entity buffer indicating the entities used as the rule parts and identifying instances of each of the entities, instances of a parent, if any, for each of the entities, and real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities;

creating, by at least one data processor, a step result table indicating instances of the business rule and information identifying the real data in the hierarchical entity buffer used by each of the instances of the business rule, the step result table being created by determining a lowest common leaf in the hierarchical entity buffer for each combination of rule parts;

creating, by at least one data processor, a temporary step table for a first rule part identifying the first rule part and all lowest common parent rule parts that the first rule part has in common with any other rule parts;

comparing, by at least one data processor, the step result table to the temporary step table instance by instance;

determining, by at least one data processor, for at least one new instance added to the step result table that a leaf in the temporary step table is not in the step result table; and

adding, by at least one data processor, the leaf to the step result table if a leaf in the temporary step table is not in the step result table.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if a result ID indentifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and a result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are different no further step is taken and wherein if the result ID identifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and the result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are the same, a new instance is created, by at least one data processor, and added, by at least one data processor, to the step result table.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the real data comprises a result ID uniquely identifying the real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities.

4. A non-transitory computer storage medium including computer executable for processing instances of business rules, comprising:

code for providing a business rule;

code for parsing the business rule to extract links to hierarchical business entities as rule parts;

code for creating a hierarchical entity buffer indicating;

the entities used as the rule parts in a first column,

instances of each of the entities in a second column,

instances of a parent, if any, for each of the entities in the second column in a third column, and

real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities in a fourth column;

code for creating a step result table indicating instances of the business rule and information identifying the real data in the hierarchical entity buffer used by each of the instances of the business rule;

code for creating the step result table comprises code for determining a lowest common leaf in the hierarchical entity buffer for each combination of rule parts;

code for creating a temporary step table for a first rule part identifying the first rule part and all lowest common parent rule parts that the first rule part has in common with any other rule parts; and

code for comparing the step result table to the temporary step table instance by instance.

5. The computer storage medium of claim 4, wherein if a result ID indentifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and a result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are different no further step is taken and wherein if the result ID identifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and the result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are the same, a new instance is created and added to the step result table.

6. The computer storage medium of claim 5, further comprising, if the new instance is created and added to the step result table, determining whether each leaf in the temporary step table is also in the step result table.

7. The computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein if a leaf in the temporary step table is not in the step result table, adding the leaf to the step result table.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 4, wherein the information identifying the real data comprises a result ID uniquely identifying the real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities.

9. A system comprising:

at least one data processor; and

memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one data processor, result in operations comprising;

providing a business rule;

parsing the business rule to extract links to hierarchical business entities as rule parts;

creating a hierarchical entity buffer indicating the entities used as the rule parts and identifying instances of each of the entities, instances of a parent, if any, for each of the entities, and real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities;

creating a step result table indicating instances of the business rule and information identifying the real data in the hierarchical entity buffer used by each of the instances of the business rule, the step result table being created by determining a lowest common leaf in the hierarchical entity buffer for each combination of rule parts;

creating a temporary step table for a first rule part identifying the first rule part and all lowest common parent rule parts that the first rule part has in common with any other rule parts;

comparing the step result table to the temporary step table instance by instance;

determining for at least one new instance added to the step result table that a leaf in the temporary step table is not in the step result table; and

adding the leaf to the step result table if a leaf in the temporary step table is not in the step result table.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein if a result ID indentifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and a result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are different no further step is taken and wherein if the result ID identifying the lowest common leaf of the instance in the step result table and the result ID identifying the instance in the temporary step table are the same, a new instance is created, by at least one data processor, and added, by at least one data processor, to the step result table.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise, if the new instance is created and added to the step result table, determining whether each leaf in the temporary step table is also in the step result table.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the information identifying the real data comprises a result ID uniquely identifying the real data corresponding to each of the identified instances of the entities.