Linking business objects and documents

• US 8,898,264 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Text Corporation
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Walther, Michael H., Chaudhari, Sachin B., Gavrysh, Viktor
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BRYAN Y
• Application Number:
  US11/473,538
• Time in Patent Office: 3,078 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Managing content is disclosed. An indication is received that a content item comprising a body of managed content is associated with a business object not included in the body of managed content. The content item is linked with the business object.

Claims

1. A method of managing content comprising:

receiving a user input via a portal interface associated with a business application indicating that a content item comprising a body of managed content is associated with a business object not included in the body of managed content, wherein the business application is configured to provide access to the business object;

linking, using a processor, the content item to a business object identifier identifying the business object, the business object identifier capable of being linked to each of a plurality of content items identifying the business object; and

automatically accessing the content item by querying for the business object identifier identifying the business object using a content management system configured to provide access to the body of managed content, wherein the querying of the content management system includes broadcasting the business object identifier by the business application to the content management system, and wherein the content management system can be configured to listen or ignore the broadcast, and wherein the business object identifier is used to access a link directly linking the business object identifier to a content item identifier identifying the content item, and wherein the link comprises one or more of;

a hard link comprising a table entry that includes the business object identifier in a row and the content item identifier in a column or the business object identifier in a column and the content item identifier in a row, and

a soft link comprising an attribute included in metadata associated with the content item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hard link is accessible alternatively by interfacing with a document server without broadcasting the business object identifier by the business application.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hard link is accessible from a business server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the linking is performed manually.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the linking is performed automatically.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the content item is retrieved automatically when the business object is retrieved.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of content items are retrieved when the business object is retrieved.

8. The method of claim 1, further including receiving, as a broadcast from a business server which stores the business object, an indication that the business object is retrieved, and retrieving the content item automatically based on the broadcasted indication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the business object is stored in a business repository, and wherein the content item is stored in a document repository, and wherein the business repository and the document repository are different repositories.

10. A system for managing content comprising a processor and a memory coupled with the processor, the memory configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

receive a user input via a portal interface associated with a business application indicating that a content item comprising a body of managed content is associated with a business object not included in the body of managed content, wherein the business application is configured to provide access to the business object;

link the content item to a business object identifier identifying the business object, the business object identifier capable of being linked to each of a plurality of content items identifying the business object; and

automatically access the content item by querying for the business object identifier identifying the business object using a content management system configured to provide access to the body of managed content, wherein the querying of the content management system includes broadcasting the business object identifier by the business application to the content management system, and wherein the content management system can be configured to listen or ignore the broadcast, and wherein the business object identifier is used to access a link directly linking the business object identifier to a content item identifier identifying the content item, and wherein the link comprises one or more of;

a hard link comprising a table entry that includes the business object identifier in a row and the content item identifier in a column or the business object identifier in a column and the content item identifier in a row, and

a soft link comprising an attribute included in metadata associated with the content item.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the hard link is accessible alternatively by interfacing with a document server without broadcasting the business object identifier by the business application.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the hard link is accessible from a business server.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the business object is stored in a business repository, and wherein the content item is stored in a document repository, and wherein the business repository and the document repository are different repositories.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein one or more of the plurality of content items are retrieved when the business object is retrieved.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to:

receive, as a broadcast from a business server which stores the business object, an indication that the business object is retrieved, and retrieve the content item automatically based at least in part on the broadcasted indication.

16. A computer program product for managing content the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a user input via a portal interface associated with a business application indicating that a content item comprising a body of managed content identifies a business object not included in the body of managed content, wherein the business application is configured to provide access to the business object;

linking the content item to a business object identifier identifying the business object, the business object identifier capable of being linked to each of a plurality of content items identifying the business object; and

automatically accessing the content item by querying for the business object identifier identifying the business object using a content management system configured to provide access to the body of managed content, wherein the querying of the content management system includes broadcasting the business object identifier by the business application to the content management system, and wherein the content management system can be configured to listen or ignore the broadcast, and wherein the business object identifier is used to access a link directly linking the business object identifier to a content item identifier identifying the content item, and wherein the link comprises one or more of;

a hard link comprising a table entry that includes the business object identifier in a row and the content item identifier in a column or the business object identifier in a column and the content item identifier in a row, and

a soft link comprising an attribute included in metadata associated with the content item.

17. The computer program product as recited in claim 16 wherein the linking is performed automatically.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the business object is stored in a business repository, and wherein the content item is stored in a document repository, and wherein the business repository and the document repository are different repositories.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein one or more of the plurality of content items are retrieved when the business object is retrieved.

20. The computer program product recited in claim 16, further comprising computer instructions for receiving, as a broadcast from a business server which stores the business object, an indication that the business object is retrieved, and retrieving the content item automatically based at least in part on the broadcasted indication.