Data quality in a cloud based shipping transaction integration system

• US 8,996,914 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infor Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GT Nexus Incorporated (Infor Incorporated)
• Inventors: King, Edward Scott, Strell, Martin William
• Primary Examiner(s): Bonzo, Bryce
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Elmira
• Application Number:
  US13/453,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20130283106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 714/15, 714/20, 714/21, 714/49, 714/57, 715/239, 715/249, 715/736
• US Class Current: 714/20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/327 Alarm or error message display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/151 Transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Files related to shipping transactions are received from participants. Each of the files are processed in a first stage of a multi-stage process that includes attempting to translate the files to generate a translated file and storing an error status for each file in which the translation experienced an error. For those files that are successfully translated, they are processed in subsequent stage(s) including applying application rule(s) to those files and storing an error status for those translated files resulting in an error. A participant may view a summary of those translated files that are associated with an error status. The participant may further view details of an error to be displayed and retrieve the underlying file. The participant may edit the file to correct the issue and republish the modified file to be reprocessed in the stage of the multi-stage process that identified the error.

Claims

1. A method for improved data quality in a cloud based shipping transaction integration system, comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages for a plurality of shipping transactions from a plurality of participants of the shipping transactions, wherein each of the plurality of messages includes a file associated with one of the shipping transactions, wherein at least some of the messages have a different format and have different terminology for a same data information type, and wherein the plurality of participants include at least a seller, a buyer, and a carrier;

processing each of the received messages in a first stage of a multiple stage process, wherein processing in the first stage includes performing the following;

for each file of each message, attempting to translate that file to generate a translated file that is in a common format, and

storing an error status for each file in which the translation experienced an error;

processing, in a set of one or more subsequent stages of the multiple stage process, each of those files of the received messages that has successfully been translated to the common format, wherein processing in the set of subsequent stages includes performing the following;

applying a set of one or more application rules to each of the translated files, and

storing an error status for each of those translated files in which the application of the set of application rules indicated an error;

responsive to receiving a first input from a first one of the participants, displaying a summary of information of those translated files that are visible to the first participant and are associated with an error status, wherein the summary information is grouped at least in part based on message type and indicates for each grouping a number of the translated files associated with an error status, and wherein the summary of information includes a user selectable link for each grouping;

responsive to receiving a second input from the first one of the participants that indicates a selection of a user selectable link for a grouping, for each of the number of translated files associated with an error status for that grouping, displaying details of the error that caused that translated file to be associated with an error status and including a user selectable link;

responsive to receiving a third input from the first one of the participants that indicates a selection of a user selectable link included in the displayed details, displaying, in a text editor, the translated file that corresponds with the displayed details;

receiving, through the text editor, a fourth input from the first one of the participants that modifies the translated file that was displayed as a result of the received third input; and

republishing the modified translated file to be reprocessed in the stage of the multiple stage process that identified the error.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the messages received from the plurality of participants include a plurality of files each of which is associated with a different shipping transaction, and wherein the processing of these messages in the first stage further includes separating each of those plurality of files into separate files prior to the step of attempting to translate the files.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein processing in the first stage further includes performing the following for each received file:

associating the file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that the file is visible to.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing in the set of subsequent stages further includes performing the following for each translated file:

associating the translated file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that the translated file is visible to.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input does not specify an error condition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the summary information is further grouped based on a sender and a receiver of those translated files that are visible to the first participant.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the modified translated file that is modified as a result of receiving input from the first one of the participants did not originate with that participant.

8. An apparatus for improved data quality in a collaborative cloud based shipping transaction integration system, comprising:

a processor to execute instructions; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores the instructions to be executed by the processor including instructions for the following;

a message pipeline module configured to receive a plurality of messages for a plurality of shipping transactions from a plurality of participants of the shipping transactions and cause the received messages to be processed in multiple stage process, wherein each of the received messages includes a file associated with one of the shipping transactions, wherein at least some of the messages have a different format and have different terminology for a same data information type, and wherein the plurality of participants include at least a seller, a buyer, and a carrier;

a translation module, coupled with the message pipeline module, that is configured to perform the following;

attempt to translate the received messages into a common format, and cause an error status to be stored in a message data structure for each message in which the translation experienced an error;

an application module, coupled with the message pipeline module, that is configured to perform the following;

apply a set of one or more application rules to each of the translated messages, and

cause an error status to be stored in the message data structure for each message in which the application of the set of application rules indicated an error;

an integration dashboard that is configured to perform the following;

in response to receipt of input from a first one of the participants, display a summary of information of those of the messages that are visible to the first participant and are associated with an error status, wherein the summary of information is grouped at least in part based on message type and indicates for each grouping a number of the messages associated with an error status, and wherein the summary of information includes a user selectable link for each grouping, that when selected, launches a transaction inspector;

the transaction inspector that is configured to perform the following in response to being launched as a result of one of the participants selecting a user selectable link for a grouping;

display details for each of the number of translated files associated with an error status for that grouping, wherein the displayed details includes a user selectable link, that when selected, launches a file inspector; and

the file inspector that is configured to perform the following in response to being launched as a result of one of the participants selecting a user selectable link included in the displayed details of the transaction inspector;

display, in a text editor, the translated file that corresponds with the displayed details;

receive input, through the text editor, that modifies the translated file; and

republish the modified translated file to be reprocessed in the stage of the multiple stage process that identified the error.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least some of the messages that are to be received from the plurality of participants include a plurality of files each of which is associated with a different shipping transaction, and wherein the translation module is further configured to separate each of those files into separate files prior to attempting to translate those files.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the translation module is further configured to associate each file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that that file is visible to.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the application module is further configured to associate each translated file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that that translated file is visible to.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the integration dashboard is launched without receiving a specification of an error condition.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the summary of information is further grouped based on a sender and a receiver of those translated files that are visible to the first participant.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified translated file did not originate with the first participant.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages for a plurality of shipping transactions from a plurality of participants of the shipping transactions, wherein each of the plurality of messages includes a file associated with one of the shipping transactions, wherein at least some of the messages have a different format and have different terminology for a same data information type, and wherein the plurality of participants include at least a seller, a buyer, and a carrier;

processing each of the received messages in a first stage of a multiple stage process, wherein processing in the first stage includes performing the following;

for each file of each message, attempting to translate that file to generate a translated file that is in a common format, and

storing an error status for each file in which the translation experienced an error;

processing, in a set of one or more subsequent stages of the multiple stage process, each of those files of the received messages that has successfully been translated to the common format, wherein processing in the set of subsequent stages includes performing the following;

applying a set of one or more application rules to each of the translated files, and

storing an error status for each of those translated files in which the application of the set of application rules indicated an error;

responsive to receiving a first input from a first one of the participants, displaying a summary of information of those translated files that are visible to the first participant and are associated with an error status, wherein the summary information is grouped at least in part based on message type and indicates for each grouping a number of the translated files associated with an error status, and wherein the summary of information includes a user selectable link for each grouping;

responsive to receiving a second input from the first one of the participants that indicates a selection of a user selectable link for a grouping, for each of the number of translated files associated with an error status for that grouping, displaying details of the error that caused that translated file to be associated with an error status and including a user selectable link;

responsive to receiving a third input from the first one of the participants that indicates a selection of a user selectable link included in the displayed details, displaying, in a text editor, the translated file that corresponds with the displayed details;

receiving, through the text editor, a fourth input from the first one of the participants that modifies the translated file that was displayed as a result of the received third input; and

republishing the modified translated file to be reprocessed in the stage of the multiple stage process that identified the error.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein at least some of the messages received from the plurality of participants include a plurality of files each of which is associated with a different shipping transaction, and wherein the processing of these messages in the first stage further includes separating each of those plurality of files into separate files prior to the step of attempting to translate the files.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein processing in the first stage further includes performing the following for each received file:

associating the file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that the file is visible to.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein processing in the set of subsequent stages further includes performing the following for each translated file:

associating the translated file with an identifier of those ones of the plurality of participants that the translated file is visible to.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first input does not specify an error condition.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the summary information is further grouped based on a sender and a receiver of those translated files that are visible to the first participant.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the modified translated file that is modified as a result of receiving input from the first one of the participants did not originate with that participant.