Dynamic enhancement of context matching rules for business scenario models

• US 9,081,472 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Knospe, Holger, Brosche, Marianne, Keil, Ulrich, Mayerle, Jochen, Fessler, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/326,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A definition of a new user interface feature of a business software architecture supporting a business configuration used by an organization can be received and a rule in a scenario model of a business scenario can be accordingly modified to associate the new user interface feature with business process feature(s) of the business scenario. A selection of a business process feature received as a user interaction with first user interface elements arranged in a linear order in a navigation pane of a user interface to represent at least some of the plurality of business process features of the business process can result in the concurrent display via the user interface of a work frame comprising the new user interface feature.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a definition of a new user interface feature of a business software architecture, the business software architecture supporting a business configuration used by an organization, the business configuration comprising a business scenario that comprises a plurality of business process features having associated user interface features;

modifying a rule in a scenario model of the business scenario to associate the new user interface feature with at least one of the plurality of business process features;

detecting a selection of the at least one of the plurality of business process features, the selection being received as an input via a user interface presentable on a computer display device, the input comprising user interaction with at least one of a first plurality of user interface elements that are arranged in a linear order in a navigation pane of the user interface to represent at least some of the plurality of business process features of the business scenario, wherein the user interface elements are arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the business scenario; and

displaying, via the user interface concurrently with the navigation pane, a work frame comprising the new user interface feature.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the receiving occurs via a process linkage editor displayed in the work pane upon selection of a linkage modification user interface element displayed in the navigation pane.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the receiving occurs via a scenario linkage editor operable by a scenario administrator, the scenario administrator having received a scenario modification feedback entered in the user interface by a business user who lacks sufficient permissions to modify the scenario model.

4. A computer program product as in claim 3, wherein the scenario modification feedback comprises a request to incorporate the new user interface feature.

5. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the new user interface feature relates to an external functionality provided by an software component external to, but integrated into, a core software platform of the business software architecture, and wherein the modifying further comprises associating the external functionality with the business process feature.

6. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the scenario model; and

supporting, using the scenario model, scenario navigation relevant to the business configuration, the scenario navigation providing an ability to directly change a link between one of the first plurality of user interface elements and its associated business process feature.

7. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a definition of a new user interface feature of a business software architecture, the business software architecture supporting a business configuration used by an organization, the business configuration comprising a business scenario that comprises a plurality of business process features having associated user interface features;

modifying a rule in a scenario model of the business scenario to associate the new user interface feature with at least one of the plurality of business process features;

detecting a selection of the at least one of the plurality of business process features, the selection being received as an input via a user interface presentable on a computer display device, the input comprising user interaction with at least one of a first plurality of user interface elements that are arranged in a linear order in a navigation pane of the user interface to represent at least some of the plurality of business process features of the business scenario, wherein the user interface elements are arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the business scenario; and

displaying, via the user interface concurrently with the navigation pane, a work frame comprising the new user interface feature.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein the receiving occurs via a process linkage editor displayed in the work pane upon selection of a linkage modification user interface element displayed in the navigation pane.

9. A system as in claim 7, wherein the receiving occurs via a scenario linkage editor operable by a scenario administrator, the scenario administrator having received a scenario modification feedback entered in the user interface by a business user who lacks sufficient permissions to modify the scenario model.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein the scenario modification feedback comprises a request to incorporate the new user interface feature.

11. A system as in claim 7, wherein the new user interface feature relates to an external functionality provided by an software component external to, but integrated into, a core software platform of the business software architecture, and wherein the modifying further comprises associating the external functionality with the business process feature.

12. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

storing the scenario model; and

supporting, using the scenario model, scenario navigation relevant to the business configuration, the scenario navigation providing an ability to directly change a link between one of the first plurality of user interface elements and its associated business process feature.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a definition of a new user interface feature of a business software architecture, the business software architecture supporting a business configuration used by an organization, the business configuration comprising a business scenario that comprises a plurality of business process features having associated user interface features;

modifying a rule in a scenario model of the business scenario to associate the new user interface feature with at least one of the plurality of business process features;

detecting a selection of the at least one of the plurality of business process features, the selection being received as an input via a user interface presentable on a computer display device, the input comprising user interaction with at least one of a first plurality of user interface elements that are arranged in a linear order in a navigation pane of the user interface to represent at least some of the plurality of business process features of the business scenario, wherein the user interface elements are arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the business scenario; and

displaying, via the user interface concurrently with the navigation pane, a work frame comprising the new user interface feature.

14. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the receiving occurs via a process linkage editor displayed in the work pane upon selection of a linkage modification user interface element displayed in the navigation pane.

15. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the receiving occurs via a scenario linkage editor operable by a scenario administrator, the scenario administrator having received a scenario modification feedback entered in the user interface by a business user who lacks sufficient permissions to modify the scenario model.

16. A computer-implemented method as in claim 15, wherein the scenario modification feedback comprises a request to incorporate the new user interface feature.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein the new user interface feature relates to an external functionality provided by an software component external to, but integrated into, a core software platform of the business software architecture, and wherein the modifying further comprises associating the external functionality with the business process feature.

18. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising:

storing the scenario model; and

supporting, using the scenario model, scenario navigation relevant to the business configuration, the scenario navigation providing an ability to directly change a link between one of the first plurality of user interface elements and its associated business process feature.

19. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein at least one of the receiving, the modifying, the detecting, and the displaying is performed by at least one programmable processor.