System and method for updating or modifying an application without manual coding

• US 9,195,936 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pegasystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Chase, James Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): PELLETT, DANIEL T
• Application Number:
  US13/341,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/00 Computing arrangements using knowledge-based models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/025 Extracting rules from data
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems

Abstract

The invention provides, in some aspects, a computer-implemented method for enabling enhanced functionality in a software application. The method includes executing, on a computer, an enhancement engine that is communicatively coupled to a rules base (or other store that contains rules) and/or a rules engine that executes rules (e.g., from the rules base). The enhancement engine receives a request to enable enhanced functionality in an application that is defined, at least in part, by a plurality of such rules, where the request specifies a selected rule in the application for such enhancement. The enhancement engine identifies (or ascertains) a new rule at least partially providing the enhanced functionality and (i) updates the rules base (or other store) to include the new rule along with the others that define at least a portion of the application and/or (ii) effects execution by the rules engine of the new rule along with those others.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for enabling enhanced functionality in an application, the method comprising:

executing, on a computer, an enhancement engine communicatively coupled to at least one of (i) a rules base that contains rules and (ii) a rules engine that executes the rules;

receiving, with the enhancement engine, a request that specifies (i) a selected rule from among a plurality of rules, and (ii) a type of an enhanced functionality to be enabled in an application, wherein the application is defined, at least in part, by said plurality of rules, wherein the selected rule references a data element in a process flow that specifies a plurality of actions associated with the application, and wherein the type of the enhanced functionality includes one or more of auditing, pre-approval, post-approval, encryption, resource management, access security, and reporting;

identifying, with the enhancement engine, a new rule based on the type of the enhanced functionality and based on the selected rule specified in the request, wherein the new rule comprises an additional rule other than the selected rule that supplements the selected rule in the rules base, wherein the new rule defines at least a portion of the enhanced functionality to be enabled in the application, wherein at least the portion of the enhanced functionality defined by the new rule enables the application to generate an audit record of an attempt to assign a new value to the data element, and wherein the audit record includes the new value assigned to the data element, an other value of the data element that was previously stored in a memory, and a reason received from a user for assigning the new value; and

effecting, with the enhancement engine, at least one of (i) updating the application to include the new rule in addition to the selected rule for execution with the plurality of rules that define the application at least in part, and (ii) execution of the new rule in addition to the selected rule by the rules engine with said plurality of rules, wherein said execution of the new rule enables at least the portion of the enhanced functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new rule comprises an updated version of at least one of the said plurality of rules that defines the application other than the selected rule.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising, with the enhancement engine, reporting an error if the one of the said plurality of rules is unavailable for updates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes providing a user interface that is used to specify the selected rule.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving step includes marking the selected rule in a selectable list displayed in the user interface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiving step includes specifying the selected rule by marking an other rule that references the selected rule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to identify the attempt to assign the new value to the data element by detecting a discrepancy between the new value and the other value of the data element that was previously stored in the memory.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to perform an additional step prior to assigning the new value to the data element.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to perform a said additional step of prompting the user for inputting the reason for assigning the new value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to perform a said additional step of prompting the user to any of authenticate and re-authenticate their identity.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to perform a said additional step of executing an approval flow.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step includes receiving a request to enable the type of an enhanced functionality for the selected rule that is an action associated with the process flow.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality that further enables the application to execute an approval flow after the action.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying step includes identifying a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality that further enables the application to execute an approval flow before the action.

18. The method of claim 8,

wherein the new rule that defines at least the portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to perform the additional step prior to assigning the new value to the data element is configured to insert one or more additional actions corresponding to the additional step into the process flow, and

wherein the one or more additional actions are inserted before an action in the process flow that is configured to assign the new value to the data element.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more additional actions inserted into the process flow corresponding to the additional step are configured to:

prompt the user to any of authenticate and re-authenticate their identity, and

upon a determination that the user is authenticated;

prompt the user to input the reason for assigning the new value to the data element, and

generate the audit record of the attempt to assign the new value to the data element.

15. A system for enabling enhanced functionality in an application, the system comprising:

a rules base that contains rules;

a rules engine that executes the rules;

an enhancement engine communicatively coupled to at least one of (i) the rules base and (ii) the rules engine; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the enhancement engine,

wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

receive a request that specifies (i) a selected rule from among a plurality of rules, and (ii) a type of an enhanced functionality to be enabled in an application, wherein the application is defined, at least in part, by said plurality of rules, wherein the selected rule references a data element in a process flow that specifies a plurality of actions associated with the application, and wherein the type of the enhanced functionality includes one or more of auditing, pre-approval, post-approval, encryption, resource management, access security, and reporting;

identify a new rule based on the type of the enhanced functionality and based on the selected rule specified in the request, wherein the new rule comprises an additional rule other than the selected rule that supplements the selected rule in the rules base, wherein the new rule defines at least a portion of the enhanced functionality to be enabled in the application, wherein at least the portion of the enhanced functionality defined by the new rule enables the application to generate an audit record of an attempt to assign a new value to the data element, and wherein the audit record includes the new value assigned to the data element, an other value of the data element that was previously stored in a memory, and a reason received from a user for assigning the new value; and

effect at least one of (i) updating the application to include the new rule in addition to the selected rule for execution with the plurality of rules that define the application at least in part, and (ii) execution of the new rule in addition to the selected rule by the rules engine with said plurality of rules, wherein said execution of the new rule enables at least the portion of the enhanced functionality.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the new rule comprises an updated version of at least one of the said plurality of rules that defines the application other than the selected rule.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor configured to receive the request that specifies (i) the selected rule from among a plurality of rules, and (ii) the type of the enhanced functionality to be enabled in an application includes the processor being configured to provide a user interface that is used to specify the selected rule.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is configured to identify a said new rule that defines at least a portion of enhanced functionality enabling the application to identify the attempt to assign the new value to the data element by detecting a discrepancy between the new value and the other value of the data element that was previously stored in the memory,

wherein the processor is configured to detect the discrepancy by:

identifying an action in the process flow that is configured to assign the new value to the data element;

inserting a first action into the process flow prior to the identified action, wherein the first action is configured to store the other value of the data element in the memory, and

inserting a second action into the process flow after the identified action, wherein the second action is configured to detect the discrepancy between the new value and the other value of the data element by comparing the new value with the other value.