Business network GUI

• US 9,483,745 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Voges, Sandra, Ackermann, Joerg, Bhatt, Ankur, Denner, Juergen, Illenberger, Christian, Liebig, Christoph, Rothermel, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): STITT, ERIK V
• Application Number:
  US12/938,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20120110468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/764, 715/747
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device includes instructions that, when executed, generate in a display device a graphical user interface comprising: a business view area with first objects representing business entities participating in a business network and second objects representing business connections between the business entities; and a connect view area with third objects representing applications participating in the business network and fourth objects representing logical interactions between the applications; wherein the graphical user interface dynamically updates the first, second, third and fourth objects with metadata that is at least in part automatically gathered in the business network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, data that identifies a plurality of participants in a business network and data that identifies relationships among the plurality of participants, wherein the plurality of participants includes a first business organization and a second business organization, the first business organization being distinct from the second business organization, the first business organization being geographically remote from the second business organization;

generating, by the computing system, a business network graph that includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, wherein;

(i) for each respective participant among the plurality of participants, the plurality of nodes includes a respective node that corresponds to the respective participant, and

(ii) the plurality of edges form connections among particular ones of the plurality of nodes based on the data that identifies the relationships among the plurality of participants;

displaying, within a graphical user interface and on an electronic display of the computing system, a business view mode representation of the business network graph, wherein;

(i) the business view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective node among the plurality of nodes, (a) the respective node and (b) in proximity of the respective node, a business name of the respective participant in the business network that corresponds to the respective node, and

(ii) the business view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, (a) the respective edge and (b) in proximity of the respective edge, a representation of a type of real-world business interaction between the respective participants in the business network whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge;

receiving, while displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that first user input has selected, within the graphical user interface, a view mode control that is configured to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of nodes in the business network graph, and to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of edges in the business network graph, without adding or removing nodes or edges from a display of the business network graph; and

in response to receiving the indication that the first user input has selected the view mode control, changing from displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying a connect view mode representation of the business network graph, wherein;

(i) the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective node among the plurality of nodes, (a) the respective node and (b) in proximity of the respective node, a representation of a software application that the respective participant in the business network that corresponds to the respective node uses to electronically interface with other participants of the plurality of participants in the business network when performing cross-organizational activities related to services of the business network,

(ii) the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, (a) the respective edge and (b) in proximity of the respective edge, a representation of a type of computer-network interaction between the software applications of the respective participants in the business network whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge, and

(iii) changing from displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph includes, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, replacing the representation of the type of real-world business interaction shown in proximity of the respective edge with the representation of the type of computer-network interaction between the software applications of the respective participants in the business network graph whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, while displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph or while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected a details-level control within the graphical user interface;

wherein the computing system is configured to;

(i) as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control while the business view mode representation of the business network graph was being displayed, cause additional information about the respective participants that correspond to each of at least a subset of the nodes to be shown in proximity of respective nodes in the at least the subset of the nodes, the additional information not having been shown before the indication of the second user input was received, and

(ii) as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control while the connect view mode representation of the business network graph was being displayed, cause additional information about the respective participants that correspond to each of at least a subset of the nodes to be shown in proximity of respective nodes in the at least the subset of the nodes, the additional information not having been shown before the indication of the second user input was received.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the view mode control is a first view mode control, and

the method further comprises;

receiving, while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected, within the graphical user interface, a second view mode control that is configured to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of edges in the business network graph without adding or removing nodes or edges from a display of the business network graph; and

in response to receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the second view mode control, changing from displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying a third representation of the business network graph in a grid view mode that shows, in proximity of at least one edge, a representation of a middleware component that interfaces the respective software applications of the respective participants in the business network that correspond to the nodes connected by the at least one edge.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the view mode control is a first view mode control, and

the method further comprises;

receiving, while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected a second view mode control within the graphical user interface; and

in response to receiving the indication that the third second user input has selected the second view mode control, changing from displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the software application that a first participant among the plurality of participants uses to electronically interface with other participants in the business network is an enterprise resource planning software application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a search function control within the graphical user interface;

receiving a query that second user input has submitted through the search function control; and

generating a search result that is responsive to the received query and that identifies a particular participant in the business network from among the plurality of participants.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to generating the search result, automatically displaying a third representation of the business network graph in a zoomed-in view that shows only a proper subset of all the nodes that were shown at a time when the query was received, wherein the proper subset of all the nodes includes the respective node that corresponds to the particular participant in the business network that is identified by the search result.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a snapshot function control within the graphical user interface;

receiving an indication that second user input has selected the snapshot function control; and

in response to receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the snapshot function control, storing information that indicates a current state of the business network.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:

the details-level control is a slider control,

receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control comprises receiving an indication that the second user input has dragged the slider control by a first distance within the graphical user interface, and

the computing system is configured to adjust, based on the first distance, an amount of the additional information that is caused to be shown as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for a first node among the plurality of nodes that corresponds to the first business organization, a representation of a first software application that the first business organization uses to electronically interface with other participants of the plurality of participants in the business network when performing cross-organizational activities related to services of the business network; and

the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for a second node among the plurality of nodes that corresponds to the second business organization, a representation of a second software application that the second business organization uses to electronically interface with other participants of the plurality of participants in the business network when performing cross-organizational activities related to services of the business network, the second software application being different from the first software application, the representation of the second software application being different from the representation of the first software application.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the representation of the type of real-world business interaction that is shown in proximity of a first edge among the plurality of edges in the business view mode representation of the business network graph indicates a delivery process for goods shipped between the first business organization and the second business organization.

12. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of operations, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, data that identifies a plurality of participants in a business network and data that identifies relationships among the plurality of participants, wherein the plurality of participants includes a first business organization and a second business organization, the first business organization being distinct from the second business organization, the first business organization being geographically remote from the second business organization;

generating, by the computing system, a business network graph that includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, wherein;

(i) for each respective participant among the plurality of participants, the plurality of nodes includes a respective node that corresponds to the respective participant, and

(ii) the plurality of edges form connections among particular ones of the plurality of nodes based on the data that identifies the relationships among the plurality of participants;

displaying, within a graphical user interface and on an electronic display of the computing system, a business view mode representation of the business network graph, wherein;

(i) the business view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective node among the plurality of nodes, (a) the respective node and (b) in proximity of the respective node, a business name of the respective participant in the business network that corresponds to the respective node, and

(ii) the business view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, (a) the respective edge and (b) in proximity of the respective edge, a representation of a type of real-world business interaction between the respective participants in the business network whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge;

receiving, while displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that first user input has selected, within the graphical user interface, a view mode control that is configured to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of nodes in the business network graph, and to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of edges in the business network graph, without adding or removing nodes or edges from a display of the business network graph; and

in response to receiving the indication that the first user input has selected the view mode control, changing from displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying a connect view mode representation of the business network graph, wherein;

(i) the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective node among the plurality of nodes, (a) the respective node and (b) in proximity of the respective node, a representation of a software application that the respective participant in the business network that corresponds to the respective node uses to electronically interface with other participants of the plurality of participants in the business network when performing cross-organizational activities related to services of the business network,

(ii) the connect view mode representation of the business network graph shows, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, (a) the respective edge and (b) in proximity of the respective edge, a representation of a type of computer-network interaction between the software applications of the respective participants in the business network whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge, and

(iii) changing from displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph includes, for each respective edge among the plurality of edges, replacing the representation of the type of real-world business interaction shown in proximity of the respective edge with the representation of the type of computer-network interaction between the software applications of the respective participants in the business network graph whose corresponding nodes are connected by the respective edge.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the view mode control is a first view mode control, and

the operations further comprise;

receiving, while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected, within the graphical user interface, a second view mode control that is configured to change a type of information shown in proximity of each of the plurality of edges in the business network graph without adding or removing nodes or edges from a display of the business network graph; and

in response to receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the second view mode control, changing from displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying a third representation of the business network graph in a grid view mode that shows, in proximity of at least one edge, a representation of a middleware component that interfaces the respective software applications of the respective participants in the business network that correspond to the nodes connected by the at least one edge.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein:

the view mode control is a first view mode control, and

the operations further comprise;

receiving, while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected a second view mode control within the graphical user interface; and

in response to receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the second view mode control, changing from displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph to displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the software application that a first participant among the plurality of participants uses to electronically interface with other participants in the business network is an enterprise resource planning software application.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a search function control within the graphical user interface;

receiving a query that second user input has submitted through the search function control; and

generating a search result that is responsive the received query and that identifies a particular participant in the business network from among the plurality of participants.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise, in response to generating the search result, automatically displaying a third representation of the business network graph in a zoomed-in view that shows only a proper subset of all the nodes that were shown at a time when the query was received, wherein the proper subset of all the nodes includes the respective node that corresponds to the particular participant in the business network that is identified by the search result.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a snapshot function control within the graphical user interface;

receiving an indication that second user input has selected the snapshot function control; and

in response to receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the snapshot function control, storing information that indicates a current state of the business network.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, while displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph or while displaying the connect view mode representation of the business network graph, an indication that second user input has selected a details-level control within the graphical user interface;

causing, as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control while the business view mode representation of the business network graph was being displayed, additional information about the respective participants that correspond to each of at least a subset of the nodes to be shown in proximity of respective nodes in the at least the subset of the nodes, the additional information not having been shown before the indication of the second user input was received, and

causing, as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control while the connect view mode representation of the business network graph was being displayed, additional information about the respective participants that correspond to each of at least a subset of the nodes to be shown in proximity of respective nodes in the at least the subset of the nodes, the additional information not having been shown before the indication of the second user input was received.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

the details-level control is a slider control,

the indication of the second user input was received while displaying the business view mode representation of the business network graph,

receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control comprises receiving an indication that the second user input has dragged the slider control by a first distance within the graphical user interface, and

the computing system is configured to adjust, based on the first distance, an amount of the additional information that is caused to be shown as a result of receiving the indication that the second user input has selected the details-level control.