Method for checking the completeness and consistency of an information library

• US 20060050654A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG), Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Objektund Internet-Technologien
• Original Assignee: Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Objektund Internet-Technologien
• Inventors: Gortler, Georg, Feichtinger, Dieter, Sinz, Carsten
• Granted Patent: US 7,716,188 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

To simplify the creation and handling of an information library which is associated with a number of modules from which a device is put together in accordance with a prescribed configuration structure, a method for checking the completeness and consistency of the information library is provided. Accordingly, the information library comprises a number of information packets, each of which contains an information core and a meta-statement which defines the association between the information packet and at least one module a context library is prescribed which comprises a number of context units, each context unit of which contains a reference to a combination of modules which requires the presence of the information packet, and the information library is checked for completeness and consistency by testing whether each configuration of modules which is valid in accordance with the configuration structure and each affected context unit which refers to a combination contained in the configuration have at least one corresponding information packet available which, in accordance with its meta-statement, is compatible with the configuration and is defined as being associated with the combination.

Claims

1. A method for checking a completeness and consistency of an information library which is associated with a plurality of modules from which a device is put together in accordance with a prescribed configuration structure, the method comprising:

providing the information library with a plurality of information packets, each of which contains an information core and a meta-statement which defines the association between the respective information packet and at least one of the plurality of modules;

prescribing a context library which comprises a plurality of context units, each of the plurality of the context units containing a reference to a combination of the plurality of modules, the combination associated with a presence of one of the information packets; and

testing whether each configuration of the plurality of modules which is valid in accordance with the configuration structure and each affected context unit which refers to a combination contained in the configuration have at least one corresponding information packet available which, in accordance with the corresponding meta-statement, is compatible with the configuration structure and is defined as being associated with the combination.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, if the information library is found to be incomplete by the testing:

indicating each of the plurality of context units for which there is no corresponding information packet or the combination of modules which is specified in the reference in this context unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, if the information library is found to be inconsistent by the testing:

indicating the information packets which correspond to one and the same context unit in terms of one and the same configuration.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure, the information library, and the context library as text files in an XML format.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure as a tree structure with a plurality of hierarchic levels, within which tree structure the plurality of modules are hierarchically associated with one another.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of modules comprise type modules and variant modules, and wherein successive hierarchic levels in the configuration structure alternately hold type modules and variant modules, with a first type module having at least one associated variant module directly subordinate to the first type module.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the configuration of the plurality of modules is recognized as being valid if each type module and each variant module within the configuration meet prescribed validity criteria.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the validity criteria tested for a type module in a configuration are:

whether a number of variant modules selected as being subordinate to the type module is within a prescribed selection range;

whether each of the variant modules meets prescribed validity criteria; and

whether the variant modules in the configuration which are selected as being subordinate to the type module are only those which are admissibly made subordinate to this type module in accordance with the configuration structure.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the validity criteria tested for a variant module in a configuration are:

whether each type module selected as being subordinate to this variant module meets prescribed validity criteria,

whether each condition associated with the variant module is met, and

whether the type modules in the configuration which are selected as being subordinate to the variant module are only those which are admissibly made subordinate to the variant module in accordance with the configuration structure.

10. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising, if the information library is found to be inconsistent by the testing:

indicating the information packets which correspond to one and the same context unit in terms of one and the same configuration.

11. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure, the information library, and the context library as text files in an XML format.

12. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure, the information library, and the context library as text files in an XML format.

13. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure as a tree structure with a plurality of hierarchic levels, within which tree structure the plurality of modules are hierarchically associated with one another.

14. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure as a tree structure with a plurality of hierarchic levels, within which tree structure the plurality of modules are hierarchically associated with one another.

15. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:

storing the configuration structure as a tree structure with a plurality of hierarchic levels, within which tree structure the plurality of modules are hierarchically associated with one another.