System and Method for Supporting Software

• US 20080262860A1
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Schneider, Thomas, Sattler, Juergen, Haeberle, Tilmann
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,669 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

This disclosure provides various embodiments of software for supporting a business application. In one aspect, the software receives error information and dynamic context information from a remote business application, where the dynamic context information may partially identify the particular execution point of the business application and a portion of the business data associated with that execution point, present a search interface to a support user utilizing search criteria that is automatically populated using the received information, and, upon request of the support user, generates an execution environment that simulates the remote business application execution using the received information. In some implementations, the software is farther operable to retrieve static context information related to the remote business application from a static context information repository. In those instances, the execution environment for the support user may be generated using at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.

Claims

1. Software for supporting a business application comprising computer readable instructions embedded on media and operable when executed to:

receive error information and dynamic context information from a remote business application, the dynamic context information at least partially identifying the particular execution point of the business application and a portion of the business data associated with that execution point;

present a search interface to a support user utilizing one or more search criteria that is automatically populated using the received information; and

upon request of the support user, generate an execution environment for the support user that simulates the remote business application execution using the received information.

2. The software of claim 1, wherein the remote business application comprises a client interface and a support agent operable to identify and communicate at least one of the error information and the dynamic context information.

3. The software of claim 1, wherein the remote business application comprises a client-side of a hosted solution.

4. The software of claim 1, wherein the execution environment is run using a temporary customer of the hosted solution.

5. The software of claim 1, wherein the remote business application is operating at a site unassociated with the support user.

6. The software of claim 1 further operable to retrieve static context information from a static context information repository, the static context information related to the remote business application.

7. The software of claim 6, wherein the execution environment for the support user is farther generated using at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.

8. The software of claim 1, wherein the execution environment is operable to request additional business data from the remote business application.

9. The software of claim 8, wherein the execution environment comprises a debugging session running concurrently with the simulation.

10. The software of claim 1 further operable to communicate with a billing system to bill the client for the support user involvement.

11. A system comprising:

means for receiving error information and dynamic context information from a remote business application, the dynamic context information at least partially identifying the particular execution point of the business application and a portion of the business data associated with that execution point;

means for retrieving static context information from a static context information repository, the static context information related to the remote business application;

means for presenting a search interface to a support user utilizing one or more search criteria that is automatically populated using the received information; and

upon request of the support user, means for generating an execution environment for the support user that simulates the remote business application execution using at least a portion of the received error and dynamic context information and at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising means for interacting and communicating with a billing system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the execution environment for the support user is further generated using at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the execution environment further comprises means for requesting additional business data from the remote business application.

15. A computer-implemented method for supporting a business application, comprising:

receiving error information and dynamic context information from a remote business application, the dynamic context information at least partially identifying the particular execution point of the business application and a portion of the business data associated with that execution point;

presenting a search interface to a support user utilizing one or more search criteria that, is automatically populated using the received information; and

upon request of the support user, generating an execution environment for the support user that simulates the remote business application execution using the received information.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising retrieving static context information from a static context information repository, the static context information related to the remote business application.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein generating the execution environment for the support user further comprises using at least a portion of the retrieved static context information.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the remote business application comprises a client-side of a hosted solution.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the execution environment is run using a temporary customer of the hosted solution.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the remote business application is operating at a site unassociated with the support user.