Creating or Interpreting an Electronic Communication

• US 20090037535A1
• Filed: 08/03/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Peter, Markus A., Stuhec, Gunther
• Granted Patent: US 8,307,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Among other disclosure, a computer-implemented method for creating an electronic communication includes identifying, for an electronic communication regarding multiple items that is to be sent, a default value that applies to at least one of the items. The method includes including the default value in a default component configured for holding multiple default values. The method includes identifying a data structure that is common to more than one of the multiple items. The method includes defining the data structure in a list component configured for holding multiple data structures. The method includes forwarding the electronic communication, including the default component and the list component.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for creating an electronic communication, the method comprising:

identifying, for an electronic communication regarding multiple items that is to be sent, a default value that applies to at least one of the items;

including the default value in a default component configured for holding multiple default values;

identifying a data structure that is common to more than one of the multiple items;

defining the data structure in a list component configured for holding multiple data structures; and

forwarding the electronic communication, including the default component and the list component.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the default component comprises at least two components, a first component listing each element covered by the default component, and at least one second component associated with the first component, the second component containing the default value for the element listed in the first component.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic communication comprises a hierarchy of data elements, including at least one data element that is defined as an aggregation element of other data elements.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the default component is included in the aggregation element.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the default component is configured so that it is valid only in the aggregation element and in any of the data elements that are below the aggregation element in the hierarchy.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising causing, during instantiation of subelements of the aggregation element, any of the subelements covered by the default value not to be instantiated.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising partially overriding the default value by instantiating at least one of several subelements of the aggregation element.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising partially overriding the default value by including another default component in another data element that is below the aggregation element in the hierarchy.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the list component is configured to define the data structure for any data element of the aggregation element that has a cardinality of [0 . . . n].

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising including the default component within the list component.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data structure reflects a composition of the more than one of the multiple items.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the data structure comprises determining whether the multiple items is a complete list, and wherein the data structure comprises an indicator reflecting the determination.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the electronic communication includes multiple list components, further comprising using an identical indicator in all of the multiple list components.

14. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for creating an electronic communication, the method comprising:

identifying, for an electronic communication regarding multiple items that is to be sent, a default value that applies to at least one of the items;

including the default value in a default component configured for holding multiple default values;

identifying a data structure that is common to more than one of the multiple items;

defining the data structure in a list component configured for holding multiple data structures; and

forwarding the electronic communication, including the default component and the list component.

15. A computer-implemented method for interpreting a received electronic communication, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic communication regarding multiple items;

obtaining a default value from a default component included in the electronic communication;

associating the default value with at least one of the items;

obtaining a data structure from a list component included in the electronic communication;

associating the data structure with at least some of the items; and

processing the electronic communication using the default value and the data structure.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the default value is assigned to the at least one of the items that does not have an instantiated value.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the data structure reflects a composition of the more than one of the multiple items.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the data structure comprises an indicator reflecting a determination whether the multiple items is a complete list.

19. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method for interpreting a received electronic communication, the method comprising:

receiving an electronic communication regarding multiple items;

obtaining a default value from a default component included in the electronic communication;

associating the default value to at least one of the items;

obtaining a data structure from a list component included in the electronic communication;

associating the data structure with at least some of the items; and

processing the electronic communication using the default value and the data structure.