Task management integrated design environment for complex data integration applications

• US 9,805,326 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2014
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Greene, Lawrence A., Jacobson, Eric A., Li, Yong, Pu, Xiaoyan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Ziaul A
• Application Number:
  US14/261,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150309769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work

Abstract

Embodiments presented herein provide task management capabilities for designing a complex data integration workflow in an integrated design environment (IDE). A task management tool of the IDE allows a developer to tag various stages of a data integration workflow in a non-linear manner. When the task management tool receives a tag for a given stage, the task management tool identifies incomplete tasks associated with the stage and generates a task list that includes the incomplete tasks. The developer may return to completing any of the tasks in the workflow in any sequence as desired.

Claims

1. A method for managing a design process of a data integration workflow, the method comprising:

presenting, via a processor, a design representation of the data integration workflow, wherein the design representation shows each of a plurality of stages included in the data integration workflow and wherein each stage is associated with a set of tasks performed as part of the data integration workflow;

receiving a tag to associate with a first one of the stages, wherein the tag indicates that at least a first task associated with the first stage is incomplete and wherein the tag specifies a context path to the first stage indicating producer and consumer relationships between the at least the first task and the first stage;

updating, based on the received tag, the design representation to reflect that the first stage has at least one incomplete development task;

presenting, as part of the design representation, stages of the data integration workflow which have incomplete development tasks;

receiving input completing the set of tasks associated with the first stage;

updating the design representation with an indication that the set of tasks associated with the first stage has been completed;

receiving a selection of one of the stages presented in the design representation; and

presenting a list of incomplete development tasks associated with the selected stage in the graphical representation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, storing the at least the first task in a task repository.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon receiving an indication that a database table shared with the stage has been modified, updating metadata for the stage with information of the modification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data integration workflow is an extract, transform, and load workflow.

5. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code configured to perform an operation for managing a design process of a data integration workflow, the operation comprising;

presenting, via a processor, a design representation of the data integration workflow, wherein the design representation shows each of a plurality of stages included in the data integration workflow and wherein each stage is associated with a set of tasks performed as part of the data integration workflow;

receiving a tag to associate with a first one of the stages, wherein the tag indicates that at least a first task associated with the first stage is incomplete and wherein the tag specifies a context path to the first stage indicating producer and consumer relationships between the at least the first task and the first stage;

updating, based on the received tag, the design representation to reflect that the first stage has at least one incomplete development task;

presenting, as part of the design representation, stages of the data integration workflow which have incomplete development tasks;

receiving input completing the set of tasks associated with the first stage;

updating the design representation with an indication that the set of tasks associated with the first stage has been completed;

receiving a selection of one of the stages presented in the design representation; and

presenting a list of incomplete development tasks associated with the selected stage in the graphical representation.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operation further comprises, storing the at least the first task in a task repository.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the operation further comprises, upon receiving an indication that a database table shared with the stage has been modified, updating metadata for the stage with information of the modification.

8. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the data integration workflow is an extract, transform, and load workflow.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing a program, which, when executed on the processor, performs an operation for managing a design process of a data integration workflow, the operation comprising;

presenting a design representation of the data integration workflow, wherein the design representation shows each of a plurality of stages included in the data integration workflow and wherein each stage is associated with a set of tasks performed as part of the data integration workflow;

receiving a tag to associate with a first one of the stages, wherein the tag indicates that at least a first task associated with the first stage is incomplete and wherein the tag specifies a context path to the first stage indicating producer and consumer relationships between the at least the first task and the first stage;

updating, based on the received tag, the design representation to reflect that the first stage has at least one incomplete development task;

presenting, as part of the design representation, stages of the data integration workflow which have incomplete development tasks;

receiving input completing the set of tasks associated with the first stage;

updating the design representation with an indication that the set of tasks associated with the first stage has been completed;

receiving a selection of one of the stages presented in the design representation; and

presenting a list of incomplete development tasks associated with the selected stage in the graphical representation.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operation further comprises, upon receiving an indication that a database table shared with the stage has been modified, updating metadata for the stage with information of the modification.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the data integration workflow is an extract, transform, and load workflow.