Extensibility framework for developing front office (CRM) workflow automation components
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsIsrael Hilerio, Xinguang Chen, Mary Coles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for enabling an existing business workflow tool to extend application functionality through the use of external components and for providing a business abstraction layer that lowers a user design barrier.
Claims20
A method of enabling a business developer to use an existing workflow definition editor of a customer relationship management system to create a workflow definition that incorporates functionality provided by an external assembly object, comprising:
- providing a plug-in assembly object comprising a method that accepts and returns at least one of an object of the customer relationship management program and a primitive data type;
- creating a configuration object comprising a link to the plug-in assembly object and a mapping of a parameter identifier of the plug-in assembly object to a business-friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- modifying the workflow editor to access the configuration object and to display the business friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- generating a workflow definition comprising a call to the assembly object method using the parameter identifier.
A customer relationship management system comprising:
- an assembly object wherein the assembly object comprises a method that accepts and returns at least one of an object of a customer relationship management application and a primitive data type;
- a configuration object comprising a link to the assembly object and a mapping of a parameter identifier of the assembly object to a business-friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- a workflow editor that accesses the configuration file and displays the business-friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- a workflow definition created by the workflow editor, wherein the workflow definition comprises a call to the assembly object method using the parameter identifier.
A computing apparatus, comprising:
- a display unit that is capable of generating video images;
- an input device;
- a processing apparatus operatively coupled to said display unit and said input device, said processing apparatus comprising a processor and a memory operatively coupled to said processor;
- and
- a network interface connected to a network and to the processing apparatus;
- said processing apparatus being programmed to:
- designate an assembly object for use with a customer relationship management program, wherein the assembly object comprises a method that accepts and returns at least one of an object of the customer relationship management program and a primitive data type;
- access a configuration object comprising a link to the assembly object and a mapping of an parameter identifier of the assembly object to a business-friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- display the business friendly description of the parameter identifier;
- and
- generate a workflow rule comprising the parameter identifier.
The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said processing apparatus is further programmed to execute the workflow rule by instantiating the assembly object using the link contained in the configuration object, and calling the method of the assembly object using the parameter identifier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.