US 2008/0189235 A1Published application

User-interface architecture for manipulating business models

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsVijay Mital, Andrew Robert Miller, Erik Jon Rucker

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Abstract

The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products of user-interface architecture for manipulating business models. Embodiments of the invention facilitate efficient generation and extension of business related software applications, including commingled data-centric applications that represent both data elements and business logic in metadata. Modules of the user-interface architecture permit users to enter commands through common metaphors and wizards that abstract underlying (and more complex) modeling commands and data formats from users. The user-interface architecture can automatically search for existing models to provide and extend business related functionality.

Claims20

Dependent claims

At a computer system including user-interface architecture for manipulating commingled data-centric software applications, commingled data-centric software applications commingling data models for data stores with business logic models that include rules for interacting with data entities contained in the data stores, a method for creating a commingled data-centric application, the method comprising:

an act of the user-interface architecture receiving user-entered data commands for creating a data model including at least one or more data fields;
an act of the user-interface architecture receiving user-entered rule commands indicating a business logic rule is to be associated with one or more selected data fields among the one or more data fields;
an act of the user-interface architecture converting the user-entered rule command into a meta-data format that can be associated with the one or more selected data fields in a commingled data-centric application such that user-interface architecture abstracts the meta-data format from the user and thereby relieves the user from having to know the meta-data format;
and
an act of the user-interface architecture associating the meta-data format of the business logic rule with the one or more selected data fields to commingle the data model with the business logic rule within a commingled data-centric application.

2 more elements

At a computer system including a display device and a user-interface architecture for manipulating business related software applications, a method for creating a business related software application, the method comprising:

an act of the user-interface architecture receiving user-entered commands for creating a new model, including user-entered commands for at least creating one or more data fields;
an act of the searching existing models for any relevant models having at least a specified level of commonality with the one or more data fields;
an act of the user-interface architecture identifying one or more relevant models having at least the specified level of commonality with the one or more data fields;
an act of the user-interface architecture presenting a list of the identified one or more relevant models at the display device;
an act of the user-interface architecture receiving a user-entered selection selecting one of the relevant models;
and
an act of the user-interface architecture automatically adding one or more additional fields from the selected relevant model to the new model to automatically provide the user with the functionality of an existing business related software application and thus relieve the user from having to manually create the functionality.

4 more elements

At a computer system including a display device and a user-interface architecture for manipulating business related software applications, a method for extending a business related software application, the method comprising:

an act of the user-interface architecture accessing a current model for a business related software application, the model configured to provide a first business related function;
an act of the user-interface architecture receiving user-entered criteria indicative of a desire to extend the functionality of the business related software application by adding a further second business related function to the business related software application;
an act of the user-interface architecture automatically searching existing models for any relevant models having at least a specified level of commonality with the received criteria;
an act of the user-interface architecture identifying one or more relevant models having at least the specified level of commonality with the received criteria, the identified relevant models having an increased likelihood of being configured to provide the second business related function relative to other unidentified models accessible to the user-interface architecture;
an act of the user-interface architecture presenting a list of the identified one or more relevant models at the display device;
an act of the user-interface architecture receiving a user-entered selection selecting one of the relevant models;
an act of the user-interface architecture receiving a user-entered connection command indicating how the selected relevant model is to be connected to the current model to add the second business related function to the business related software application;
and
an act of the user-interface architecture connecting the selected relevant model to the current model in accordance with the user-entered connection commands to add the second business related function to the business related software application.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.