System and method for managing a suite of data management tools

A tool management system, comprising:

• a storage device to store groups of data signals and further to store software tools each for providing an associated set of operations on ones of said groups of data signals;
• an instruction processor coupled to said storage device to execute each said set of operations provided by an associated one of said software tools;
• a user interface coupled to said storage device to allow a user to select one of said software tools as a currently-selected tool, to allow the user to select one of said groups of data signals as a currently-selected group, and to allow the user to select from among predetermined ones of the operations in predetermined ones of said sets of operations that are associated with said selected group to choose a currently-selected operation;
• selection interface means responsive to said user interface for determining if said currently-selected operation is included in the associated set of operations performed by said currently-selected tool, and if said currently-selected operation is included in said associated set of operations performed by said currently-selected tool, causing said instruction processor, under the control of said currently-selected tool, to execute said currently-selected operation on said currently-selected group;
• and
• routing interface means responsive to said selection interface means for providing an indication of said currently-selected operation to a second one of said software tools, said second one of said software tools being one of the software tools including said currently-selected operation in its associated set of operations, said routine interface means further for causing said instruction processor, under the control of said second one of said software tools, to execute said currently-selected operation on said currently-selected group.

For use in a data processing system including a memory for storing data items, the memory further for storing tools that each performs an associated set of operations, each of the operations being associated with ones of the data items for performing data processing tasks on the associated ones of the data items, the computer-implemented method for managing the tools, comprising the steps of:

• (a) selecting any of the tools as the currently-selected tool;
• (b) using said currently-selected tool to obtain a list of the data items stored in the memory;
• (c) selecting one of the data items as the currently-selected data item;
• (d) using said currently-selected tool to obtain a list of all of the operations that are associated with said currently-selected data item;
• (e) selecting one of the listed operations as the currently-selected operation;
• (f) using said currently-selected tool to perform said currently-selected operation if said currently-selected operation is included in the associated set of operations performed by said currently-selected tool;
• and
• (g) routing said currently-selected operation to a different one of the tools to be performed if said currently-selected operation is not included in the associated set of operations performed by said currently-selected tool, wherein said currently-selected operation is included in the associated set of operations performed by said different one of the tools for said currently-selected data item.

For use in a data management system having an instruction processor, a memory coupled to the instruction processor, and a repository to store data items managed by the data management system, wherein the memory stores a tool set for providing a predetermined set of functions to be executed by the instruction processor, the tool set including multiple tools each for providing respective ones of functions, and wherein each data item is associated with the ones of the functions capable of being performed on the data item, a tool management system, comprising:

• first memory circuits to store, for each of the functions, an associated function description, and function relationship indicators that each associates the function description with a data item that is associated with the function;
• second memory circuits coupled to the first memory circuits to store, for each of the tools, a tool description, and tool relationship indicators that each associates the tool description with a function description that describes a function performed by the tool;
• selection means coupled to the first memory circuits for allowing for the selection of a data item and a tool, and for searching the repository to find the selected data item;
• relationship traversal means for utilizing the function relationship indicators to locate each of the function descriptions associated with the selected data item;
• command routing means for receiving functions from the selection means;
• and
• wherein the selection means further includes means for allowing one of the located functional descriptions to be selected, and means for invoking the selected tool to execute the function described by the selected function description if the described function is provided by the selected tool, and otherwise, for providing the described function to the command routing means.