Business Network GUI with Dynamic Metadata Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current business network technologies face challenges in providing end-to-end process integration and visibility across multiple participants, leading to costly and complex projects due to disconnects between IT systems and business processes, especially in large-scale enterprise settings.
Innovation Solution
A graphical user interface (GUI) that dynamically updates to reflect business network metadata, allowing users to navigate and manage business entities, connections, applications, and interactions, with features like drill-in/drill-out operations, history functions, and collaboration areas to facilitate unified visibility and management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If participants implement process integration into local applications to enable end-to-end business network operations, then visibility into business network performance is improved, but cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a business network manager as an intermediary system that sits between participants' local applications and the business network. This manager automatically gathers metadata about business processes, connections, and interactions, eliminating the need for participants to implement complex process integration projects while still achieving end-to-end visibility and process monitoring across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or representation of the business network through metadata gathering. Instead of integrating directly with each participant's applications, the business network manager collects metadata about processes, connections, and interactions, building a virtual model that enables visibility and monitoring without modifying participant systems.
2Adaptability or versatility
If participants implement process integration to achieve end-to-end business network operations, then process integration capability is improved, but implementation cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The business network manager serves as a cost-effective intermediary that enables end-to-end operations without requiring expensive process integration projects at each participant's location. By automatically gathering metadata about business processes and connections, the system achieves versatile network operations capability at lower implementation cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The business network manager provides universal functionality across all participants by automatically gathering metadata about various business processes, connections, and interactions. This single system serves multiple purposes including visibility, monitoring, and coordination across the entire network, eliminating the need for participants to implement separate integration solutions.
3Loss of information
If participants implement process integration to provide visibility into business network performance, then process integration capability is improved, but project duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The business network manager performs preliminary action by automatically gathering metadata about business processes, connections, and interactions before any integration work is needed. This automatic metadata collection establishes the foundation for visibility and monitoring capabilities, eliminating the need for time-consuming process integration projects while still achieving end-to-end visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by automatically gathering metadata from business networks without requiring manual configuration or integration work from participants. The business network manager autonomously collects information about processes, connections, and interactions, providing visibility capabilities without consuming participant time for integration projects.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device includes instructions that, when executed, generate in a display device a graphical user interface comprising: a business view area with first objects representing business entities participating in a business network and second objects representing business connections between the business entities; and a connect view area with third objects representing applications participating in the business network and fourth objects representing logical interactions between the applications; wherein the graphical user interface dynamically updates the first, second, third and fourth objects with metadata that is at least in part automatically gathered in the business network.