Data Integration System for Expense Allocation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data processing systems fail to integrate data from different sources, such as project management and accounting systems, making it difficult to allocate expenses to specific projects effectively.
Innovation Solution
A data integration system that processes project records by calculating a normalized level of effort value and associates them with cost center identifiers, allowing for the allocation of expenses across cost centers based on these values, thereby integrating project and accounting data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data from different sources (project management system and accounting system) are kept separate, then each system maintains its own data integrity and functionality, but the ability to allocate expenses to specific projects is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary data integration layer that receives data from both the project management system and accounting system, normalizes it, and creates unified project records. This intermediary layer enables expense allocation functionality without requiring changes to the source systems, thus maintaining data integrity while adding versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated data structure and normalization functions create a universal platform that can handle multiple data sources and enable various analytical functions including expense allocation, project costing, and financial reporting, making the system adaptable to different business needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If data integration functionality is added to connect project management and accounting systems, then expense allocation to projects becomes possible, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data integration process into distinct functional modules: data reception from multiple sources, normalization functions for different data types, project record creation, and expense allocation calculations. This modular segmentation reduces overall system complexity by making each component independent and manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediary integration layer acts as a buffer between the two systems, handling all complexity of data transformation and matching internally, while presenting simple, unified interfaces to both source systems and end users, thus hiding complexity from the overall system architecture.
3Measurement precision
If normalized level of effort values are calculated for all project records, then accurate expense allocation across projects is enabled, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent calculates and stores normalized level of effort values as part of the initial project record creation process, rather than computing them on-demand during expense allocation. This preliminary calculation eliminates redundant computations and reduces processing time when expenses need to be allocated.
Solution Approach 2:
The normalization process transforms raw level of effort values into standardized parameters that can be directly used for proportional expense allocation. By pre-processing and standardizing these parameters, the system achieves accurate allocation without repeated complex calculations during expense distribution.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for integrating data from different data sources is disclosed. Project records are processed by (a) calculating a normalized level of effort value based on a level of effort value contained in the project record and (b) determining a cost center identifier associated with the project record. Cost center records are processed by (a) identifying the project records associated with a cost center identifier contained in the cost center record and (b) allocating an expense amount contained in the cost center record across the identified project records based on the normalized level of effort value for each of the identified project records.