Data Structure Tagging for Format Changes Without Reprogramming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing application programs require laborious and time-consuming reprogramming to accommodate changes in data structures from different data sources, especially when modifications occur, which is opaque to business users and complicates claim processing in mission-critical systems.
Innovation Solution
The creation and application of tags to data structures, allowing business users to define categorizations that can be evaluated during processing, thereby minimizing or eliminating the need for reprogramming, as the tags accommodate format changes in the data structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If application programs are hardcoded to process data structures from multiple data sources, then the application can handle diverse data formats, but reprogramming is required whenever data structure formats change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a data structure tag as an intermediary layer between the data source and the application program. The tag acts as a mediator that describes the data structure's format and characteristics, allowing the application to process data without direct hardcoding of specific formats. When data formats change, only the tag needs to be updated, not the application program itself, thus resolving the contradiction between handling diverse formats and avoiding reprogramming time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of data structure description from hardcoded format specifications to dynamic tags. Instead of the application program containing explicit format definitions, the system uses tags that parameterize the data structure characteristics. This allows the same application to adapt to different data formats by simply changing the tag parameters rather than rewriting the application code.
2Reliability
If application programs are reprogrammed to accommodate data structure changes, then the application can process updated data formats, but the reprogramming process is opaque to business users
Solution Approach 1:
The tag serves as an intermediary that bridges the technical data structure changes and business user requirements. Business users can interact with and define tags through user-friendly interfaces without needing to understand the underlying data structure modifications. The tag layer translates business user definitions into executable processing logic, making the system transparent to users while maintaining the ability to process updated data formats.
3Adaptability or versatility
If data structure formats are modified by data sources, then the data can reflect updated workflows and requirements, but the application program must be reprogrammed to handle the changes
Solution Approach 1:
The tag acts as a mediator between data source modifications and application program logic. When data sources modify their data structures to reflect updated workflows, only the tag needs to be updated to describe the new format. The application program continues to use the same processing logic, simply reading from the updated tag. This dramatically reduces the complexity of maintaining the application program while preserving its ability to reflect updated workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the data processing system into distinct components: the data source, the tag (which describes the data structure), and the application program. This segmentation isolates the complexity of data structure changes to the tag layer, protecting the application program from direct exposure to format changes. The application program interacts with data through the standardized tag interface, reducing maintenance complexity while maintaining adaptability to workflow changes.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure enables (1) creation of various tags and (2) tagging of various data structures identified above with such tags. Therefore, once tagged, these data structures can be processed by various application programs, without reprograming of these application programs or with minimal reprogramming of these application programs, because these tags accommodate or account for potential changes to these data structures (e.g., in format) that are made before these data structure are received for processing, as explained above. For example, some of such tags may be business user defined categorizations of data structures that can be evaluated during processing of some of such data structures and subsequently used as inputs to a standardized logic, thereby eliminating of reprogramming of these application programs or minimizing reprogramming of these application programs.