Embedding Flow Applications in Cloud Collaboration Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current data processing flow building applications lack the functionality to support real-time collaboration between users, leading to inconsistencies and inefficiencies in designing and modifying data processing flows, particularly in cloud-based environments.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based collaboration application that embeds a flow application, allowing multiple users to concurrently view, modify, and synchronize data processing flows in real-time, using a collaborative document application like Quip, where updates are reflected across all user interfaces and synchronized with the underlying flow application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current data flow building applications are used, then users can build data processing flows, but real-time collaboration between users is not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the flow building application within the collaborative document application, allowing flow creation and editing functionality to be nested inside the collaboration platform. This enables real-time collaboration on data processing flows without requiring a separate complex collaboration system, as the collaboration features are already present in the host application.
Solution Approach 2:
The collaborative document application is extended to serve multiple functions: it acts as both a document editing platform and a flow building environment. By making the platform universal, it can handle both collaborative document work and collaborative flow design, eliminating the need for specialized collaboration features in separate applications.
2Productivity
If multiple users work on data processing flows independently, then each user can modify flows, but inconsistencies and errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback to all users about modifications made by other users. When one user edits a flow, the changes are immediately visible to other users through the collaborative interface, allowing them to see and correct potential inconsistencies. This continuous feedback loop ensures data consistency while maintaining high collaboration efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple user views and edits into a single unified flow definition stored in the database. All user modifications are combined in real-time, with the system maintaining a single source of truth that reflects all changes, thereby preventing inconsistencies that would arise from independent parallel edits.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flow applications are not embedded in collaboration platforms, then system simplicity is maintained, but real-time collaboration on flows is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The flow building application is nested within the collaborative document application, allowing the flow functionality to leverage the existing collaboration infrastructure of the host platform. This nesting approach enables collaboration features without requiring a completely separate system, as the flow app inherits collaboration capabilities from its container.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the collaborative document application as an intermediary layer between users and the flow processing system. This intermediary provides the collaboration interface and real-time synchronization, while the actual flow logic remains in the underlying flow application, thus adding collaboration functionality without directly complicating the core flow processing system.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices supporting managing a data processing flow are described. A device (e.g., an application server) may host a cloud-based collaboration application, such as an interactive document application. The device may receive an instance of a data processing flow for a flow application based on a first user input to the cloud-based collaboration application. The device may receive the instance of the data processing flow from a source device hosting the flow application. The device may embed the flow application in the cloud-based collaboration application. The device may then receive user inputs to the data processing flow from multiple users collaborating on the same flow in the cloud-based collaboration application. Based on the user inputs, the device may modify the instance of the data processing flow and transmit the modified instance back to the source device to synchronize the data processing flow in the flow application.