Graph Workflow Authoring With Tag-Based Search and Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional workflows are limited in description, not efficiently stored, and difficult to search and share, leading to inefficiencies as users often recreate workflows from scratch.
Innovation Solution
A platform that uses a graph database to author, store, and search workflows, enabling rich content association and efficient storage and retrieval through a client-server interface and graph database structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional workflows include only limited description and content for each step, then the workflow structure remains simple, but the information completeness and usefulness of the workflow is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments workflow information into multiple hierarchical levels: workflow-level metadata (title, description, tags), step-level details (instructions, parameters, results), and embedded content (links, attachments). This segmentation allows comprehensive information storage while maintaining a clean, manageable structure where each component has a specific purpose and can be independently managed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested structure where workflows contain multiple steps, each step contains detailed instructions and parameters, and each element can have associated embedded content such as links, attachments, or sub-steps. This nested organization enables rich information storage at multiple levels without overwhelming the overall workflow structure, allowing users to access detailed information only when needed.
2Productivity
If workflows are stored using conventional methods, then storage implementation is straightforward, but retrieval efficiency and search capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a tagging system where workflows and steps can be associated with multiple tags that serve as metadata for classification and retrieval. This feedback mechanism allows the system to automatically categorize workflows based on their content and characteristics, enabling efficient search and retrieval without requiring complex manual classification structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a unified data structure that serves multiple functions: it stores workflow definition information, enables search and retrieval operations, supports hierarchical organization, and facilitates relationship mapping between workflows and steps. This multi-functional structure eliminates the need for separate systems for each function, reducing overall system complexity while improving retrieval efficiency.
3Ease of operation
If workflows are not organized or related in structured ways, then organization overhead is minimal, but workflow sharing and collaboration efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tags and metadata as intermediary elements that connect workflows to each other and to search queries. These intermediaries enable efficient workflow discovery and sharing by providing structured connection points without requiring direct complex relationships between all workflow elements. Users can search and share workflows through tag-based classification rather than navigating complex organizational hierarchies.
Data Source
AI summary
An authoring platform for authoring a client workflow includes an arrangement of shapes representing steps and connections representing relationships between the steps. Online content retrieved from an online resource may be associated with steps of the client workflow. An authoring service receives the client workflow from the client interface via a network and directs a graph database to store a database workflow corresponding to the client workflow. A search platform is provided for creating and searching workflows using a tag database taxonomy. An author creates a workflow wherein a tag is linked to a workflow item. The workflow is stored as a database workflow and a node in the database workflow representing the workflow item is linked to a node in the database taxonomy representing the tag. Multiple workflows are created in a similar manner to link the workflows to the database taxonomy to provide efficient searching of the workflows.