Infotype Records for Time-Dependent Data Updates
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for updating software applications or documents with time-dependent data structures face challenges in direct mapping and updating due to their complex, time-dependent nature, leading to inefficiencies in enterprise resource planning systems.
Innovation Solution
A delta update methodology that uses XML-based messages to communicate changes between systems, employing Infotype records with validity periods to manage and update business objects, allowing for accurate representation and processing of time-dependent data structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If direct mapping is used to update software applications with time-dependent data structures, then the updating process becomes simpler, but the mapping accuracy and reliability deteriorate due to time-dependent complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the time-dependent data structure into multiple Infotype records, each representing a specific time period. This segmentation allows the system to handle time-dependent updates by processing individual time segments separately, maintaining mapping accuracy while simplifying the overall update process through structured decomposition of complex time-dependent data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining the Infotype record structure with validity periods before the actual update operation. This pre-structured approach enables the system to prepare for time-dependent updates in advance, ensuring accurate mapping and reducing the complexity of real-time updates by having the framework already in place.
2Measurement precision
If time-dependent data structures are deeply structured into subsections, then the data representation becomes more precise, but the updating process becomes more complex and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal Infotype record structure that can represent multiple time-dependent features within a single framework. This multi-functional structure allows the system to handle various time-dependent data types (payroll, organizational data, financial information) using the same update mechanism, thereby maintaining precision while reducing the complexity that would otherwise require separate specialized structures for each data type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by modifying the validity period parameters of Infotype records to represent time-dependent variations. Instead of creating deeply nested structures for each time period, the system changes the temporal parameters of a unified structure, achieving precise time-dependent representation with simpler update logic that operates on the unified structure rather than navigating complex nested subsections.
3Productivity
If delta information exchange is used for updates, then the updating efficiency improves, but the system's ability to handle time-dependent features deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the Infotype record as an intermediary structure between the delta information exchange mechanism and the time-dependent data. This intermediary layer receives delta changes efficiently while simultaneously translating them into appropriate time-dependent representations by matching delta validity periods with corresponding Infotype records, thereby maintaining both updating efficiency and the ability to handle time-dependent features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the Infotype record structure adaptable to different time periods through validity period parameters. The system dynamically adjusts which Infotype records are active based on the current time context, allowing the efficient delta update mechanism to naturally accommodate time-dependent variations without requiring separate static structures for each time scenario, thus maintaining efficiency while enhancing adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer-readable medium having instructions thereon for executing a method are provided for effecting modification of, e.g., updating, a target application or document. An embodiment of the present invention provides for the updating of a target application or document having specific time split operations in, for example, an enterprise resources planning system (ERP).