Middleware Time-Based Triggers for Workflow Automation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Time-critical business opportunities are often lost as time-sensitive data languishes in middleware queues, as existing systems lack efficient mechanisms to manage and act on such data.

Innovation Solution

Implementing events with time-based triggers and rules within the middleware, which create and manage workflows to redirect or act on time-sensitive data, ensuring timely action and reducing queue backlog.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If data is queued in middleware for synchronization, then data consolidation and user-specific delivery are enabled, but time-sensitive data may languish in the queue causing loss of business opportunities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata synchronization efficiencyVSAvoidtime-sensitive data delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by creating time-based triggers and workflows when data is queued, proactively preparing to redirect or act on time-sensitive data before deadlines are missed. This prevents data from languishing in the queue by having pre-configured actions ready to execute automatically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring queued data against time-based triggers and rules. When time-sensitive data approaches its deadline, the system detects this condition and automatically triggers workflows to redirect the data to alternative destinations or take corrective actions, ensuring timely processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If automated workflows are implemented to manage time-sensitive data, then timely processing and reduced queue backlog are achieved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetimely data processingVSAvoidmiddleware system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the complex data management task into modular components: time-based triggers, rules engine, and workflows. Each component handles a specific aspect of time-sensitive data management, making the overall system more manageable and maintainable despite the increased functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer (the rules engine and workflow system) that sits between the data queue and the synchronization process. This intermediary automatically manages time-sensitive data by evaluating rules and triggering appropriate workflows, reducing the need for complex manual intervention while maintaining system reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS7870563B2Triggering workflows based on middleware events

Publication Date: 2011.01.11 SAP SE

AI summary

Workflows are triggered for time-sensitive, user-specific data queued for delivery to a plurality of users. Responsive to time-sensitive data being queued, time-based triggers are created based at least in part upon content of the time-sensitive data. If the time-sensitive data is still in the queue when the time-based trigger expires, one-or-more rules are executed to change a destination of the time-sensitive data.