Ontology-Based Adaptive Interface for COTS ERP Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems often require customization to align with specific business processes, leading to complexity and inefficiency, as users need to adapt to generic user interfaces that do not provide familiar or relevant information, hindering productivity, especially in dynamic work domains like maintenance planning.
Innovation Solution
A work-centered support system that uses ontology and model-based adaptive user interface technology to automatically supplement COTS software displays with relevant decision support information from external data sources, presenting it in a familiar format through a 'Focus-Periphery' structure, reducing the need for extensive user training and customization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If COTS ERP systems use generic user interfaces designed by application engineers, then the system maintains standardization and ease of deployment, but the interface does not align with user-specific business processes and terminology, reducing ease of operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer between the COTS ERP system and the user interface. This layer translates generic ERP data and terminology into user-specific business terminology and processes without modifying the underlying ERP system. The intermediary captures user interactions and dynamically presents information in familiar formats, resolving the conflict between standardized deployment and customized operation.
2Ease of operation
If COTS ERP systems require customization to align with specific business processes, then the interface becomes more relevant to users, but the system complexity increases and upward compatibility is jeopardized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct functional layers: the unchanged COTS ERP backend and a separate adaptive presentation layer. The presentation layer is further segmented into modules that handle specific translation tasks (terminology translation, process mapping, data transformation). This segmentation allows customization without affecting the core ERP system, maintaining simplicity and upgrade compatibility while providing relevant user interfaces.
3Productivity
If users spend extensive time training to become experts with the ERP application, then productivity increases, but the time investment and resource requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of familiar work domain artifacts and presentations that mirror the user's existing knowledge and processes. Instead of requiring users to learn the ERP system's synthetic work domain, the system copies and adapts the user's familiar terminology, data structures, and process flows into the interface. This allows users to operate productively with minimal training by interacting with copied representations of their native work environment.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the COTS vendor makes schema changes to improve the system, then the system functionality is enhanced, but the changes create ripple effects through deployed systems and require user adaptation
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptive presentation layer serves as a buffer between COTS vendor schema changes and the user interface. When the vendor updates the ERP system, the intermediary layer absorbs these changes and continues to translate data into user-specific formats without requiring users to adapt to new interfaces. The intermediary maintains stable mappings between ERP data structures and user-facing presentations, isolating users from backend changes and preserving ease of operation despite system evolution.
Data Source
AI summary
Commercially available applications which display information via a graphical user's interface can be supplemented with additional related information. The related information can be automatically extracted and overlaid on the information with the assistance of a pre-established ontology.