Synchronous Editable Signals in Process Modeling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current process modeling tools in B2B communication environments often send acknowledgments before downstream tasks are completed, limiting the ability of receiving components to incorporate enhancements from these tasks, which results in incomplete or inaccurate acknowledgments.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a framework that allows synchronous editable signals by configuring receiving components to wait for downstream tasks to complete and providing them with access to event data or shared resources for enhancement, enabling the inclusion of detailed processing information in the acknowledgment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the receiving component sends acknowledgment immediately upon receiving a message, then the response time is reduced and communication speed is improved, but the acknowledgment does not include complete processing information from downstream tasks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication speedVSAvoidprocessing information
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by starting downstream tasks concurrently with message transmission, allowing processing to begin before the acknowledgment is sent. This enables the receiving component to gather processing information from multiple downstream tasks while maintaining fast response times, as the tasks are already in progress when the acknowledgment is generated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where downstream tasks contribute their processing results back to the acknowledgment message. The receiving component collects information from downstream tasks and incorporates it into the final acknowledgment, ensuring that the sender receives comprehensive processing information while maintaining efficient communication speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Loss of information

If the receiving component waits for all downstream tasks to complete before sending acknowledgment, then complete processing information is included, but the communication speed and response time deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing informationVSAvoidcommunication speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of waiting for downstream tasks to complete before sending the acknowledgment, the system performs preliminary actions by initiating these tasks in advance. The acknowledgment is sent with available processing information, while downstream tasks continue to process and contribute additional information asynchronously, thus maintaining communication speed while still gathering complete processing information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by sending the acknowledgment with the processing information that is available at that moment, rather than waiting for all downstream tasks to complete. This allows the communication to proceed with sufficient information while downstream tasks continue to execute and contribute additional details, avoiding the need to wait for complete task execution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the receiving component provides access to event data for downstream tasks to enhance, then the completeness and accuracy of acknowledgment is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveacknowledgment accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a universal event data structure and interface that can be shared across multiple downstream tasks. This standardized approach allows different tasks to access and enhance the same event data without requiring separate complex mechanisms for each task, thus improving acknowledgment accuracy while controlling system complexity through reusability and standardization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary event data object that acts as a mediator between the receiving component and downstream tasks. This intermediary structure provides a controlled interface for tasks to access and enhance processing information, simplifying the interaction model and reducing system complexity while still enabling comprehensive data enhancement for accurate acknowledgments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3588298B1Enabling synchronous editable signals in process modeling
Publication Date: 2023.07.12 SAP SE
  • EP3588298B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3588298B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3588298B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure involves systems, software, and computer implemented methods for enabling synchronous editable signals in process modeling. One example method includes receiving, at a receiver component, a message from a sending component as part of execution of an integration scenario with an external system. The receiver component is an originator that is configured to send event data to at least one registered listener task that has been bound to the receiver. Each registered listener is provided with the event data upon execution and is enabled to enhance the received event data. The receiver component waits to receive a completion notification from each registered listener and generates an acknowledgement to be sent to the sending component, using the event data enhanced by the at least one registered listener. The generated acknowledgment is sent to the sending component.