Preserving UI Customizations During Enterprise Software Upgrades

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Solution Overview

Problem

Enterprise application upgrades often require significant effort and cost to reapply user interface customizations, increasing the total cost of ownership as vendors update their software, leading to compatibility issues with new UI models.

Innovation Solution

A system that identifies and preserves user interface customizations by comparing the current and original repositories, transforming customizations to function with new UI models, and allowing selective updates to minimize additional effort and costs during upgrades.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If enterprise application upgrades are performed, then new functionality and defect resolution are achieved, but UI customizations are lost and must be reapplied

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveapplication functionalityVSAvoidtime to reapply customizations

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary identification and export of UI customizations before the upgrade occurs. By capturing customizations in advance and storing them in a repository, the system prepares the customization data beforehand so it can be automatically reapplied after the upgrade, eliminating the need for manual reapplication and reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates copies of the original UI customization data and stores them in a repository. These copies are then used to restore customizations after the upgrade. By maintaining copies of the customization data, the system enables automatic restoration without requiring users to recreate customizations manually.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Ease of manufacture

If UI customizations are preserved through comparison of repositories, then customization reapplication effort is reduced, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of customization preservationVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a repository as an intermediary component that stores UI customization data. This repository acts as a mediator between the original application state and the upgraded application state, enabling automatic retrieval and reapplication of customizations. The intermediary simplifies the overall process by centralizing customization data management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the manual mechanical process of reapplying customizations with an automated electronic system. By using software-based comparison of repository states and automatic data retrieval, the system substitutes manual administrative work with automated computational processes, reducing effort despite increased system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If all UI objects are updated in the new repository, then compatibility with new UI model is achieved, but customizations are overwritten

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompatibility with new UI modelVSAvoidloss of UI customizations

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments UI objects into two categories: those that should be updated for compatibility and those that should retain customizations. By comparing the old and new repository states, the system identifies and separates customized objects from standard objects, allowing selective updates that maintain both compatibility and customizations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies different treatment to different UI objects based on their customization status. Standard UI objects receive updates for compatibility, while customized UI objects retain their modifications. This local differentiation ensures that each object receives the appropriate treatment based on its specific characteristics.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Productivity

If customizations are automatically copied to new repository, then reapplication effort is minimized, but conflicts with updated UI objects may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveupgrade speedVSAvoidcustomization compatibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the new repository state is compared against the old repository state to identify conflicts. When conflicts are detected between copied customizations and updated UI objects, the system provides feedback to administrators, allowing them to review and resolve conflicts before finalizing the upgrade, thus maintaining both speed and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8122377B2Preserving user interface customizations while upgrading an enterprise application

Publication Date: 2012.02.21 ORACLE AMERICAN INC

AI summary

In an embodiment, a system for preserving user interface customizations while upgrading an enterprise application is provided. The system preserves customizations by identifying customizations made to user interface (“UI”) objects of an enterprise application, and enabling these UI customizations to function with a newer version of the enterprise application. The system transforms UI customizations so that the transformed UI customizations function with a new UI model. By enabling a portion of an enterprise application to be upgraded while preserving UI customizations, the system dramatically reduces the time and cost incurred by companies when they upgrade enterprise software.