Visual Workflow Manager for Dynamic Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business processes in multi-tenant cloud-based systems are often manual, leading to inconsistent execution, lost opportunities, and higher operating costs, as users lack the tools to easily customize and adapt processes without programming expertise.
Innovation Solution
A visual process manager is provided that allows users to design, simulate, and deploy dynamic workflows within a cloud-based environment using a drag-and-drop designer, enabling real-time process management without requiring programming or system restarts, by converting graphical representations into executable code and integrating new code into running virtual machines without rebooting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual business processes are used in multi-tenant cloud-based systems, then users can perform business operations, but execution consistency deteriorates and operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes with automated software-based workflow execution. The system provides a visual workflow designer that allows users to create automated business processes through graphical interfaces, substituting manual execution with system-driven automation. This eliminates inconsistencies associated with manual processes while maintaining ease of operation through user-friendly design tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables users to design, simulate, and deploy their own workflows without requiring programming expertise. The visual designer and automated deployment mechanisms allow users to self-configure business processes, reducing dependency on technical staff while ensuring consistent execution through standardized automation frameworks.
2Ease of operation
If users customize business processes without programming expertise, then ease of operation improves, but process adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional programming-based process customization with a visual workflow designer. Users can create customized business processes through graphical drag-and-drop interfaces, eliminating the need for coding skills. The system automatically translates visual designs into executable workflows, maintaining full adaptability while dramatically improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual workflow designer serves multiple functions: it allows users to design workflows, simulate execution, validate logic, and deploy processes without programming knowledge. This universal tool enables both simple and complex process adaptations through a single interface, maintaining versatility while improving accessibility for non-technical users.
3Productivity
If dynamic workflows are implemented in cloud-based systems, then productivity improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts workflow design and management capabilities from complex programming environments and places them in a simplified visual interface. The system separates the complexity of workflow execution logic from user interaction, allowing users to work with high-level graphical representations while the system handles underlying computational complexity. This extraction maintains productivity benefits while reducing perceived system complexity for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual workflow designer acts as an intermediary between users and the complex workflow execution engine. It provides a simplified interface that translates user-friendly graphical designs into executable processes, mediating between ease of use and system complexity. The simulation and validation features further mediate by detecting issues before deployment, reducing the burden of managing complex workflows.
4Reliability
If workflow validation and simulation are performed before deployment, then reliability improves, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary validation and simulation of workflows before actual deployment. The system allows users to test workflow logic, detect errors, and verify correctness through automated simulation engines that execute workflows in a virtual environment. This preliminary action catches issues early, improving reliability while the automated nature of simulation minimizes time consumption compared to manual testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual workflow testing and validation with automated simulation engines. These engines automatically execute workflows, detect errors, and validate logic without requiring manual intervention. This substitution significantly reduces the time required for validation while improving reliability through comprehensive automated testing that can explore more execution paths than manual methods.
Data Source
AI summary
Computing systems, database systems, and related methods are provided for supporting dynamic validation workflows. One exemplary method involves a server of a database system receiving a graphical representation of a validation process from a client device coupled to a network, converting the graphical representation of the validation process into validation code, and storing the validation code at the database system in association with a database object type. Thereafter, the validation process is performed with respect to an instance of the database object type using the validation code in response to an action with respect to the instance of the database object type in a database of the database system. The action triggering the validation process can be based on user-configurable triggering criteria, and the validation process may generate user-configurable notifications based on one or more field values of the database object instance.