Automated Workflow Template Generation for Non-Technical Users
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Solution Overview
Problem
Business and consumer applications often require complex programming to interact with remote data sources, such as cloud services, necessitating expertise that typical users lack, making it difficult for non-technical individuals to develop workflows without relying on IT personnel.
Innovation Solution
An automated workflow development system that generates and manages pre-configured, user-customizable templates, allowing users to easily combine workflow steps, automatically suggests compatible steps, and anonymizes parameters for sharing, enabling non-expert developers to create and publish workflows without extensive programming knowledge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If complex programming is used to interact with remote data sources, then functionality and integration capability are improved, but programming expertise requirement and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses templates as reusable copies of pre-configured workflow patterns. Instead of programming each workflow from scratch, users can copy and adapt existing templates, thereby achieving complex integration functionality without requiring deep programming expertise. The templates encapsulate the complexity internally while presenting a simplified interface to users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces templates as an intermediary layer between users and the complex programming required for workflow automation. Templates serve as pre-packaged solutions that mediate between user intent and the underlying complex integration logic, allowing users to achieve sophisticated functionality through configuration rather than coding.
2Ease of operation
If pre-configured templates are generated and managed, then ease of workflow development is improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-generating and pre-configuring workflow templates before users need them. The system proactively creates templates based on available data sources and workflow patterns, so that when users need automation functionality, ready-to-use templates are already available. This eliminates the need for users to perform complex configuration work from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically generating, managing, and optimizing templates without requiring manual intervention. The system monitors usage patterns, automatically creates new templates based on observed workflows, and manages the template library autonomously. This self-service capability reduces the operational burden on users while managing system complexity internally.
3Adaptability or versatility
If workflow templates are shared publicly, then collaboration and reusability are improved, but data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes sensitive data elements from templates before making them available for sharing. The system identifies and strips out proprietary or confidential information from workflow templates, allowing the core functionality to be shared while protecting sensitive data. This extraction process enables public sharing without exposing harmful or sensitive information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by selectively anonymizing different parts of templates based on their sensitivity. Instead of uniformly anonymizing entire templates, the system applies anonymization only to specific sensitive parameters or data sources within templates, preserving useful information while protecting confidential elements. This localized approach maintains reusability while ensuring security.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer program products are described herein that generate and assist in managing templates (pre-generated user-customizable automated workflows) that can be used to easily and efficiently develop automated workflows in an automated workflow development system. A plurality of workflows steps in a library of workflow steps is determined. One or more workflow templates are automatically generated. Each automatically generated workflow template includes a combination of at least two of the workflow steps in the library. The one or more workflow templates are stored in a library of templates. Furthermore, one or more workflow steps compatible with a workflow step may be determined. The determined one or more workflow steps may be displayed in association with the first workflow step for selection.