초록 ▼

A system and method for creating, executing, and maintaining shared, automated business processes across distributed organizations comprises capabilities that enable interoperation among heterogeneous information systems. The system includes a plurality of independent communicating subsystems called

A system and method for creating, executing, and maintaining shared, automated business processes across distributed organizations comprises capabilities that enable interoperation among heterogeneous information systems. The system includes a plurality of independent communicating subsystems called sites that have a server with common means of representing and executing shared public process definitions and private process definitions. Process execution comprises coordinated inter-site message exchanges that are coupled with controlled sequences of actions that are local to each of the sites. The public process definition or module captures interactions among the independent sites. Interactions include communication events in which one site sends a message of a known type to another site. Each definition specifies a set of valid sequences of communication events among the participating sites. Associated with any public process definition is a set of lower level or private process definitions or modules. The private process definition specifies a set of possible local actions that can be executed at the site when that particular public process node is executed. In the preferred embodiment, the private process definition is defined in terms of constructs such as operating parameters and software application interactions.

대표청구항 ▼

A system and method for creating, executing, and maintaining shared, automated business processes across distributed organizations comprises capabilities that enable interoperation among heterogeneous information systems. The system includes a plurality of independent communicating subsystems called

A system and method for creating, executing, and maintaining shared, automated business processes across distributed organizations comprises capabilities that enable interoperation among heterogeneous information systems. The system includes a plurality of independent communicating subsystems called sites that have a server with common means of representing and executing shared public process definitions and private process definitions. Process execution comprises coordinated inter-site message exchanges that are coupled with controlled sequences of actions that are local to each of the sites. The public process definition or module captures interactions among the independent sites. Interactions include communication events in which one site sends a message of a known type to another site. Each definition specifies a set of valid sequences of communication events among the participating sites. Associated with any public process definition is a set of lower level or private process definitions or modules. The private process definition specifies a set of possible local actions that can be executed at the site when that particular public process node is executed. In the preferred embodiment, the private process definition is defined in terms of constructs such as operating parameters and software application interactions. nal element; a subprocess for programmatically inserting said additional elements and included values into said input document, thereby creating an output document which does not conform to said first DTD; and a subprocess for programmatically generating a second DTD from said output document, such that said output document does conform to said second DTD. 2. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 1, wherein said well-formed notation is XML (Extensible Markup Language). 3. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 1, wherein said output document is encoded in XML (Extensible Markup Language). 4. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 1, wherein said factors represent a dynamically-changeable user context. 5. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 4, wherein said dynamically-changeable user context comprises one or more of: one or more preferences of a user; a network connection of said user; a device type of said user; and a browser type of said user. 6. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 1, wherein said subprocess for programmatically generating a second DTD further comprises: a subprocess for programmatically creating element declarations for each detected element in said output document; a subprocess for programmatically creating attribute declarations for each detected attribute in said output document; and a subprocess for programmatically compacting said second DTD. 7. Computer readable code for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 6, wherein said subprocess for programmatically compacting said second DTD further comprises one or more of: a subprocess for generating entity declarations to reduce a size of said output document or a size of said second DTD; a subprocess for generating parameter declarations to reduce said size of said second DTD; and a subprocess for generating attribute defaults for said attribute declarations. 8. A system for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document to account for dynamic factors in a computing environment, comprising: means for identifying an input document encoded in a well-formed notation, wherein said input document comprises (1) a plurality of elements conforming to a first Document Type Definition (DTD) and (2) a value for at least one of said elements; means for programmatically determining current values for one or more factors, said factors representing dynamically-changeable information, wherein said factors are not represented by said plurality of elements in said input document; means for programmatically generating, for each of said factors, an additional element representing said factor and programmatically including said current value of said factor as a value of said additional element; means for programmatically inserting said additional elements and included values into said input document, thereby creating an output document which does not conform to said first DTD; and means for programmatically generating a second DTD from said output document, such that said output document does conform to said second DTD. 9. The system for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 8, wherein said well-formed notation is XML (Extensible Markup Language). 10. The system for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 8, wherein said output document is encoded in XML (Extensible Markup Language). 11. The system for enabling efficient automated transformation of an input document according to claim 8, wherein said factors represent a dynamically-changeabl