Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
REQUESTING AND DISPLAYING A BUSINESS SERVICE CONTEXT FROM A VIRTUAL
DATABASE
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This description relates to business computing, specifically the
collection
and display of information related to a business service.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Business service management (BSM) is generally a methodology for
monitoring and measuring information technology (IT) services from a business
perspective. Often, BSM includes a set of management software tools, processes
and
methods to manage the IT of a business or businesses. BSM tools are generally
designed
to help IT organizations view and manage technology environments, in order to
better
support and maintain the main services they provide to the business.
[0003] Generally, businesses execute or run a number of applications or
systems
(e.g., computers, etc.). Often these applications may collect or have access
to different
types of data. For example, an email system may include an email server
application
which is executed by one or more physical computers or servers. In such an
example, a
Help-Desk application may collect or access data referring to various user's
experiences
and troubles with an email system. Conversely, the email server application
itself my
collect or access data regarding how the email system processes emails (e.g.,
user not
found errors, failure to deliver errors, number of emails sent, etc.). A third
business
application may monitor the system resources (e.g., processor load, memory
utilization,
network bandwidth, etc.) used by the physical computer or computes executing
the email
server application.
1
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0004] Traditionally, these pieces of information may be dispersed across
various
IT or business applications. As such, a traditional BSM set of management
tools may not
be able to provide a user or BSM software with a full view of the status or
health of the
email system. Generally, an application, even a BSM application, may only
access data
that is accessible by that application. Therefore, the Help-Desk application,
in a
traditional environment, would not be able to access the data collected by the
email
server application (e.g., user not found errors, etc.) or the system resource
monitoring
application (e.g., network load, etc.). As a result, a user of the Help-Desk
application
would have a limited view or understanding of the state or status of the email
system.
Such issues may occur for other IT applications.
SUMMARY
[0005] According to one general aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a
method
may include requesting, from a database and by a program executing on a mobile
computing device, at least a portion of a business service context regarding a
business
service. The method may also include receiving, from the database, an
aggregated
database result regarding the business service. The aggregated database result
may
include the requested business service context and wherein the business
service context
includes information from a plurality of applications. The method may also
include
displaying, via the mobile computing device, at least a portion of the
information
included by the business service context.
[0006] According to another general aspect of the disclosed subject
matter, a
mobile computing device may include a microprocessor, a network interface, and
a
monitor. The microprocessor may be configured to execute a software
application. The
network interface may be configured to request, at the instruction of the
software
application executing via the microprocessor, at least a portion of a business
service
context regarding a business service, and receive, from the database, an
aggregated
database result regarding the business service, wherein the aggregated
database result
includes the requested business service context and wherein the business
service context
includes information from a plurality of applications. The monitor may be
configured to
2
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
display at least a portion of the information included by the business service
context.
[0007] According to another general aspect of the disclosed subject
matter, a
computer program product for the collection and display of information related
to a
business service may be tangibly and non-transitorily embodied on a computer-
readable
medium. The computer program may include executable code that, when executed,
is
configured to cause a mobile computing apparatus to: request, from a database,
at least a
portion of a business service context regarding a business service; receive,
from the
database, an aggregated database result regarding the business service,
wherein the
aggregated database result includes the requested business service context and
wherein
the business service context includes information from a plurality of
applications; and
display, via the mobile computing device, at least a portion of the
information included
by the business service context.
[0008] The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be
apparent from
the description and drawings, and from the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0010] FIG 2 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0012] FIG. 4a is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0013] FIG. 4b is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0014] FIG. 4c is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0015] FIG. 5a is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in
3
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0016] FIG. 5b is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a user
interface
in accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0018] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0020] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0021] FIG. 10a is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0022] FIG. 10b is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0023] FIG. 10c is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0024] FIG. 10d is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0025] FIG. 10e is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0026] FIG 10f is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0027] FIG. lOg is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0028] FIG. 10h is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0029] FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter.
[0030] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like
elements.
4
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system 100
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the system
100 may
include an apparatus 102 that is used or operated by a user 190, a database
(DB) server or
system 104, and one or more business application servers 106. In various
embodiments,
the apparatus 102 may include a traditional computer (e.g., a desktop, laptop,
netbook,
etc.) or a non-traditional computing device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, thin
client, computer
terminal, etc.). It is understood that, while three business application
servers 106 are
illustrated, the disclosed subject matter is not limited to any number of such
devices.
Further, it is understood that the devices 102, 104, and 106 may include
instantiations of
such devices included in a virtual or modular environment (e.g., a blade
server system,
virtual machines, etc.).
[0032] In this context, the term "business service" refers to a software
application
or a computing device operated within an Information Technology (IT)
environment. In
one embodiment, the a business service may include software applications, such
as, for
example, an email server, a file server, a Help-Desk application, a customer
relationship
management (CRM) application, an automation application, etc. In another
embodiment,
a business service may include computing devices, such as for example, a
business
application server 106, a blade server executing a plurality of business
applications, a
server pool executing one or more instances of a business application (e.g., a
web server,
etc.), computing devices issued to employees or users 190, etc. It is
understood that the
above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject
matter is not
limited.
[0033] In this context, the term "business application" refers to a
business service
that is a software application or, more colloquially, an application (e.g., a
Help-Desk
application, a sales automation application, etc.). In this context, the term
"business
server" or "business application server" refers to a computing device that
executes a
business application (e.g., a server pool, a blade server, etc.).
[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, a user 190 may operate, use or
control an
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
apparatus or computing device 102. In various embodiments, the computing
device 102
may include a processor 112 configured to execute a stream or machine
executable
instructions (e.g., operating system 118, application 120, etc.).
[0035] The computing device 102 may include a memory 114 configured to
store
data and/or instructions. In various embodiments, the memory 114 may include
volatile
memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof The memory 114 or
portions
thereof may be configured to store data in a temporary fashion (e.g., Random
Access
Memory (RAM), etc.) as part of the execution of instructions by the processor
112. The
memory 114 or portions thereof may be configured to store data in a semi-
permanent or
long-term fashion (e.g., a hard drive, solid-state memory, flash memory,
optical storage,
etc.).
[0036] In various embodiments, the computing device 102 may include one
or
more network interfaces 116 configured to communicate with other devices
(e.g., server
104, etc.) via a communications network. In various embodiments, this
communications
network may employ wired (e.g., Ethernet, Fibre Channel, etc.) or wireless
(e.g., Wi-Fi,
cellular, etc.) protocols or standards or a combination thereof
[0037] In one embodiment, the computing device 102 may include an
operating
system (OS) 118 that may be executed by the processor 112. In such an
embodiment, the
OS 118 may be configured to act as an intermediary between application
programs (e.g.,
application 120, etc.) and the computer hardware (processor 112, network
interface 116,
etc.). However, the application may be executed directly by the hardware and
may
frequently call the OS 118 or be interrupted by it.
[0038] In various embodiments, the computing device 102 may include or
execute an application 120. In various embodiments, the application 120 may
include a
BMC software application and may be executed by the processor 112 in
conjunction with
the OS 118. In one embodiment, the computing device 102 may also include other
applications (not shown).
[0039] In one embodiment, the user 190 may desire to view or access
information
regarding a particular business service (e.g., one of the business application
server 106,
one of the business applications 180, etc.). In such an embodiment, the user
190 may
request the display of a business service context user interface element 122.
In this
6
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
context, the terms "business service context" and "service context" are
synonymous.
[0040] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI) 200
in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In the illustrated
embodiment, the UI
200 may be the main or a portion of the UI for an application executing on a
computing
device (e.g., application 120 of Fig. 1). In the illustrated embodiment, the
application
may be an IT Service Management (ITSM) application. However, in various
embodiments, the service context may be launched or displayed within any tool
or
application (e.g., ITSM, BMC ProactiveNet Performance Management (BPPM),
etc.). It
is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which
the disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[0041] In this example embodiment, the user may desire to see or access
information regarding a particular business service. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
user has selected to display a service context for business service 202.
[0042] In one embodiment, the user may right-click on the UI element 202
associated with the desired business service (e.g., an Electronic Product
Distribution
(EPD) business service, etc.). This may bring up a context menu, from which
the user
may select to display a service context associated with the selected business
service. In
another embodiment, an icon or button may bring up the service context. In yet
another
embodiment, other UI means or forms of interaction (e.g., gestures,
hyperlinks, etc.) may
be employed to indicate a user's request to display the service context of the
selected
business service. It is understood that the above are merely a few
illustrative examples to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0043] In various embodiments, once the service context has been
obtained, as
described in more detail below, the application may display the service
context UI
element 204 to display the service context or a portion thereof
[0044] In various embodiments, the business service context may include a
means
by which applications can reach into data they do not normally provide
themselves or
have access to in order to give users a thumbnail sketch or condensed version
or view of
what a given business service is and how it is performing. In some
embodiments, the
business service context and the UI element 204 displaying the business
service context
may be likened to a packing label (as used on shipping packages, e.g., FedEx,
etc.) for
7
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
business services. However, it is understood that the disclosed subject matter
is not
limited to this analogy, and that the analogy is merely for illustrative
purposes.
[0045] In various embodiments, the application may be able to make
available a
visual UI component 204 that a user may bring up or request in the context of
some
application they are running (e.g., IT Service Management, etc.) for a given
business
service (e.g., business service 202, EPD, etc.) that is viewable in the UI 200
of the
launching application.
[0046] In some embodiments, this UI element 204 may be referred to as the
Service Context Summary View and is discussed in more detail below in regards
to Fig.
4a. In such an embodiment, further UI elements may also be displayed or, in
one
embodiment, replace the UI element 204. These subsequent UI elements may be
referred
to as sub-views and may include, in various embodiments, a list view
configured to
display additional inform regarding the service in a less condensed or
alternate format. In
various embodiments, various UI elements or views may focus on various aspects
of the
selected business service. It is understood that the above are merely a few
illustrative
examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0047] In another embodiment, data from Service Context may be integrated
in
the User Interface 200 of the application the consumes or makes use of the
Service
Context (as opposed to being displayed in a separate UI element, e.g., UI
element 204,
etc.). In such an embodiment, the set of data available to such applications
may be
enriched and may, in one embodiment, make the user experience more productive.
In
such an embodiment, the integration of Service Context Data into the UI 200 of
the
launching application may be referred to as the Native View of Service
Context. In such
an embodiment, various applications may access and use data from the Service
Context
without ever needing to display the visual UI element 204. It is understood
that the
above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject
matter is not
limited.
[0048] A user may desire the display of a business service context for a
variety of
reasons. Below, a few example usages cases of the service context are
described. It is
understood that the below are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
8
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0049] In a first example, in applications that include ticketing
systems, help
desks or service desks one of the most inefficient processes is getting an
incident or
support ticket assigned to the correct personnel. Once an incident is entered
into the
system, it may be handed off several times before the correct assignment is
made. A
service context and the display of the service context (at least in part) may
aid in the
identification of the correct assignee of an incident by providing richer,
more relevant
data that is related to a given business service. In a very short period of
time someone
looking at a Service (via the business service context UI element) can tell
what incidents
are associated with it. Subsequent drill downs or other UI elements or views
may show if
such a business service has, for example, some infrastructure component that
has failed.
Armed with such information a help desk employee may quickly assign to the
incident to
the appropriate system administrator.
[0050] In a second example, the flow of information across management
disciplines is often not as fluid as it often should be. Problems that are
encountered in
one discipline may simply stay with the personnel associated with that
business group or
silo or if the problem does get communicated outward, the communication is
often done
in a less than optimal fashion. With a service context the information
collected within a
given silo or business group is the same as that in other disciplines, silos,
or business
groups. The service context may be discipline agnostic. As such the data
values and their
respective visual representations in the summary view or other UI element may
be shared
across disciplines or business groups with little risk that they will be
misunderstood or
misinterpreted.
[0051] In a third example, with a service context, a user may be given
enough
information regarding what could be wrong with a given business service.
However, if
the user needs or desires better, more detailed information they can obtain it
by launching
another business application. In such an embodiment, the service context and
the UI
element displaying it may provide the user with a starting point to help them
get started
on solving a problem regarding the business service without the user having to
start or
execute each of the various (and often more intensive) business applications.
[0052] In various embodiments, the service context and/or the UI element
204
that displays the service context may be consistent in one or more ways. For
example,
9
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
the look and feel of the UI element 204 may be consistent across applications.
A user
may display the service context in help-desk application or in an IT service
management
application and the UI element 204 may be substantially identical. In various
embodiments, this may be beneficial as users in various business groups or of
various
business applications may be conditioned to know what to expect from the
business
context and how to process the information contained within.
[0053] In some embodiments, the service context may be consistent in
terms of
the data, information, or attributes displayed. For example, regardless of the
application
displaying or launching the service context UI element the UI element may
include the
same fields (e.g., business service description, business service owner,
business service
state, etc.) and the same values for those fields. Again, such consistency may
aid user
efficiency.
[0054] In yet another embodiment, the service context and/or the UI
element 204
that displays the service context may be configured to display the information
regarding
the business service in a simple and speedy manner. Returning to the analogy
of the
service context as a packing label, the service context may include or display
only
information that is deemed (e.g., by a system administrator, etc.) critical
and no more
(unless a subsequent view or UI element is displayed), such that the
information
contained therein is easily understandable by a user.
[0055] Returning to Fig. 1, while the process of creating and displaying
the
service context is shown for a single application (e.g., application 120,
etc.), it is
understood that the service context of a given business service may be
displayed within a
number of supporting applications. For example, a second user and a second
computing
device executing a second application (not shown) may also request a service
context for
the same business service as the user 190. In such an embodiment, the second
user and
the user 190 may see an identical or substantially equivalent service context
or the UI
element 122 displaying the service context. In such an embodiment, a user at a
help-desk
application and a user at a device provisioning application may see
substantially the same
service context with a consistent look and feel, and data values (e.g.,
business service
status, etc.) regardless of their host application (e.g., application 120,
etc.).
[0056] In the illustrated embodiment, the user 190 may request to display
the
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
service context 168 of a given business service 188. In various embodiments,
the
business service 188 may include one of the business servers 106, one of the
business
applications 180, or another business service. It is understood that the above
are merely a
few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[0057] In such an embodiment, the application 120 may transmit or send a
business service context request 162 to a federated database 150. In various
embodiments, the business service context request 162 may include an attribute
or field
indicating which business service the service context request pertains. In a
preferred
embodiment, the federated DB 150 may include a configuration management DB
(CMDB). However, in a less preferred embodiment, general storage components
(e.g., a
relational database, etc.) may be included in the federated DB 150. It is
understood that
the above is merely one illustrative example to which the disclosed subject
matter is not
limited.
[0058] In the illustrated embodiment, the federated DB 150 may be
executed or
included by the DB server 104. In various embodiments, the DB server 104 may
include
a processor 152, a memory 154, and at least one network interface 156, as
described
above. As described above, in various embodiments, the memory 154 may include
volatile storage (e.g., random access memory etc.), non-volatile storage
(e.g., a hard
drive, a solid-state drive, etc.), or a combination thereof In such an
embodiment, the
federated DB 150 may be stored, at least in part, by a portion of the memory
154.
[0059] In various embodiments, the federated DB 150 may include a virtual
or at
least partially virtual DB. In such an embodiment, the federated DB 150 may
not include
the service context 168 or the information included in the service context
168. However,
the federated DB 150 may provide a single point of query for the service
context
information or virtualize a database that appears (to the application 120) to
include the
information included in the service context 168.
[0060] In such an embodiment, the federated DB 150 may retrieve
information
from a plurality of other business applications 180. In various embodiments,
once the
federated DB 150 has received a request for the information regarding the
business
service 188, the federated DB 50 may then in turn query one or more business
applications 180 regarding the business service 188.
11
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0061] In various embodiments, the queried business applications 180 may
retrieve information (if such exists) regarding the business service 188 from
their
respective business application data repositories 182. This information 164
may then be
transmitted to the federated DB 150.
[0062] In such an embodiment, the federated DB 150 may then generated an
aggregated database result 166 based, at least in part, upon the various
pieces of
information 164 regarding the business service 188 retrieved from the
plurality of
business applications 180. In one embodiment, the federated DB 150 may
aggregate the
information 164 in such a way that the aggregated DB result 166 appears as if
the
federated DB 150 was not virtual but actually included the desired information
in a
physical storage location. Further, in such an embodiment, the aggregated
database result
166 may provide the application 120 with the information for the service
context 168 or
the service context 168 itself in a single database transaction. In such an
embodiment,
the application 120 may not have to ask repeatedly for data or be constantly
updated as
new information 164 arrives from the various business applications 180.
[0063] In one embodiment, the application 120 may receive the aggregated
database query result 166. As described above, in various embodiments, this
aggregated
database query result 166 may include the service context 168. In various
embodiments,
the application 120 may the filter or condense the information included by the
service
context 168 into a predetermined format (e.g., a series of predefined fields
to be
displayed, etc.). This portion of the service context 168 may then be
displayed to the user
190 via the service context UI element 122.
[0064] In such an embodiment, if the user 190 wishes to "drill down" or
display
other portions of the service context 168, new UI elements or views may be
generated
and displayed based upon predefined rules detailing the contents of such UI
elements.
Various embodiments of such views are described in reference to Figs. 4a, 4b,
and 4c,
below. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples
to which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0065] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system 300
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
system 300
may be a more detailed embodiment of portions of the system 100 of Fig. 1. In
the
12
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
illustrated embodiment, the system 300 may include a service context consumer
302 that
may be an application as described in reference to Fig. 1. The system 300 may
also
include, in one embodiment, a federated of at least partially virtual database
(DB) 304.
The system 300 may also include one or more provider applications 306 that
each
provide information or data regarding a particular business service which is
the focus of
the current business service context.
[0066] In various embodiments, the service context consumer or consumer
application 302 may request 312 a service context for a given business
service. This
request 312 may be made to the federated database 304. The service context
consumer
302 may expect to receive, in return, an aggregated database query result 314,
which may
include the requested service context. In such an embodiment, the service
context
consumer 302 may request 312 and receive 314 the service context (or
information from
which the service context may be derived) in a single atomic database
transaction, as
described above.
[0067] In the illustrated embodiment, the federated or partially virtual
database
304 may include a federated DB 304 may include a federated DB interface 358
that is
configured to receive database requests (e.g., request 312, etc.) and provide
database
query results (e.g., query result 314, etc.) as if the DB 304 was a non-
virtualized
database. In various embodiments, the federated DB interface 358 may be
referred to as
a Service Context Abstraction Layer (SCAL) that presents a virtual view of all
the
attributes gathered from the various Application Data APIs 394 by this
architecture. By
presenting the attributes in this way a consumer application 302 (e.g., the
Service Context
View or Native Views) may get all the attributes needed or the service context
in one
retrieval operation. In addition, the federated DB interface 358 may be
alternatively
exposed as a Web Service for those consumer applications 302 that prefer this
protocol.
[0068] The federated DB 304 may include Federated DB storage portion 350.
configured to "store" various database entries or information regarding one or
more
business services. As described above, in various embodiments, this storage
may occur
virtually, at least in part, in that the federated DB 304 not actually store,
at least in a long
term sense, the information included in the storage portion 350, but may
instead access
the data dynamically from the one or more provider applications 306.
13
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0069] However, in some embodiments, the federated DB 304 may include one
or
more non-virtual fields or database entries and their respective values 352.
These non-
virtual fields 352 may include fundamental or default values for the various
business
services referenced by the federated DB 304. Such fields may include: the
business
service's name, the business service's description, the owner of the business
service, etc.
It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to
which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0070] In addition, the federated DB 304 may include one or more virtual
fields
or database entries and their respective values 354. These virtual fields 354
may include
any database fields and values that are retrieved from a provider application
306 and only
nominally stored in the federated DB 304. Example virtual fields may include:
business
service status, number of incidents or other performance metrics associated
with the
business service, business service location, etc. It is understood that the
above are merely
a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[0071] In such an embodiment, the federated DB 304 may be referred to as
merely partially virtual as the federated DB 350 may include both non-virtual
fields 352
and virtual fields 354 that are aggregated to provide the illusion that the
federated DB
304 includes a larger more informative DB than actually exists. The non-
virtual fields
352 and virtual fields 354 may be aggregated to provide the illusion that the
federated DB
304 is a single monolithic database. However, in another embodiment, the
federated DB
304 may be fully virtual and may not include the non-virtualized fields 352.
In yet
another embodiment, the federated DB 304 may be non-virtual and the
information
illustrated as being stored in the virtual fields 354 may be actually stored
in non-virtual
fields 352 of a non-virtualized federated DB. It is understood that the above
are merely a
few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[0072] In various embodiments, the federated DB 304 may include a cache
360 to
temporarily store the virtual fields 354 retrieved from the provider
applications 306. By
temporarily storing results of retrievals from the provider applications 306,
the system
300 may avoid having to re-retrieve such data each time it is requested by the
consumer
application 302.
[0073] In one embodiment, the federated DB 304 may include a service
context
14
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
adapter 356. In such an embodiment, the service context adapter 356 may be
configured
to access data that is delivered from the provider applications 306. A
described below,
this information may be provided by the provider application 306 via a
standardized
format regardless of the specific provider application 306 accessed. For
example, a help-
desk provider application and a system resources provider application may
produce
information in the same format or according to a predefined protocol. In
various
embodiments, the service context adapter 356 may be configured to adapt or
convert this
information received in a standardized format into the database fields 354 or
even fields
352 employed by the federated DB 304.
[0074] In one embodiment, the provider applications 306 may be accessed
as web
services and may provide their respective data in a predefined format (e.g.,
Simple Object
Access Protocol (SOAP), Extensible Markup Language (XML), etc.). In various
embodiments, this format may be described or defined via a Web Services
Description
Language (WSDL) or other manner. It is understood that the above are merely a
few
illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0075] In various embodiments, the federated DB 304 may know or be aware
of
which provider applications 306 may exist and how to access them by relying or
making
use of an application or web service registry 308. In such an embodiment, each
provider
application 306 may register with or inform the registry 308 of the provider
application
306's existence, the location or means by which a consumer (e.g., the
federated DB 304)
may access the provider application 306 (e.g., network address, port number,
protocol,
etc.), the services or information the provider application 306 may provide
and, in various
embodiments, other relevant details regarding the provider service 306. In
various
embodiments, the registry 308 may include a Universal Description, Discovery
and
Integration (UDDI) compliant or substantially compliant registry. It is
understood that
the above is merely one illustrative example to which the disclosed subject
matter is not
limited.
[0076] In one embodiment, the system 300 may include one or more provider
applications 306. Each of these provider applications 306 may include various
pieces of
data or information 392 that are stored in whatever format or manner the
application 306
makes use of This data 392 may be accessed via the provider application 306's
normal
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
data application programmatic interface (API) 394.
[0077] However, as described above, the federated DB 304 may expect or
require
that information provided to the federated DB 304 by the provider applications
306 be
provided in a standardized predefined and uniform format, and not the various
formats or
via the various access schemes used by the various provider applications 306.
As such, in
various embodiments, each provider application 306 may include, implement, or
make
use of a standard attribute interface (SAI) 396. Each implementation of the
SAI 396 may
be configured to allow a consumer (e.g., the federated DB 304) external to the
provider
application 306 to access the application data 392 in a standardized, uniform
and
predefined format and protocol. In the illustrated embodiment, the SAI 396 may
allow
the provider application 306 to function as a web service and be accessed by
the
federated DB 304 via a database query 316.
[0078] In various embodiments, the federated DB 304 may be configured to
read
or access information a given business service from the provider applications
306 but
may not be configured to edit or write new information back to the provider
applications
306. In such an embodiment, the service context may be an informative tool not
an
ameliorative or control tool. In another less preferred embodiment, however,
the service
context consumer 302 may be configured to specify edits or alterations in the
retrieved
data. In response, the federated DB 304 may be configured to write such change
in the
information back to the respective provider applications 306. In such an
embodiment, the
writing between the consumer application 302 and the federated DB 304 may
occur as a
single database transaction, similarly to the read transaction (e.g., request
312 and
response 314). In yet another embodiment, the consumer application 302 may be
configured write data or communicate commands directly to the provider
applications
306. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to
which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0079] In various embodiments, the issue of security may be considered in
retrieving the service context. In one embodiment, the user or the consumer
application
302 may be associated with one or more security credentials that dictate what
data may
be accessed and/or displayed. In such an embodiment, the federated DB 304 may
be
configured to filter the data received from the provider applications 306, and
eventually
16
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
provided to the consumer application 302 via the aggregated database query
result 314
based upon the security credentials associated with the consumer application
302. In one
embodiment, the security credentials may be provided via the request for
service context
312. In such an embodiment, the presentation of the security credentials may
be implicit
(e.g., derivable via a username, etc.) or explicit (e.g., an authentication
certificate or
password included in the request 312, etc.).
[0080] In another embodiment, the user of consumer application 302 may be
provided with an authentication or security check (e.g., login prompt, key
code request,
etc.) to access data securely stored on a provider application 306. In such an
embodiment, the authentication requests and responses may be forwarded between
the
consumer application 302 and the provider application 306 via the federated DB
304. In
another embodiment, the consumer application 302 and the provider application
306 may
communicate directly or via another intermediary (e.g., an authentication
server (not
shown), etc.).
[0081] In one embodiment, the service context may be initially displayed
without
the un-authorized data and the user may then be able to actively request that
the un-
authorized data be displayed. In such an embodiment, this may cause the
authentication
UI (e.g., login screen, etc.), as described above, for the authorization of
the requested
data. In one embodiment, this may allow the service context to be displayed
(at least
partly) in a quick and unobtrusive manner, but may allow the display of the
full or most
complete service context if a user wishes or desires that initially un-
authorized
information. In various embodiments, the new authorization may cause a new
request for
the updated service context or may simple cause the consumer application 302
or the
federated DB 304 to unlock or cease to filter out the previously unauthorized
data.
[0082] It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited. Various schemes for
filtering or
removing unauthorized information in a business service context may be
employed.
Further various schemes for un-filtering or subsequently authorizing
information in a
business service context may be employed. In addition it is understood that
the system
300 may support having different security models for the provider applications
306 such
that the system 300 is security model heterogeneous.
17
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0083] In various embodiments, one or more of the provider applications
306 may
include a multi-tenancy architecture. In this context, "multi-tenancy" refers
to a principle
in software architecture where a single instance of the software (e.g.,
application 306)
runs or executes on a server, serving multiple client organizations (tenants).
Multi-
tenancy may be contrasted with a multi-instance architecture where separate
software
instances (or hardware systems) are set up for different client organizations.
With a multi-
tenant architecture, a software application is designed to virtually partition
its data and
configuration, and each client organization works with a customized virtual
application
instance.
[0084] In such an embodiment, the information provided by or available to
a
multi-tenancy provider application 306 may include data for a number of
tenants. In such
an embodiment, the provider application 306 or the federated DB 304 may be
configured
to filter the provided data by tenant, such that the consumer application 302
only receives
information it the service context that is associated with the same tenant as
the consumer
application 302.
[0085] For example, the tenants of a provider application 306 may include
Exxon,
Sunoco, Shell, Chevron. The consumer application 302 may be associated with
the Shell
tenant. Therefore, in such an embodiment, the service context may be filtered
to only
include data about the business service that would be accessible or authorized
for the
Shell tenant. It is understood that the above is merely one illustrative
example to which
the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0086] In another embodiment, the service context may include both tenant-
common data and tenant-specific data. For example, tenant-common data may
include
data that is the same regardless of what tenant is associated with the
consumer application
302 or which tenant accesses the data. Such tenant-common data may include,
for
example: the system resource load of business service, the computing device
name,
business service uptime, etc. Conversely, the tenant-specific data may include
data that
differs for each tenant. Such tenants-specific data may include, for example:
the number
of failed email transmission attempt an email business service may experience,
the
number of failed login attempts to a business service, the number of help-desk
requests,
support tickets, or incidents for a business service, etc.
18
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0087] In such an embodiment, the system 300 may not filter the results
of the
service context request such that the tenant-common data is included in the
service
context. But, the system 300 may also filter tenant-specific data such that
only tenant-
specific data associated with the consumer application 302's tenant are
included in the
service context. For example, every tenant may be able to see or view, within
their
respective service contexts, the common-tenant data (e.g., business service
status, etc.),
but each tenant may only see or view their own tenant-specific data (e.g., a
Mobile tenant
may only view the number of business service incidents for the Shell tenant,
likewise for
other tenants, etc.).
[0088] In various embodiments, more than two levels or kinds of tenant
data (e.g.,
tenant-common and tenant-specific) may be employed. In another embodiment,
data
may be associated with or have multiple or overlapping tenants. In such an
embodiment,
tenant-common data may not exist per se, but tenant-common data may
effectively exist
as all tenants are associated or authorized to access that data. Likewise, an
overlapping
security scheme (e.g., non-tenant based or considering tenants) may exist. It
is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[0089] FIG 4a is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI) or
UI element 401 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various
embodiments,
the UI 401 may be included as part of or the service context user interface
element (e.g.,
the service context user interface element 122 of Fig. 1). In one embodiment,
the UI 401
may be displayed within or as part of a pop-up window or portion of a larger
UI (e.g., in a
Native View, as described above).
[0090] In the illustrated embodiment, the UI 401 may include an Attribute
View
of a Service Context Summary View. In such an embodiment, the UI 401 may
provide a
user with a "thumbnail sketch" or condensed version or view of what a given
business
service is and how it is performing. As described above, the information
displayed in the
UI 401 may have been received in an aggregated database query result. This
aggregated
database query result may have been produced or generated by a federated or at
least
partially virtual database based upon information regarding the business
service that was,
in turn, provided by a plurality of producer applications.
19
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[0091] In one embodiment, the UI 401 may include a UI element (e.g., a
label,
etc.) that displays the name 410 of the business service that the service
context pertains.
In various embodiments, the UI 401 may also include a status indicator 418 UI
element
(e.g., a icon, a particular color, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the
business service
"Sales Automation" may be in a critical or imperfect state. Therefore, the
status indicator
418 is illustrated as an orange "X" icon giving a user a quick indicator that
the business
service is in a "warning" state. It is understood that the above is merely one
illustrative
example to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[0092] In various embodiments, an administrator, privileged user, or
software
developer may determine which database fields or pieces of information
regarding the
business service are to be displayed in this "thumbnail sketch" or condensed
version or
view of what a given business service is and how it is performing. In another,
less
preferred embodiment, the user may define what attributes or information they
would like
to see displayed. In such an embodiment, the UI 401 may display one or more
predefined
attributes or fields.
[0093] In one embodiment, these predefined fields may fall into two or
more
categories. In an example embodiment, three categories will be used. However,
it is
understood that various categories or partitions of business service fields or
attributes
may be employed and that the disclosed subject matter is not limited to any
one example
embodiment.
[0094] The first category are mandatory or fixed fields which may have
been
determined or defined by a software developer to be displayed in all service
contexts and
service context UI elements.(e.g., UI 401, etc.). Examples of such mandatory
or fixed
fields or attributes may include: the business service's status, any other
business services
or configuration items that are related to the service context's business
service, etc. It is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[0095] The second category of fields or attributes may include default
fields
which are predefined by a software developer as included within the service
context, but
may be removed by an administrator, privileged user, or another user as deemed
by the
embodiment. In one embodiment, examples of such default fields or attributes
may
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
include, but are not limited to: the owner or user primarily associated with
the business
service, a description of the business service, an indicator of the level of
business impact
of the business service, a number of events or activities performed or
experienced by the
business service (e.g., completed change request, changes deployed, incidents,
etc.), etc.
In various embodiments, the various fields which include numbers (e.g., a
number of
events, etc.) may also include a listing or a pointer to those enumerated
items. It is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[0096] The third category of fields or attributes may include optional
fields that
are by default omitted from a service context but may be added by an
administrator,
privileged user, or another user as deemed by the embodiment. In one
embodiment,
examples of such optional fields may include, but are not limited to: the
number of
maintenance hours experienced by the business service, the owner of the
business
service's contact information, the location of the business service, the
priority level of the
business service, the compliance status (e.g., to a standard or contractual
compliment,
such as uptime, etc.) of the business service, a number of outage records
associated with
the business service, a number of work orders or service tickets associated
with the
business service, a number of changes detecting the relation to the business
service, a
number of predictive events associated with the business service, etc. In
various
embodiments, the various fields which include numbers (e.g., a number of
predictive
events, etc.) may also include a listing or a pointer to those enumerated
items. It is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[0097] In the illustrated embodiment, a number of attributes or fields of
the
service context may be displayed by UI element groups 412 and 414. As
described
above, some of these attributes or fields may be displayed or included as
mandatory.
Other attributes or fields may be included or displayed based upon a
predefined scheme
or set of rules established by an administrator or privileged user.
[0098] In the illustrated embodiment, UI element group 412 illustrates a
set of
attributes that are relatively static or do not allow for further interaction
with a user.
Examples of such fields or attributes may include, but are not limited to: a
description of
21
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
the business service, the owner of the business service, the status of the
business service,
and the impact priority of the business service. It is understood that the
above are merely
a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[0099] In the illustrated embodiment, the UI element group 414
illustrates a set of
attributes that are relatively dynamic and/or allow for further interaction
with a user. In
various embodiments, these attributes may include a number or a list of events
or objects
(e.g., service tickets, other business services, etc.) that may be condensed
into a single
numerical value. In another embodiment, the attributes of 414 may include list
attributes,
having several tuples (or rows) of values that are associated with each
attribute. In such
an embodiment, the user may be allowed or the UI may provide a means for to
progressively disclosing such lists (e.g., via UI element 416, UI 402 of Fig.
4b, etc.).
[00100] Further, in various embodiments, these attributes may be governed
or
filtered based upon a set of rules that have been predefined by an
administrator or
privileged user. For example, one attribute shows that 25 incidents have
occurred in the
last hour. In such an embodiment, the set of rules may dictate the time frame
(e.g., 1
hour, etc.) that will be considered with non-conforming or older incidents
being filtered
out.
[00101] In the illustrated embodiment, the numerical value of indicates
within 1
hour is highlighted (e.g., in red, etc.) to indicate to a user that the value
is of some
importance. For example, the set of rules may dictate a threshold value or
series of
threshold values for the attribute or field. If the value of the field or
items in the field (for
fields containing a list of items), an indicator may be displayed to a user.
In the
illustrated embodiment, the UI element 416 may be colored (e.g., red, etc.).
It is
understood that the above is merely one illustrative example to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[00102] As described above, various attributes or fields may be associated
with
additional data regarding the business service which is not immediately
displayed in the
Service Context Summary View UI 401. In such an embodiment, the UI 401 may
include
a UI element (e.g., UI element 416, etc.) that allows a user to display or
view these
additional, initially hidden data. In various embodiments, these UI elements
412 may
include buttons, hyperlinks, context menus, etc. It is understood that the
above are
22
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is
not limited.
[00103] FIG. 4b is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
402 in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the UI 402
may
illustrate a List View of a Service Context View. In one embodiment, the UI
402 may be
displayed once a user has selected on of the expanding or list UI elements of
the Attribute
View of the Service Context (e.g., UI element 416 of Fig. 4a, etc.).
[00104] In various embodiments, the UI element 420 may display a list of
all the
items associated with the parent attribute or field. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
attribute "Related incidents in the last 1 hour" may be the parent attribute
or field, and the
various incidents (e.g., incident 422 "INC000000042156") may be the associated
items.
In the illustrated embodiment, the associated items themselves may include
various fields
or attributes. As such, in one embodiment, the list of associated items may be
displayed
in a table format. It is understood that the above is merely one illustrative
example to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00105] In one embodiment, the UI 402 may include a UI element 422 for
returning to the previous Service Context view (e.g., UI 401 of Fig. 4a,
etc.). In various
embodiments, the UI 402 may include a group of UI elements 419 configured to
facilitate
navigation between various Service Context views. In the illustrated
embodiment, the UI
element group 419 may include a button or icon for navigating back to the
previous
Service Context view, a button or icon for returning to a "Home" view (e.g.,
the Attribute
View of Fig. 4a, etc.). In one embodiment, the group of UI elements 419 may
include a
button or icon to refresh the service context. In such an embodiment, the
process for
acquiring a service context, as described above, may be repeated and the new
version of
the service context may be displayed directly into the current view (e.g., UI
402). In
various embodiments, the group of UI elements 419 may be displayed across a
plurality
or all views. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00106] FIG. 4c is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
403 in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the UI 403
may
include a Related Configuration Items View of the Service Context. In such an
embodiment, a user may view a list of business services or, in the illustrated
embodiment,
23
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
configuration items (e.g., Business Services, Applications, or Computer
Systems, etc.)
related to or associated with the business service that is the subject of the
service context.
[00107] In the illustrated embodiment, the UI element group 430 may
display a list
of related configuration items 432 or business services, much as the list of
incidents was
displayed by UI element group 420 of Fig. 4b. In various embodiments, items
included
within a dependent or subordinate list, such as the related configuration
items, may be
selectable by a user. In various embodiments, the selection may display
additional
information regarding the item. In the illustrated embodiment, the name of a
related
configuration item may include a link UI element 434 that the user may select.
Upon the
selection of the related configuration item or business service a new service
context may
be generated and displayed. However, this new service context may associated
with the
selected item (e.g., CLT133), as opposed to the business service of the parent
service
context (e.g., Sales Automation, etc.). It is understood that the above is
merely one
illustrative example to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00108] FIG. 5a is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system
500 in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
system 500
may be similar in many ways to the system 100 of Fig. 1. System 500
illustrates two
variations that may occur separately or together in various embodiments o the
disclosed
subject matter.
[00109] In one embodiment, the apparatus or computing device 102 may
include
the federated DB 150. In some embodiments, the federated DB 150 may be
included in
one of the business server 106.
[00110] In one embodiment, the application 120 may include a service
context
administration UI 522. In such an embodiment, the administration UI 522 may
facilitate
the creation and definition of the fields and attributes that make up a
service context, and
any sets of rules that govern the way the fields or attributes are filtered or
displayed. For
example, the administration UI 522 may allow an administrator to select which
optional
or non-mandatory attributes or fields are included in a service context. In
some
embodiments, these service context definitions may apply regardless of the
business
service associated with the service context. In another embodiment, each
business
service or class or group of business services may be associated with their
respective
24
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
definitions of their service contexts.
[00111] As described above, in various embodiments, the administration UI
522
may allow an administrator to define or create a set of rules for filtering
the attributes of
the service context or dictating how the attribute is to be displayed to the
user. For
example, the administration UI 522 may allow an administrator to dictate that
only
incidents occurring within the last 1 hour may be included in the service
context (as
illustrated by Fig. 4a). Also, the administration UI 522 may allow an
administrator to
define threshold values or other conditional values that when met or exceeded
cause the
service context UI 122 to display a predefined indication to the user (e.g.,
the red UI
element 416 of Fig. 4a). It is understood that the above is merely one
illustrative example
to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00112] FIG. 5b is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a user
interface
501 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In the illustrated
embodiment, the
UI 501 includes a service context administration UI 522 that may be used by an
administrator to define the attributes and fields included within a service
context, and any
sets or rules that filter the attributes or dictate how they are displayed to
a user.
[00113] In one embodiment, the UI 501 may include a series of UI elements
550
that may allow an administrator to define various service context settings for
various
categories or groups of business services (e.g., web services, applications,
or server, etc.).
In various embodiments, the UI 501 may include UI element groups 552 and 554
that are
configured to allow an administrator to set or define which of a group of
possible
business service attributes or fields to include in the service context. UI
element group
552 may allow the definition or inclusion of the relatively simple or single
valued
attributes or fields. Whereas UI element group 554 may allow the definition or
inclusion
of the relatively complex, list, or multi-valued attributes or fields.
[00114] In various embodiments, the UI element 556 may allow an
administrator
to define various one or more sets of rules to filter which values are
included in the
service context (e.g., incidents occurring within the last hour, etc.), how
the respective
values are displayed to the user (e.g., highlighting values above a threshold,
etc.), or other
rules. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples
to which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[001 15] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
technique 600
may be used or produced by the systems such as those of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a.
Furthermore,
portions of technique 600 may be used with or may produce user interfaces such
as those
of Figs. 2, 4a, 4b, 4c, or 5b. Although, it is understood that the above are
merely a few
illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited. It
is
understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited to the ordering of
or number of
actions illustrated by technique 600.
[00116] Block 602 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
receive
a request, from a user, to display at least a portion of a business service
context regarding
a business service, as described above. In some embodiments, requesting may
include
selecting, from within the application, a user interface element associated
with the
business service, as described above. In various embodiments, one or more of
the
action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or
systems of
Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the application 120 of Figs. 1 or 5a, or the via the user
interface 200 of
Fig. 2, as described above.
[00117] Block 604 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
receive,
from a database, an aggregated database result regarding the business service,
as
described above. In some embodiments, the aggregated database result may
include the
requested business service context, as described above. In such an embodiment,
the
business service context may, in turn, include information from a plurality of
other
applications, as described above. In various embodiments, receiving the
aggregated
database result may include receiving the aggregated database result as part
of a single
database query transaction, as described above. In such an embodiment, the
aggregated
database result may be provided by an at least partially virtual database that
virtualizes
database fields whose field values are provided by the plurality of other
applications, as
described above. In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s)
illustrated by this
Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the
application 120 or database server 104 of Figs. 1 or 5a, as described above.
[00118] Block 606 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
display
a graphical user interface element that displays at least a portion of the
information
26
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
included by the business service context, as described above. In some
embodiments,
display may include distilling the information included by the aggregated
database result
into an a condensed set of information regarding the performance of the
business service;
and displaying a summary view graphical user interface element that displays
at least a
portion of the condensed set of information regarding the performance of the
business
service, as described above.
[00119] In various embodiments, displaying may include displaying a first
graphical user interface element that displays a first portion of information
regarding the
attributes of the business service, and in response to a user indicating they
wish to view
more information regarding at least one aspect of the business service,
displaying a
second graphical user interface element that displays a second portion of
information
regarding the attributes of the business service, as described above. In such
an
embodiment, the first graphical user interface element may include a window
that
displays a Summary View of the business service context, and the second
graphical user
interface element may include a window that displays a List View of items
included in
the second portion of the information, as described above.
[00120] In another embodiment, displaying may include displaying a set of
required information regarding the business service, and displaying a set of
optional
information regarding the business service, wherein the set of optional
information has
been previously predefined by an administrative user, as described above. In
yet another
embodiment, displaying may include evaluating at least one of the displayed
information
to determine if a value of the information exceeds a predefined threshold, and
if so,
indicating to the user that the respective information has exceeded the
threshold value, as
described above.
[00121] In various embodiments, displaying may include displaying a
business
service linking user interface element that when selected causes a second
business service
context to be created and displayed, wherein the second business service
context is
associated with a second business service indicated by the business service
linking user
interface element, as described above. In some embodiments, a second user
(e.g., an
administrator, etc.) may define a set of rules to filter the information
included by the
business service context, as described above. In such an embodiment,
displaying may
27
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
include filtering the information to be displayed based upon the predefined
set of rules, as
described above.
[00122] In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated
by this
Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the
application 110 of Figs. 1 or 5a, or the via the user interfaces 401, 402, and
403 of Figs.
4a, 4b, and 4c, as described above.
[00123] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
technique 700
may be used or produced by the systems such as those of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a.
Furthermore,
portions of technique 700 may be used with or may produce user interfaces such
as those
of Figs. 2, 4a, 4b, 4c, or 5b. Although, it is understood that the above are
merely a few
illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited. It
is
understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limited to the ordering of
or number of
actions illustrated by technique 700.
[00124] Block 702 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
receive
a request, from a user, to display at least a portion of a business service
context regarding
a business service, as described above. In various embodiments, one or more of
the
action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or
systems of
Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the application 120 of Figs. 1 or 5a, or the via the user
interface 200 of
Fig. 2, as described above.
[00125] Block 704 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
access a
partially virtual database to retrieve a database result that includes the
business service
context, as described above. In various embodiments, one or more of the
action(s)
illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of
Figs. 1, 3, or
5a, the application 120 or federated database 150 of Figs. 1 or 5a, or the via
the user
interface 200 of Fig. 2, as described above.
[00126] Block 706 illustrates that, in one embodiment, the partially
virtual
database may query at least one other application for information regarding
the business
service, as described above. In some embodiments, querying may include
accessing the
at least one other application via a web services interface that produces
formatted query
results that are standardized to a single predetermined formatting scheme
regardless of
28
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
the other application queried, and adapting the information, included in the
query result
from the respective other application, to the partial virtual database fields
of the partially
virtual database, as described above. In another embodiment, querying may
include
retrieving a list of other applications to query from a provider application
registry in
which the other applications have previously registered, as described above.
[00127] In various embodiments, the partially virtual database may be
configured
to read information regarding the business service from at least one other
application, but
may not write information regarding the business service from the at least one
other
application, as described above. In some embodiments, the partially virtual
database may
include at least one non-virtual field associated with the business services
that are stored
within the partially virtual database, and at least one virtual field
associated with the
business service whose field value is provided by the at least one application
as a result of
querying the at least one application, as described above.
[00128] In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated
by this
Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the
applications 180 or federated database 150 of Figs. 1 or 5a, as described
above.
[00129] Block 708 illustrates that, in one embodiment, the partially
virtual
database may generate an aggregated database result associated with the
business service,
as described above. In various embodiments, the aggregated database result may
include
information provided by the at least one other application, as described
above. In one
embodiment, generating may include providing a database result that includes
at least one
of both a non-virtual field and a virtual field in a single database retrieval
operation, as
described above.
[00130] In various embodiments, the user of Block 702 may be associated
with a
security credential, as described above. In such an embodiment, generating an
aggregated database result may include filtering the information provided by
the at least
one other application based upon the user's security credentials, as described
above. In
another embodiment, the filtering based upon the security credentials may
occur at the
consumer application or, in yet another embodiment, each of the other provider
applications, as described above.
[00131] In some embodiments, the user's security credential may be
associated
29
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
with a tenant, and at least one of the at least one other applications may
provide a multi-
tenant business service, as described above. In such an embodiment, filtering
information
based upon the user's security credential may include not filtering a first
set of
information, provided by the at least one other application, that is common to
all tenants
of the multi-tenant business service, and filtering, based on the user's
associated tenant, a
second set of information, provided by the at least one other application,
that is specific
to individual tenants of the multi-tenant business service, as described
above.
[00132] In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated
by this
Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the
applications 180 or federated database 150 of Figs. 1 or 5a, as described
above.
[00133] Block 710 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an application may
display
at least a portion of the business service context regarding the business
service based
upon the aggregated database result, as described above. In various
embodiments, one or
more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the
apparatuses or
systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 5a, the application 120 of Figs. 1 or 5a, or the via
the user
interfaces 401, 402, and 403 of Figs. 4a, 4b, and 4c, as described above.
[00134] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of a system 800
in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In the illustrated embodiment, a
system 800
in which the apparatus or computing device 802 includes or is a mobile
computing device
or mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, etc.).
[00135] In various embodiments, system 100 of Fig. 1 may be configured to
generate a "widget" that provides a consistent, high performing summary of a
Service
given the user's current context in some application. Further, the system 100
may be
configured to provide data access mechanisms for multiple applications to
incorporate
Service summary data into their own native user interfaces.
[00136] Conversely, in one embodiment, the system 800 of Fig. 8 may be
configured to provide the same or similar data but via a user experience that
is
appropriate from a mobile user. For example, in one such embodiment, launching
a
service context UI may not be done from within another UI of an application.
In
addition, the system 800 may be configured to provide features suitable for a
mobile
device such as receiving notifications and collaboration, etc. It is
understood that the
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
above is merely one illustrative example to which the disclosed subject matter
is not
limited.
[00137] In some embodiments, the system 800 may be configured to provide a
constant look-and-feel to the service context UI 122 in that it looks
substantially the same
no matter where or how the UI 122 is launched. In one embodiment, the service
context
within a mobile device context may include single or limited purpose
interaction with the
user 190, provide a quick means for the user to view the service context
(e.g., a 1-2
second response time, etc.). In various embodiments, the application 120 may
be
substantially independent or a stand-alone application that merely provides
the UI 122
and no other functions. However, in another embodiment, for example on a
tablet or
mobile device with a sufficiently large screen, the generation and display of
the UI 122
may occur similarly to that of the system 100 of Fig. 1, as described above.
In yet
another embodiment, the system 800 may be configured to take advantage of
communication and collaboration capabilities of the mobile device, as
described below.
[00138] Comparing the systems 100 and 800 of Figs. 1 and 8, respectively,
in the
system 100, in one embodiment, the may be configured to launch or display the
UI 122 as
derivative of the native UI of the application or as pop-up or tooltip element
on-top of the
native the application. Conversely, in one embodiment, the system 800 may be
configured to display the UI 122 as the main or sole UI of the application, as
described
above. In another embodiment, the system 100 may be configured to get the
business
service identifier (ID) or other context identifiers or names from the UI
context of the
launching application. Conversely, in a mobile embodiment the system 800 may
be
configured to get the business service ID or name from a list of business
services
presented to the user. In yet another embodiment, system 100 may constrain the
user to
only the services presented or associated with the launching application. In
various
mobile embodiments, the user 190 may be able to alter the query to generate a
different
list of business services or otherwise manipulate the list of business
services, as described
below. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples
to which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00139] Further, in some mobile embodiments, a user may be able to
communicate
or transmit a service context using various capabilities of the mobile device
or
31
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, email, short messaging service,
etc.). In
another mobile embodiment, the user may be able to register for or receive
various push
notifications about changes to certain services or attributes of various
business services,
as described below. In yet another mobile embodiment, a user may be able to
join
communities or groups of users who are interested in a particular business
service or
other system resources, as described below. In various embodiments, the system
100
within a desktop or non-mobile context may not be configured to provide these
abilities
or services. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00140] In some embodiments, the mobile device 802 may be similar to or
include
the computing device 102 of Fig. 1. In various embodiments, the mobile device
802 may
include at least one display or monitor 817 configured to visually display
information to
the user 190. In some embodiments, the monitor 817 may include a touch screen,
a
liquid crystal display (LCD), or other form of display technology. In some
embodiments,
other hardware components (not illustrated), such as, for example, an input
device,
keyboard, mouse, touchpad, loud speakers, a camera, a sensor, etc. It is
understood that
the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed
subject matter is
not limited. In various embodiments, the computing device 102 of Fig. 1 may
also
include these hardware devices.
[00141] In such an embodiment, the application 120 includes a mobile
application
executing on the mobile device 802. In some embodiments, the application 120
may be a
special purpose application 120 configured simply to request, retrieve and
display a
service context 168. Such an application 120 is illustrated in Figs. 10a -
10h. It is
understood that the above is merely one illustrative example to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited. In yet another embodiment, the application 120
may be
configured to provide additional services or functionality (e.g., an IT
management
application, etc.)
[00142] In various embodiments, the application 120 may be configured to
request,
receive, and display a service context 168, similarly to that as described
above. However,
in some embodiments, the technique may be more complex than that described
above.
[00143] In one embodiment, the application 120 may not be directly
associated
32
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
with a business service 188, as the application 120 might be if the
application 120 was
generally configured to interact with or provide a front-end to a business
service, as
described above. In such an embodiment, user 190 or application 120 may be
configured
to select a business service 188 from a plurality of possible business
services 188. In
such an embodiment, once the desired business service 188 is selected, the
application
120 may request an associated business service context 168, as described
above.
[00144] In various embodiments, the user 190 may be required to manually
enter
the desired business service 188 into the application 120. In another
embodiment, a list
814 of possible business services may be provided by a service manager 804
included by
the Service Context Data Server 804 or other computing entity. In such an
embodiment,
the business service list 814 may be maintained by the Service Context Data
server 804.
In various embodiments, the Service Context Data Server 804 may be similar to
the DB
Server 104 of Fig. 1.
[00145] It is understood that Service Context Data Server 804 may include
various
hardware components, such as, a processor, memory, network interface, etc.
similarly to
those of DB server 104 of Fig. 1 which are not illustrated in this figure. In
various
embodiments, one or all of the components, such as, the notification manager
822,
service manager 824, or the group manager 826 may be included in other
computing
devices or entities and may not be integrated or co-located with the Service
Context Data
Server 804. It is understood that the illustrated is merely one example to
which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00146] In some embodiments, the service manager 824 may transmit the
service
list 814 to the mobile device 802 in response to a request by the mobile
device 802. In
various embodiments, the service manager 824 may periodically push or
transmits a
service list 814 to the mobile device 802. In some such embodiments, the
service list
814 may only be pushed to the mobile deice 802 if there is a change in the
service list
814 (e.g., an addition or removal of a business service 188 from the list 814,
etc.). In
another embodiment, predefined criteria or a set of rules may dictate when the
service
manager 814 communicates the service list 814 to the mobile device 802.
[00147] In various embodiments, the service manager 824 may associate one
or
more service lists 814 with a particular user 190 or a group of users. For
example, in one
33
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
embodiment, a plurality of service lists 814 may be maintained and when the
mobile
device 802 requests a service list 814, the service manager 824 may determine
which of
the plurality of service lists 814 to send the mobile device 802. In such an
embodiment,
the user 190 may be included with a user group that includes, for example,
administrators
located in Houston, Texas. The service manager 824 may then select a service
list 814
associated with that Houston administrator group and not provide other service
lists 814
that are associated with other user groups (e.g., salesmen located in Houston,
Texas;
administrators located in San Francisco, California; etc.).
[00148] In one embodiment, the user 190 may be able to update the service
list 814
via the application 120. In such an embodiment, the application 120 may be
configured
to transmit the modified service list 814 (or a portion thereof) back to the
service
manager 824 for storage and later retrieval. In another embodiment, the
application 120
may transmit messages 832 (e.g., write requests, request to delete a
particular business
service, etc.) to the service manager 824. In such an embodiment, the service
manager
824 may then be configured to alter or edit the associated service list 814
and/or provide
appropriate success or failure messages back to the mobile device 802.
[00149] In one embodiment, the service manager 824 may be configured to
store
cascading or overlapping service lists 814. For example, a user 190 may be
associated
with a number of user groups (e.g., administrators in Houston, Texas, all
employees in
Houston, Texas, employees that Boss Bob manages, etc.). In yet another
embodiment,
the user 190 may have a personalized list of business services 188 that the
user 190 has
added (or deleted or blacklisted, etc.). In such an embodiment, the service
manager 824
may be configured to transmit each service list 814 to the application 120. In
another
embodiment, the service manager 824 may be configured to dynamically generate
a
composite service list 814 based upon the various service lists 814 that are
associated
with the user 190. In various embodiments, this generation may be based upon a
set of
predefined priority rules. For example, the existence of a business service
188 on the list
814 associated with "employees that Boss Bob manages" may override the
blacklisting or
removal of the business service 188 from the user 190's personal service list
814.
[00150] In some embodiments, the user 190 may actively select the business
service from the list 814. In another embodiment, the application 120 may
automatically
34
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
select the most recently used or selected business service 188. In such an
embodiment,
the user 190 may be able to manually select another business service 188 or
override the
application 120's automatic selection. In yet another embodiment, the business
service
188 may be automatically selected based upon a message from the Service
Context Data
Server 804 or another user/mobile device (not illustrated). In such an
embodiment, the
message may include an update message 812 or a group message 816, as described
below.
[00151] In various embodiments, this service list 814 may be stored and/or
transmitted as a text or a binary file. In one embodiment, the service list
814 may include
a file that includes data formatted in an Extensible Markup Language (XML)
format or a
similar format. In one specific embodiment, the service list 814 may include a
file stored
in a variation of Property List (plist) format (e.g., an iOS plist format, a
GNUstep plist
format, etc.). It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to
which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00152] In the illustrated embodiment, once a particular business service
188 has
been selected, the application may request a business service context 168 from
the
Service Context Data Server 804, as described above. In such an embodiment,
once the
business service context 168 has been received, it may be displayed via a
service context
UI 122, as described above.
[00153] Fig. 10e is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1094 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the
UI 1095
may display a business service context within or on a mobile computing device
802. In
some embodiments, this UI 1095 may be referred to as the Service Context
Summary
View. In such an embodiment, further UI elements may also be displayed
[00154] In the illustrated embodiment, the UI 1095 may display via a UI
element
1054 (e.g., a tile bar or header) which business service 804 the business
service context is
associated with. Further the UI 1095 may include an element 1052 to display
the service
context or a portion thereof
[00155] In various embodiments, various UI elements 1058 may be configured
to
cause the mobile device 802 to display other portions of the service context
or retrieve
and display other service contexts. Examples of such displays are discussed
below in
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
reference to Figs. 10a-10h. These UI elements 1058 may effectively cause the
mobile
device 802 to display the sub-views, as described above, and may result in the
displaying
various embodiments, such as, a list view configured to display additional
inform
regarding the service in an alternate format. In various embodiments, various
UI
elements or views may focus on various aspects of the selected business
service. It is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited. In another embodiment, the UI elements 1058 may
include
business service linking UI elements 1058 that cause the retrieval and display
other
service contexts, as described above.
[00156] Returning to Fig. 8, in some embodiments, Service Context Data
Server
804 may include notification manager 822. In such an embodiment, the
notification
manager 824 may be configured to push or transmit an update message 812 to the
application 120, OS 118, or mobile device 802 when a predefined event occurs
(e.g., a
business service 188 generates an event, such as, an incident ticket; a
message has been
sent to the user 190 by another user; etc.).
[00157] In one embodiment, the update message 812 may cause the
application
120 to automatically retrieve a service context 168 for a business service 188
(typically a
business service 188 associated with or indicated by the update message 812).
In some
embodiments, the update message 812 may cause application 120 or OS 118 to
indicate,
to the user 190, that a notification message has arrived. In various
embodiments, this
may occur via a UI element overlaid upon the application 120's icon (as shown
in Fig.
10a). In another embodiment, this may occur via a pop-up windows or other UI
element.
It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to
which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00158] In various embodiments, the user 190 or application 120 may
transmit
update configuration messages 834 to the notification manager 822 indicating
rules or
criteria for which the notification manager 822 is to generate or transmit
subsequent
update messages 812. For example, such rules may include "any changes in
information
for the business service associate current service context 168", "if
information (e.g.,
incidents, service tickets, sales values, etc.) associated with a particular
business service
188 exceed or falls below a certain threshold value", etc. It is understood
that the above
36
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
are merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter
is not
limited.
[00159] In another embodiment, the notification manager 822 may receive
notification rules from an administrator logged into or having direct or
remote access to
the Service Context Data Server. In yet another embodiment, the notification
manager
822 may receive notification rules from update configuration messages 834 sent
by other
users (not illustrated). For example, a manager may update the notification
rules
associated with their employees. It is understood that the above are merely a
few
illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00160] In one embodiment, the notification manager 822 may base the
generation
of its notification or update messages 812 on, at least in part, values or
messages received
from a group manager 826 that is included by the Service Context Data Server
804. In
various embodiments, the group manager 826 may be configured to group a
plurality of
users 190 together for processes of notifications, messaging, access rights,
or other
processing tasks. In a preferred embodiment, the group of users 190 may
include a
community that has a common interest in some system resource(s) (e.g.,
business service
188, etc.). It is understood that the above is merely one illustrative example
to which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00161] As described above, in various embodiments, the multiple users 190
may
be associated for purposes of access to a service list 814. In such an
embodiment, the
service manager 824 may determine which users 190 are part of those
associations by
asking a group manager 826. Likewise, with the notification manager 822.
[00162] In various embodiments, the group manager 826 may also be
configured
to distribute or transmit messages 816 to all the members or users 190
associated with
one or more groups of users 190. In another embodiment, the group manager 826
may
ask or make use of the notification manager 822 to perform the actual
transmission of the
information via the update message 812.
[00163] In various embodiments, a user 190 may wish to send a business
service
context 168 to another user 190, as described above. In some embodiments, the
user 190
may not just wish to send the business service context 168 to a single other
user, but to a
group of users (e.g., the user 190's team at work, etc.). Instead of sending
individual
37
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
messages to each user, the user 190 or application 120 may send a single group
update
message 836 to the group manager 826.
[00164] In such an embodiment, the group manager 826 may then forward
and/or
re-format and re-send the information of the message to the various users
associated with
the group of users for whom the group update message 836 was destined. In an
alternate
embodiment, the group manager 826 may instead inform the notification manager
822
that a notification event has occurred for users associated with the group
update message
836 was destined. The group manager 826 may provide the notification manager
822
with the information (e.g., business service context 168, etc.) included in
the group
update message 836. The notification manager 822 may then send out an update
message
812 to the various users.
[00165] For example, a business service 188 may generate a notification
event
(e.g., a critical hardware failure, etc.) that the notification manager 822
deems to be
warrant the transmission of an update message 812. The notification manager
822 may
check its internal business service-to-user associations and determine that a
group of
administrative users (e.g., administrators working for Boss Bob, etc.) should
receive the
update message 812. In various embodiments, the update message 812 may include
a
business service context 168 or a DB query result 166 the associated business
service
188.
[00166] In one embodiment, the notification manager 822 may maintain a
list of
the affected users. In another embodiment, the notification manager 822 may
simply
know that the group should receive the update message 812 and may ask the
group
manager 826 for the specific users 190 included in the group. In yet another
embodiment, the notification manager 822 may transmit an update message 812 to
the
group manager 826 (e.g., as a group update message 836, etc.). The group
manager 826
may then essentially forward the update message 812 as a group message 816 to
the
affected users 190 of the targeted group of users.
[00167] In one example embodiment, the user, for example, Jane (as a
member of
the target group) or Jane's mobile device may receive the update message 812
or group
message 816 (depending upon the embodiment). The OS 118 or application 120 may
provide a GUI element that indicates that Jane has received a notification or
message.
38
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
Jane may then check this message and view the business service context 168
that informs
her that a piece of hardware has failed (in this example). Other users of the
group who
also receive the update message 812 may include, for purposes of this example,
Boss
Bob, Dick, and Sally.
[00168] Jane may be the "on-call" administrator during this event. Jane
may then
replace or repair the piece of hardware and restore the business service 188.
Jane may
then send a group update message 836 (targeted to the group of administrators
working
for Boss Bob) that says that "Jane has fixed everything and everything is OK".
[00169] The group manager 826 may receive this group update message 836
and
either forward it as a group message 816 or ask the notification manager to
send the
information the message 836 includes as an update message 812 (depending upon
the
embodiment) to the targeted group. Boss Bob may receive the message 836
similarly to
that described above and may rest easy knowing Jane has fixed everything. It
is
understood that the above is merely one illustrative example to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[00170] In various embodiments, the group update message 836, group
message
816, and/or update message 812 may include text messages and/or binary
messages (e.g.,
pictures, service contexts 168, etc.). In various embodiments, these messages
may adhere
to predefined protocol (e.g., notification message related to the mobile
device's OS 118,
email format, text messaging format, etc.). It is understood that the above
are merely a
few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[00171] In various embodiments, the group update message 836 may allow a
user
190 to add or remove themself or other users from various groups and/or
perform various
other management functions (e.g., set permissions, set business service
associations, etc.).
[00172] In some embodiments, the notification manager 822, service manager
824,
and/or the group manager 826 may make use of a publish-subscribe model of
distribution
of their respective messages. In another embodiment, the managers 822, 824,
and/or 826
may broadcast their respective messages and the application 120 or OS 118 may
be
configured to filter out messages as needed. It is understood that the above
are merely a
few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[00173] FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique 900
in
39
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
technique 900
may be used or produced by the systems such as those of Figs. 1, 3, or 8.
Although, it is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited. It is understood that the disclosed subject
matter is not
limited to the ordering of or number of actions illustrated by technique 900.
[00174] Fig. 9 illustrates one possible form of a user's interaction with
an
application executed by a mobile device that is configured to display a
business context
service, as described above. It is understood that other interactions with the
application
and operations performed by the application are possible. Some of the user
interfaces
which support these operations and interactions are described in more detail
below.
[00175] Block 902 illustrates that, in one embodiment, a business service
context
application may be executed on or by a mobile device, as described above. In
such an
embodiment, the application may be configured to have a single purpose,
retrieving and
displaying business service contexts. In another embodiment, the application
may
provide a richer functionality (e.g., an IT management application) that also
supports the
retrieval and display of a business service context, as described above. In
various
embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be
performed by
the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the application of Figs. 1, 3,
or 8, as
described above.
[00176] FIG. 10a is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1091 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments,
the UI
element 652 may cause the application to be launched (or executed by the
mobile device)
or brought to the foreground of the mobile device's UI (in embodiments that
include a
multi-tasking operating system). It is understood that the above is merely one
illustrative
example to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00177] Block 904 illustrates that, in one embodiment, the application may
be
configured to display a list of business services, as described above. In some
embodiments, the application may automatically retrieve the list of business
services, or,
in another embodiment, the user may manually enter one or more business
services, as
described above. In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s)
illustrated by this
Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the
application
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, as described above.
[00178] FIG. 10b is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1092 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the
UI 1092
may display a list 1022 of business services about which the user may request
a business
service context. In one embodiment, the UI 1092 may include a UI element 1024
(e.g., a
button, etc.) via which the user may start another UI (e.g., UI 1094 of Fig.
10d) that
allows a user to manually enter or add another business service. In one
embodiment, the
UI 1092 may include a UI element 1026 (e.g., a button, etc.) via which the
user may start
another UI (e.g., UI 1093 of Fig. 10c) that allows a user to edit the list of
business
services.
[00179] As described above, in various embodiments, the user may wish to
edit or
manipulate the list of business services. In such an embodiment, the user may
select an
UI element 1026 and be provided with a UI (e.g., UI 1093 of Fig. 10c) that
allows a user
to edit the list of business services.
[00180] FIG. 10c is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1093 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In such an embodiment,
the UI
1093 may provide a user with a way to edit the list of business services. In
some
embodiments, this editing may include adding a business service, deleting a
business
service, altering the order or hierarchy of the list of business services,
etc.
[00181] In various embodiments, the UI 1093 may include one or more UI
elements 1032 (e.g., buttons, a touch-n-drag region, etc.) by which the user
may re-order
the business services within the list. In some embodiments, the list of
business services
may include a hierarchical organization (e.g., folders, etc.). In such an
embodiment, the
user may re-order or re-arrange the business services within such a hierarchy.
[00182] In various embodiments, the UI 1032 may include a UI element 1034
that,
when selected, allow a user to delete or remove a business service from the
list of
business services. In one embodiment, the UI 1032 may include a UI element
1036 that
allows a user to add or manually enter one or more business services. In one
embodiment, this may cause the UI 1094 of Fig. 10d to be displayed. In another
embodiment, this may allow a user to select a list of business services from a
plurality of
lists, for example, that are available on the Service Context Data server of
Fig. 8, another
41
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
remote computing device, or are stored within the mobile device.
[00183] In one embodiment, the UI 1093 may include a UI element 1034
(e.g.,
button, pull down menu, etc.) that indicates that the user wishes to save the
entered
business service to the list of business services. In various embodiments,
once the
changes or alterations to the list of business services has been made, the
list (or the edits
thereof) may be transmitted back to the Service Context Data server or a
remote server
for storage and/or future synchronization. It is understood that the above are
merely a
few illustrative examples to which the disclosed subject matter is not
limited.
[00184] As described above, in another embodiment, the user may wish to r
to
manually enter or add another business service. In such an embodiment, the
user may
select the UI element 1024 of Fig. 10b or the UI element 1036 of Fig. 10c.
[00185] FIG. 10d is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1094 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In such an embodiment,
the UI
1094 may provide a user with a way to manually add a business service to the
list of
business services. In some embodiments, if no list of business services exists
or is known
to the application, a UI 1094 may be used in order for the user to manually
enter a desired
business service. In another embodiment, the UI 1094 may be used to enter or
accept a
business service that is communicated to the user (e.g., via a message from a
another
user, etc.) or if the user becomes aware of a business service by some out-of-
bounds
means.
[00186] In various embodiments, the UI 1094 may include one or more UI
elements 1042 (e.g., text fields, buttons, virtual keyboard, etc.) by which
the user may
enter or select a business service. In various embodiments, fields to be
entered may
include, but are not limited to, the name of the business service, an
identifier associated
with the business service, a network address of the business service, any
identification or
authentication credentials (e.g., username, password, etc.) that are
associated with the
user or would give the user access to the business service, etc. In one
embodiment, the
UI 1094 may include a UI element 1044 (e.g., button, pull down menu, etc.)
that
indicates that the user wishes to save the entered business service to the
list of business
services. In various embodiments, the UI element 1044 or other UI elements may
allow a
user to clear the fields of UI elements 1042, place predefined values (e.g.,
authentication
42
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
credentials, domain information, etc.) within the fields of UI elements 1042,
etc. In
various embodiments, other UI elements may be included by UI 1094.
[00187] Returning to Fig. 9, Block 906 illustrates that, in one
embodiment, a user
may cause a mobile computing device to select a business service from a
plurality or list
of possible business services, as described above. In various embodiments, one
or more
of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses
or systems
of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the application of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, as described above.
[00188] As described above, in various embodiments, the application may
display
a list of business services from which the user may select a particular
business service.
Using that selected business service, the application may then automatically
request from
a database a business service context associated with the selected business
service, as
described above.
[00189] Block 908 illustrates that, in one embodiment, the mobile
computing
device may receive a request from a user to display at least a portion of a
business service
context regarding a business service, as described above. In some embodiments,
this may
include launching the application. In various embodiments, one or more of the
action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or
systems of
Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the application of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, as described above.
[00190] Block 910 illustrates that, in one embodiment, that the mobile
device may
query a database for a business service context of the select business
service, and
receiving in response an aggregated database result regarding the business
service that
include the requested business service context, as described above. In various
embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be
performed by
the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the application of Figs. 1, 3,
or 8, as
described above.
[00191] Block 912 illustrates that, in one embodiment, the mobile device
may
display a graphical user interface (GUI) on the mobile device that displays at
least a
portion of the information included by the business service context, as
described above.
In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block
may be
performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the application
of Figs. 1, 3,
or 8, as described above.
43
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[00192] In one embodiment, the GUI may be similar to the UI 1095 of Fig.
10e, as
described above. In another embodiment, the GUI may be similar to the UI 1096
of Fig.
10f, as described below.
[00193] FIG. 10e is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1095 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In such an embodiment,
the UI
1095 may provide a user with a summary view of the business service context.
It is
understood that the above is merely one illustrative example to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[00194] In one embodiment, the UI 1095 may include a UI element 1054
(e.g., a
label, a title bar, etc.) that displays the business service associated with
the current
business service context (e.g., "BusinessServicel", etc.).
[00195] In such an embodiment, the UI 1095 may include one or more UI
elements
1052 that provide detailed information about a portion of the business service
context. In
the illustrated embodiment, a user can see that the business service
"BusinessServicel"
has an attribute called "Incidents" and that there are 4 "Incidents". In one
embodiment,
by selecting one of the UI elements 1058 the user may cause the UI 1096 of
Fig. 10f to be
displayed. It is understood that the above is merely one illustrative example
to which the
disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00196] In one embodiment, the UI 1095 and other UIs may include a UI
element
1056 that facilitates the user sending or transmitting the business service
context or a
portion thereof to another user or group of users. In various embodiments,
this UI
element 1056 may execute an email or other messaging program to which the
business
service context (or portion thereof) is automatically attached or entered
into. In another
embodiment, the UI element 1056 may cause another UI to be shown that allows a
user
to select one or more users or devices to transmit the message to. In various
embodiments, the message may include a group update message, as described
above. It
is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which
the disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
[00197] As described above, in one embodiment, a user may be able to move
or
switch from the UI 1095 of Fig. 10e to the UI 1096 of Fig. 10f via the UI
element 1058 of
Fig. 10e. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to which
44
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00198] Fig. 10f is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1096 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In one embodiment, the
UI 1096
may display a detailed view of business service context within or on a mobile
computing
device. In some embodiments, this UI 1096 may be referred to as the Service
Context
List View. In such an embodiment, further UI elements may also be displayed
[00199] In the illustrated embodiment, the UI 1096 may display via UI
element
1064 (e.g., a tile bar or header, etc.) which business service the business
service context is
associated with (e.g., "BusinessServicel", etc.). Further the UI 1095 may
include an
element 1066 to display the service context or a portion thereof.
[00200] In various embodiments, various UI elements 1062 may be configured
to
cause the mobile device to display other portions of the service context or
retrieve and
display other service contexts. These UI elements 1062 may effectively cause
the mobile
device to display the sub-views, as described above, and may result in the
displaying
various embodiments, such as, a detail view configured to display additional
inform
regarding the service in an alternate format. In various embodiments, various
UI
elements or views may focus on various aspects of the selected business
service. It is
understood that the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited. In another embodiment, the UI elements 1062 may
include
business service linking UI elements 1062 that cause the retrieval and display
other
service contexts, as described above.
[00201] As described above, in various embodiments, the UI elements 1062
may
cause the mobile device to display another UI that provides or displays
further detail
regarding the business context information. In some embodiments, the
information
included in the business context may be hierarchical in nature. In one such
embodiment,
the UI element 1062 may cause an UI such as UI 1097 of Fig. 10g to be
displayed.
[00202] FIG. lOg is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1097 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In such an embodiment,
the UI
1097 may provide a user with a very detailed view of a portion of the
information
included by business service context (e.g., the "Incidentl" portion of the
"BusinessServicel" context, etc.). It is understood that the above is merely
one
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
illustrative example to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00203] In such an embodiment, the UI 1097 may include one or more UI
elements
1072 to display detailed information regarding the service context or a
portion thereof,
displayed by UI 1076. The UI element 1064 may be configured to display current
portion of the business service context (now "Incidentl") being displayed. In
addition, in
various embodiments, the UI 1097 may include a UI element 1076 that allows or
facilitates the return or retrieval of the prior portion of hierarchical level
of the business
service context (e.g., "BusinessServicel"). In such an embodiment, the user
may
navigate between multiple portions of the business service context. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the navigation may be simply "up or down", but in other
embodiments
lateral or sideways or even more complex navigation between interrelated
business
service context portions may be possible.
[00204] Returning to Fig. 9, Block 914 illustrates that, in one
embodiment, that the
mobile device may display a GUI on the mobile device that shows a list of
additional
business service contexts that are associated with the current business
service context. As
described above, in some embodiments, this GUI may be included as a GUI
similar to
UIs 1095 of Fig. 10e, 1096 of Fig. 10f or 1097 of Fig. 10g; however, it is
understood that
the above are merely a few illustrative examples to which the disclosed
subject matter is
not limited. In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated
by this Block
may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, or 8, the
application of
Figs. 1, 3, or 8, as described above.
[00205] As described above, in various embodiments, notifications or
messages
may be pushed or sent to a user or a mobile device. In such an embodiment, the
receipt
of such a message may be indicated to the user. In various embodiments, this
may be
done via the operating system of the mobile device.
[00206] FIG. 10h is a diagram of an example embodiment of a user interface
(UI)
1098 in accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In such an embodiment,
the UI
1084 may provide a user with an indication of any new messages or
notifications that
have been pushed or transmitted to the mobile device, as described above. It
is
understood that the above is merely one illustrative example to which the
disclosed
subject matter is not limited.
46
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[00207] In one embodiment, the business service context application may
include
or be associated with an icon or UI element 1012. In various embodiments, the
UI
element 1012 may cause the application to be launched (or executed by the
mobile
device) or brought to the foreground of the mobile device's UI (in embodiments
that
include a multi-tasking operating system). It is understood that the above is
merely one
illustrative example to which the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00208] In various embodiments, when the mobile device receives a
notification or
update message from a remote computing device, the application or operating
system of
the mobile device may cause a UI element 1084 to be shown or available to the
user. In
such an embodiment, the UI element 1084 may indicate that an update message or
notification has been received. In the illustrated embodiment, the UI element
1084 may
include a graphic (e.g., a number indicating the number of messages received,
etc.)
included with or overlaid upon the UI element or icon 1012. In another
embodiment,
another form or UI element 1084 may be employed (e.g., pop-up window,
transient panel,
sound, etc.).
[00209] In some embodiments, once the user selects or actives the
application
(e.g., by selecting the UI element 1012, etc.), when the application is
associated with one
or more notifications, a UI may be presented or displayed to the user that
shows the
pending or current notifications. In one embodiment, if there is only a single
pending or
unread notification, a UI may be displayed that immediately shows the user the
pending
notification. In one embodiment, in which the notification includes a text (or
other)
message, the UI may display the message. In another embodiment, in which the
notification includes a business service context, the UI may display the
business service
context. It is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to which
the disclosed subject matter is not limited.
[00210] FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an example embodiment of a technique
1100 in
accordance with the disclosed subject matter. In various embodiments, the
technique
1100 may be used or produced by the systems such as those of Figs. 1, 3, 5a,
or 8.
Although, it is understood that the above are merely a few illustrative
examples to which
the disclosed subject matter is not limited. It is understood that the
disclosed subject
matter is not limited to the ordering of or number of actions illustrated by
technique 1100.
47
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[00211] Block 1102 illustrates that, in one embodiment, at least a portion
of a
business service context regarding a business service may be requested by a
mobile
device, as described above. In various embodiments, requesting may include
retrieving
and/or displaying a list of business services, as described above. In such an
embodiment,
the user may select one of these business services. In response to the
selection the mobile
device may then request the respective business service context, as described
above. In
various embodiments, the user may manually add a business service to the list,
as
described above. In another embodiment, the user may manually edit the list of
business
services, as described above. In various embodiments, one or more of the
action(s)
illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of
Figs. 1, 3,
5a, or 8, or the mobile computing device or the network interface of Fig. 8,
as described
above.
[00212] Block 1104 illustrates that, in one embodiment, an aggregated
database
result regarding the business service may be received from a database, as
described
above. In various embodiments, the aggregated database result may include the
requested business service context, as described above. In some embodiments,
the
business service context may include information from a plurality of
applications, as
described above. In one embodiment, receiving may include receiving the
aggregated
database result as part of a single database query transaction, as described
above. In such
an embodiment, the aggregated database result may be provided by an at least
partially
virtual database that virtualizes database fields whose field values are
provided by the
plurality of other applications, as described above. In various embodiments,
one or more
of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses
or systems
of Figs. 1, 3, 5a, or 8, or the mobile computing device or the network
interface of Fig. 8,
as described above.
[00213] Block 1106 illustrates that, in one embodiment, a graphical user
interface
element may be displayed that displays at least a portion of the information
included by
the business service context, as described above. In various embodiments,
displaying
may include displaying a first portion of the information included by the
business service
context, as described above. In another embodiment, displaying may include
displaying
a business service linking user interface element that when selected causes a
second
48
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
business service context to be created and displayed, wherein the second
business service
context is associated with a second business service indicated by the business
service
linking user interface element, as described above. In various embodiments,
one or more
of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses
or systems
of Figs. 1, 3, 5a, or 8, or the mobile computing device or the monitor of Fig.
8, or the user
interfaces of Figs. 10a-10h, as described above.
[00214] Block 1108 illustrates that, in one embodiment, in response to a
user
indicating that the user wishes to view more information regarding at least
one aspect of
the business service context, displaying a second portion of information
included by the
business service context, as described above. In various embodiments, one or
more of
the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or
systems of
Figs. 1, 3, 5a, or 8, or the mobile computing device or the monitor of Fig. 8,
or the user
interfaces of Figs. 10a-10h, as described above.
[00215] Block 1122 illustrates that, in one embodiment, a message may be
transmitted to a remote computing device that causes a user of the mobile
computing
device to be associated with a business service, as described above. In
various
embodiments, the message may instead cause the user to be associated with a
group of
users, as described above. In another embodiment, transmitting may include
transmitting
a message to the remote computing device that causes the user to be associated
with a
group of users, wherein the group of users is associated with at least one
business service,
as described above. In various embodiments, one or more of the action(s)
illustrated by
this Block may be performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, 5a,
or 8, or the
mobile computing device or the network interface of Fig. 8, as described
above.
[00216] Block 1124 illustrates that, in one embodiment, a notification
from the
remote computing device may be received when or in response to at least one
predefined
event regarding the associated business service has occurred, as described
above. In
various embodiments, receiving may include receiving, from a database, an
aggregated
database result regarding the business service, wherein the aggregated
database result
includes a second business service context, as described above. In various
embodiments,
one or more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block may be performed by the
apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, 5a, or 8, or the mobile computing device
or the
49
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
network interface of Fig. 8, as described above.
[00217] Block 1142 illustrates that, in one embodiment, at a user's
request, at least
a portion of the information included by the business service context may be
transmitted
from the mobile computing device to a second computing device, as described
above. In
various embodiments, the second computing device may include a mobile
computing
device, as described above. In some embodiments, transmitting may include
instructing a
remote computing device to provide the portion of the information included by
the
business service context to a second user, as described above. In some
embodiments, the
second user may be associated with the second computing device, as described
above. In
various embodiments, one or more of the action(s) illustrated by this Block
may be
performed by the apparatuses or systems of Figs. 1, 3, 5a, or 8, or the mobile
computing
device or the network interface of Fig. 8, as described above.
[00218] Implementations of the various techniques described herein may be
implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer hardware,
firmware, software,
or in combinations of them. Implementations may be implemented as a computer
program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information
carrier,
e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for
execution by, or
to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable
processor, a
computer, or multiple computers. A computer program, such as the computer
program(s)
described above, can be written in any form of programming language, including
compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including
as a
stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit
suitable for use
in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be executed
on one
computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple
sites and
interconnected by a communication network.
[00219] Method steps may be performed by one or more programmable
processors
executing a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data
and
generating output. Method steps also may be performed by, and an apparatus may
be
implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field
programmable gate
array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).
[00220] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program
include, by
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one
or more
processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will
receive
instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or
both.
Elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing
instructions and
one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a
computer
also may include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer
data to, or
both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic,
magneto-optical
disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer
program
instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including by
way of
example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory
devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-
optical
disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory may be
supplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.
[00221] To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be
implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a capacitive
touchscreen, a
restive touchscreen, or a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, for displaying
information
to the user and a keyboard and/or a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a
trackball, a
touchscreen, etc.), by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other
kinds of
devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for
example, feedback
provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual
feedback, auditory
feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any
form,
including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.
[00222] Implementations may be implemented in a computing system that
includes
a back-end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes a middleware
component,
e.g., an application server, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a
client computer
having a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user can
interact with
an implementation, or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-
end
components. Components may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital
data
communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication
networks
include a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), a wide area network
(WAN), e.g.,
the Internet, or a cellular network.
51
CA 02868804 2014-09-26
WO 2013/148470
PCT/US2013/033355
[00223] While certain features of the described implementations have been
illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes
and
equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to
be understood
that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and
changes as fall
within the scope of the embodiments.
52
