WO2002063470A1 - System for and method of learning and automatically correcting business logic errors - Google Patents
System for and method of learning and automatically correcting business logic errors Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2002063470A1 WO2002063470A1 PCT/US2002/003752 US0203752W WO02063470A1 WO 2002063470 A1 WO2002063470 A1 WO 2002063470A1 US 0203752 W US0203752 W US 0203752W WO 02063470 A1 WO02063470 A1 WO 02063470A1
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- computer
- data
- application
- user interface
- rule set
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06N—COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- G06N20/00—Machine learning
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to a system for and method of learning and automatically correcting business logic errors. More specifically, the invention monitors and reinterprets data streams associated with one or more existing software applications and, according to rules established during a training sequence, generate response data stream(s) with substituted business data. The invention thus effectively operates the existing application(s) by emulating a user using its normal user interface. The invention has potential application in the field of business software.
- Business logic errors are exceptions that occur in the course of performing basic business activity. Often, these exceptions are associated with an error reported by a business application in response to which the user will perform a specific recovery activity. Since business software has become so closely integrated with modern life, access to business software has been made available directly to the customer (e.g. via the Web) and is no longer exclusively operated by trained employees. Therefore, customers encounter business logic errors thousands of times a day when using business software to perform functions such as purchasing goods, reserving tickets, checking inventory, and the like. If these errors are not handled appropriately, they can result in reduced customer satisfaction with a business and even customer loss.
- Business logic errors may include, for example, exceptions that occur in the course of utilizing an inventory business application, such as messages to the customer that an item is out of stock, that a part number is invalid, or that an item is available at another location only.
- exceptions that occur in the course of utilizing an inventory business application, such as messages to the customer that an item is out of stock, that a part number is invalid, or that an item is available at another location only.
- the customer often has no recourse for finding an out-of-stock item other than to search the database of another supplier. In the era of e-commerce where multiple suppliers are readily available to the client, this can result in the loss of significant numbers of customers for the supplier who has no means of handling business logic errors.
- What is needed is a way to automatically correct errors and exceptions that occur in business applications.
- U.S. Patent No. 5,857,194 to Kelliher, et al. discloses a system that analyzes an existing legacy system, such as a Physician's Office Management System, and automatically extracts, reformats and sends required data to a service company by feeding the legacy system "seed data" and monitoring the legacy system storage device to determine a "raw map" of where and how the seed data is stored.
- U.S. Patent No. 5,857,194 to Kelliher, et al. discloses a system that analyzes an existing legacy system, such as a Physician's Office Management System, and automatically extracts, reformats and sends required data to a service company by feeding the legacy system "seed data" and monitoring the legacy system storage device to determine a "raw map" of where and how the seed data is stored.
- the present invention is a system for and method of learning and automatically correcting business logic errors.
- the system is able to monitor and reinterpret data streams associated with one or more existing applications and, according to rules established during a training sequence, generate response data stream(s) with substituted business data.
- the invention thus effectively operates the existing application(s) by emulating a user using its normal user interface.
- the invention is able to extract the useful business data from the data streams, store this data to temporary or permanent local storage, and combine and reformat this data into updated formats such as HTML, XML, and the like. This reformatted data is then presented to the user.
- this invention may present the extracted data (optionally combined with data from the user, another application, or temporary or permanent storage) to another application or another aspect of the first application.
- the data entered by a user via the newly constructed formats may be inserted into the generated response data streams.
- the invention is trained to recognize the content patterns occurring within the data stream(s) that are associated with specific business logic errors and exceptions, and how to appropriately operate the existing application(s) to correct these errors and exceptions.
- An advantage of the present invention is that it can be quickly implemented with a minimal amount of training.
- a second advantage of the present invention is that it obviates the need to recode existing applications in order to gain increased functionality.
- a third advantage of the present invention is that it can utilize the existing error checking and error handling functionality in the existing source applications.
- a fourth advantage of the present invention is that it can easily accommodate changes in the existing source applications.
- a fifth advantage of the present invention is that it can support additional client devices with ease.
- a sixth advantage of the present invention is that it can continue to use old access methods at the same time as using the updated access methods of the present invention, thereby extending the life of existing computer assets.
- the invention comprises a trainable system for automatically handling and correcting business logic errors, comprising a trainable user interface translator computer running a trainable user interface translator application.
- the trainable user interface translator computer is electrically connected to an interface computer electrically connected to one or more client devices, to a training terminal, and to a host computer operating an existing host application.
- the electrical connection may be direct or via a network.
- the system may also be configured with optional storage devices such as a shaper rule set storage device, a format data storage device, a host storage device and or a remote host storage device.
- the invention is a method of training the trainable user interface translator system to operate an existing software application, and to detect and handle business logic errors, comprising the steps of: defining a transaction; selecting sample data sets; choosing a data set from the selected sample data sets; requesting a starting page; filling in a form with form data; transmitting the form data to the trainable user interface translator computer; reviewing the data and sending the data to one or more host computer(s); sending a response page to the client device; sending sample response data to the trainable user interface translator computer; determining if transaction is complete; and determining if there are additional sample data sets.
- the invention is a method of using a trained user interface translator system to operate an existing software application with automatic correction of business logic errors, comprising the steps of: requesting a starting form; filling in the form and submitting; accessing one or more host applications; transmitting variable data; combining variable data with page format data; and determining if the business process is complete.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system employed in an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating training process steps of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of an existing software application with automatic correction of business logic errors.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a TeleShaper system 100 that includes numerous optional components.
- TeleShaper system 100 is comprised of a
- TeleShaper computer 130 one or more host computer(s) 110, optionally one or more remote host(s) 115, an interface computer 145, a shaper rule set storage device 140, an optional auxiliary storage device 142, a format data storage device 155, one or more client device(s) 150, and a training terminal 135.
- Host computer 110 is further comprised of a storage device 105 and a host application 160.
- the remote host 115 is further comprised of a remote storage device 120 and a remote host application 165.
- the TeleShaper computer 130 is further comprised of a TeleShaper application 170.
- the TeleShaper system may also include a network 125.
- Host computer 110, remote host 115, interface computer 145, and training terminal 135 may connect directly to TeleShaper computer 130 or via a network 125.
- Network 125 may be an intranet or the Internet.
- Client device(s) 150 may connect directly to interface computer 145 or via network 125.
- multiple host computers 110 may connect directly to TeleShaper computer 130 or through network 125.
- multiple remote hosts 115 may connect directly to TeleShaper computer 130 or through network 125.
- Step 202 Defining transaction
- a user decides on the details of a transaction to be designed.
- the user then enters into a
- TeleShaper rule set a list of pages, including a starting page, along with the name of each page's associated data items.
- the static portion of each page is entered onto format data storage device 155 and/or added to the rule set stored.
- Step 205 Selecting sample data sets
- the user selects and records a collection of sample input data sets to be used in subsequent steps.
- the data should include data sets that result in normal operation of the host application(s) as well as sets that cause the error conditions to be automatically corrected.
- the data sets may be stored on auxiliary storage device 142.
- Step 207 Choosing a data set
- the user selects one of the sample data sets defined in step 205 for use in operating the system.
- Step 210 Requesting starting page
- a trainer using client device 150, requests the starting page of the transaction as defined in step 202.
- This request is transmitted to interface computer 145, which forwards the request to TeleShaper computer 130.
- TeleShaper computer 130 responds with the starting page name and variable data, which are combined with the format data for the selected page stored on the format data storage device 155 by the interface computer.
- the resulting page is then returned to the client device 150.
- Step 220 Filling inform
- the trainer using client device 150, fills in the requested data in the form contained on the displayed page.
- Step 230 Transmitting form data to TeleShaper computer
- the trainer using client device 150, submits the form data from client device 150.
- the data is transmitted to the TeleShaper computer 130 via interface computer 145.
- TeleShaper application 170 then stores the form data locally.
- the trainer at training terminal 135 is alerted to the fact this form data has been submitted. This begins the training session.
- Step 240 Reviewing data and sending data to host computer (s)
- the trainer using training terminal 135, exercises host application 160 and/or remote host application 165.
- the trainer operates the host application 160 and/or remote host application 165 to obtain the needed responses using the form data submitted in step 230 and, optionally, data previously submitted, data stored on auxiliary data storage device 142, and/or data obtained from host application 160 and remote host application 165.
- the sequence of steps for interacting with these host application(s) (known as the "rule set") is generated by TeleShaper application 170 and stored on shaper rule set storage device 140.
- Step 250 Sending response page to client device
- Step 260 Sending sample response data to TeleShaper computer
- Step 270 Completed transaction?
- the trainer determines if system 100 is fully trained to complete the transaction defined in step 202. If no, process 200 returns to step 240; if yes, process 200 proceeds to step 280 Step 280: Additional samples?
- the trainer determines if there are additional data sample sets selected in step 205 to process. If yes, process 200 returns to step 207; if no, process 200 proceeds to end. Process 200 terminates after step 280.
- the training sequence outlined in process 200 is performed for multiple iterations in order to fully train TeleShaper application 170.
- host application 160 and/or remote host application 165 are exercised and TeleShaper application 170 is trained in the "normal" mode. That is, no errors are produced in the operation of the host application(s) and the TeleShaper software is trained to accommodate routine operation of the host application(s).
- the host application(s) are exercised and the TeleShaper software is trained in the "exception" mode. That is, exception data is intentionally introduced during the operation of the host application(s) and appropriate responses are integrated. In this way, TeleShaper application 170 "learns" to transparently process exceptions that occur in the host application(s).
- exception data is entered at steps 220 and 260.
- TeleShaper application 170 may be trained to return a message to the user that reads "Item Out of Stock.” Alternatively, TeleShaper application 170 may be trained to access and operate an alternate supplier's ordering application 165 via network 125, thus increasing the chances that a user of the system will find the desired item in stock at another location.
- Process 300 presumes that training process 200 has been completed and the results of process 200 have been stored on shaper rule set storage device 140.
- Step 310 Requesting starting page
- Step 320 Filling inform and submitting
- Step 330 Accessing host applications
- TeleShaper application 170 accesses the host application 160 and/or remote host application 165 using the rule set stored on shaper rule set storage device 140. In this way, TeleShaper application 170 responds to exceptions as instructed during the training sequence in process 200.
- Step 340: Transmitting variable data In this step, TeleShaper application 170 transmits the variable data obtained by interacting with host application 160 and/or remote host application 175 and/or auxiliary storage device 142 and/or calculated internally to interface computer 145.
- Step 350 Combining variable data with page format data
- interface computer 145 combines the variable data with the format data for the selected page stored on format data storage device 155 to produce a formatted page. This formatted page is transmitted to client device 150.
- Step 360 Completed business process?
- process 300 determines if the business process is completed. If no, process 300 returns to step 330; if yes, process 300 ends.
- the invention disclosed herein has the advantage of increasing the functionality" of existing applications.
- the invention has the capability to reinterpret and reformat data streams within and among existing applications, and programmatically correct errors and exceptions within the existing applications. Additionally, the invention can be trained to handle normal operation and exceptions within existing applications. And the invention may be employed in reformatting existing applications' output to an updated appearance.
- Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims. What is claimed is:
Abstract
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Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US778701A | 2001-02-07 | 2001-02-07 | |
US09/778,701 | 2001-02-07 |
Publications (1)
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WO2002063470A1 true WO2002063470A1 (en) | 2002-08-15 |
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PCT/US2002/003752 WO2002063470A1 (en) | 2001-02-07 | 2002-02-07 | System for and method of learning and automatically correcting business logic errors |
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Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0634718A2 (en) * | 1993-07-13 | 1995-01-18 | International Computers Limited | Computer systems integration |
US5857194A (en) * | 1996-11-07 | 1999-01-05 | General Electric Company | Automatic transmission of legacy system data |
US5889516A (en) * | 1994-04-19 | 1999-03-30 | Orchid Systems, Inc. | Trainable user interface translator |
US5946694A (en) * | 1997-09-29 | 1999-08-31 | International Business Machines Corporation | Apparatus and method for transparent application of service to business objects |
-
2002
- 2002-02-07 WO PCT/US2002/003752 patent/WO2002063470A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0634718A2 (en) * | 1993-07-13 | 1995-01-18 | International Computers Limited | Computer systems integration |
US5889516A (en) * | 1994-04-19 | 1999-03-30 | Orchid Systems, Inc. | Trainable user interface translator |
US5857194A (en) * | 1996-11-07 | 1999-01-05 | General Electric Company | Automatic transmission of legacy system data |
US5946694A (en) * | 1997-09-29 | 1999-08-31 | International Business Machines Corporation | Apparatus and method for transparent application of service to business objects |
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