DE10049940A1 - Transformation connector for converting data from a proprietary format to a commercial format before it is transmitted over a network, where typically the transfer format is an XML language, so data can easily be transmitted - Google Patents

Abstract

Connection device has a data input to internal and or external computer network, over which proprietary or participant specific commercial data is input by the transmitting participant. The input data is stored then processed using available transformation functions so that it confirms to commercial standards. The transformation function takes place using participant specific values for particular conditions of commercial relevance. Converted data can then be transmitted onto the network so it can be received in any standardized format and essentially processed in a reverse sequence so that it can be accessed in a customer specific or proprietary data format. Typically data is converted to an XML language. An independent claim is made for a method of processing proprietary format business management data so that it is converted to standardized format for network transfer and then converted back when received.

Description

The present invention relates to a connector Device for the automatic transformation of structure economic data to enable the business communication between participants with different processing systems business data with those in the preamble of Features specified claim 1.

So far, the exchange of business do documents between two participants only if the Sender knows the context of the recipient, that is, if he his order number and / or his customer number and / or knows his language and the like.

This well-known method of business administration exchange scientific documents therefore shows the serious Disadvantage that there is only a very small number from detailed about the context of the other participant informed participants can be used.

In addition, the previous one is based on limited use bare procedures for the exchange of business do documents on cumbersome, failure-prone, maintenance intensive and cost-intensive software solutions.

The object of the present invention is therefore the ready provision of a device for the exchange of business economist scientific documents, which are at the sender and receiver not knowing the context of the other participant requires and thus a particularly simple and quick exchange of business documents between any number of  Participants allowed to use different systems use for processing business data can and which in contrast to the cumbersome, disturbing prone to maintenance as well as maintenance and cost-intensive soft ware solution of the prior art a simple, effek tive and cost-effective hardware solution embodied.

According to the invention, this task is performed in a generic manner ß device by the in the characterizing part of Pa Features specified 1 solved.

Particularly preferred embodiments are the subject of Dependent claims.

An embodiment of the invention is based on the Fi guren described in more detail. Show it:

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram in which the original transformation function, the proprietary parameters for external conditions with betriebswirtschaft Licher relevance and hereby configured transformers tion function on a storage medium (5) are stored;

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow diagram, in which the original transformation function is stored on a memory ( 11 ), while the proprietary parameters for external conditions with business relevance are stored on a further memory ( 12 );

Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of the integration of a connector device according to the invention in a data processing system ( 13 ).

The previous method of exchanging business documents, which can only be used to a limited extent, is based on complicated and maintenance-intensive software solutions, whereas the present invention realizes the above-mentioned problem simply and effectively as a hardware solution:
As can be seen in particular from FIGS. 1 and 2, the connector device according to the invention for the automatic transformation of structures of business management data to enable business management communication between participants with different systems for processing business management data, for example one with an internal and / or external network ( 8 ) connected data input ( 1 ), via which the proprietary and / or subscriber-specific business data to be transformed of the sending subscriber are introduced into the connector device ( 2 ).

The connector device according to the invention preferably further comprises at least one (input) memory ( 3 ) connected downstream of the data input ( 1 ) for storing the incoming business data.

Furthermore, the connector device according to the invention can comprise at least one data processing device ( 4 ) connected downstream of the (input) memory ( 3 ).

This data processing device ( 4 ) is preferably designed in such a way that it records, for example, the business data stored in the input memory ( 3 ) and transforms iteratively or in one step using a transformation function available to the data processing device in a predeterminable business management standard.

The transformation function accessible to the data processing device ( 4 ) is stored, for example, on an (input) memory ( 3 ) and / or on another memory ( 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 ). In preferred embodiments, this memory ( 2 , 6 , 11 , 12 ) can be configured via an optionally separate data input ( 9 ) with subscriber-specific parameters for external conditions existing outside the connector device with business relevance.

As a rule, the connector device according to the invention further comprises at least one (output) memory ( 6 ) and / or one or more memories ( 3 , 5 ) on which the transformed business data can be stored.

The connector device according to the invention preferably further comprises a data output ( 7 ) connected downstream of the (output) memory ( 6 ), which is connected to an internal and / or external network ( 8 , 8 ; for example B).

The above description of the structure of a connector device according to the Invention describes a transmission process from subscriber A to subscriber B, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the case of reception of any standardized be business data, for example from a participant B is sent to a participant A, can with reverse construction with the invention  Connector device for subscriber A proprietary, participant-specific business data be fathered.

The data processing device ( 4 ) can be connected directly or indirectly to a memory ( 11 ) for storing the original transformation function.

As an alternative or in addition to this, the data processing device ( 4 ) can be connected to a memory ( 12 ) for storing the proprietary and / or subscriber-specific parameters for external conditions of a commercial nature.

As an alternative or in addition to this, the data processing device ( 4 ) can be connected to a memory ( 5 ) for storing the transformation function configured with the parameters for external conditions.

In particularly preferred embodiments of the connector device according to the invention, at least one of these memories ( 5 , 11 , 12 ) or two thereof or all three are via an internal or external network ( 8 ; C) or via a keyboard-shaped input device with proprietary and / or subscriber-specific ones Parameters for external conditions outside the connector device ( 2 ) with business relevance can be loaded. The same can also apply to the (input) memory ( 3 ) and / or the (output) memory ( 6 ).

With the business data to be transformed ten is business management, for example master data and / or business evidence supply data and / or customer master data and / or offers  and / or orders and / or catalogs and / or invoices conditions and / or delivery notes and / or stocks.

The input memory ( 3 ) and / or the output memory ( 6 ) can be volatile or non-volatile. The memories ( 5 , 11 , 12 ) for the original transformation function and / or for the subscriber-specific parameters dependent on parameters for external conditions and / or for the configured transformation function are generally not volatile.

The at least one data processing device ( 4 ) is selected, for example, from the group comprising sector computers, RISC, SID, SIMD and MIMD architectures, trans puter, bitslice processors, fault-tolerant systems, language-oriented architectures, superscalar architectures, massively parallel systems , DSP architectures and VLIW architectures.

The transformation function is preferred a function for the automatic transformation of incoming or to be sent business data of a standard business data in another standard of business data. This transformation function is preferably on the one hand of proprietary and / or subscriber-specific parameters tern dependent, which itself from parameters for operational economically relevant outside, outside the connector Depending on the device, existing conditions.

Alternatively or in addition to this, this transformi onsfunction depend on functions, which each desired business target standard ent speak.  

With the parameters for external, outside the connector Device existing conditions with business management relevance to the configuration of the participant-specific parameters and / or the original transformation The location function can be an example the participant and / or the customer and / or the supplier ten and / or distances between the participants and / or customers and / or suppliers and / or the Zeltzo the participant and / or the time and / or each language and / or the applicable measurement system act.

The transformation goal is usually a business economist social standard, for example in the form of XML (eXtended Markup Language) based standards such as Biz talk, cXML, edXML, hr-MXL or RosettaNet.

In particularly preferred embodiments, the Transformation function also authentication and / or encryption and / or decryption of the one outgoing or outgoing data.

The connector according to the invention preferably comprises Device one or more acoustic and / or optical Operating status indicators.

These operating status indicators show, for example the operating temperature and / or the power supply stand and / or the sending or receiving of data packets and / or the status and / or the occurrence of errors.

The present invention further relates to a method for automatically transforming structures of business data into another, predeterminable business standard to enable business communication between participants with different systems for processing business data, using a data processing system ( 4 ), the following Process steps include:
First, an original transformation function is stored electronically on a preferably non-volatile memory ( 3 , 5 , 11 , 121 , for example an EPROM).

Then, proprietary and / or participant-specific parameters for external conditions outside the connector device ( 2 ) with business relevance are electronically recorded and electronically stored.

In a further method step, the electronic transformation function is then automatically and electronically configured using the parameters for external conditions with business relevance in the data processing device ( 4 ).

The configured transformation function is then stored on a memory (for example 5 , 11 , 12 ; but possibly also 3 , 6 , 11 ).

This is the connector device according to the invention basically ready for use. It can now send the the structure to be received and transformed business data electronically recorded and be stored electronically.

In a further process step, the electronic and automatic transformation of the structures to be sent or received of business data takes place in a data processing device ( 4 ). This transformation takes place using the electronic data record for the configured transformation function, which is assigned at least one parameter for external conditions outside of a connector device with business relevance.

The automatic transformation is preferably followed by electronic storage of the transformed structure of business data, for example in an output memory ( 6 ).

Following this, the transformed structure of business data can be sent to an internal and / or external network ( 8 , B, D, E) and received by it.

3 as is apparent especially from FIG. That OF INVENTION dung modern apparatus can preferably as a connector Zvi the data line of a first subscriber A and the data line rule one or more further subscriber B, D, E and / or a data switching means (13) det USAGE. Here, the connector device according to the invention, depending on external conditions existing outside the connector device, of operational economic relevance for the automatic transformation of structures of business data from a standard for processing business data into another standard for processing business data and for Enabling business communication between participants with different systems for processing business data.

In summary it can be said that with the help of the connector device according to the invention an exchange be business documents between two or more ren participants is possible even if at the transmitter and / or recipient a knowledge of the context of the other Participant is not known.

The connector device according to the invention makes it possible with a particularly simple and quick exchange of business documents between a basic additionally any number of participants, of which basically everyone has a different processing system business data proprietary and / or part can use subscriber-specific.

Because of the simple design of the he inventive connector device embodies this in Contrast to the cumbersome, failure-prone as well and cost-intensive software solution of the stand technology is simple, effective and inexpensive Hardware solution.

Claims (13)

1. Connector device for the automatic transformation of structures of business data to enable business communication between participants with different systems for processing business data, with
a data input ( 1 ) connected to an internal and / or external network ( 8 ), via which the proprietary and / or subscriber-specific, business data of the sending subscriber to be transformed is introduced into the connector device ( 2 ),
an input memory ( 3 ) connected downstream of the data input ( 1 ) for storing the incoming business data,
an input memory (3) downstream data processing means (4) which receives the memory on the input (3) stored business data and using one of the data processing device available Transformationsfunkti on in a predeterminable business stan dard iteratively or transformed in a step , The transformation function accessible to the data processing device ( 4 ) being stored on a memory ( 3 ) and / or on another memory ( 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 ) and via a data input ( 9 ) with subscriber-specific parameters for external, outside the connector Device existing conditions can be configured with business relevance,
an output memory ( 6 ) and / or with a memory ( 3 , 5 ) on which the transformed business management data can be stored and with
a data output ( 7 ) connected downstream of the output memory ( 6 ) and connected to an internal and / or external network ( 8 ),
where, in the event of receiving any standardized business data, proprietary, subscriber-specific business data can be generated essentially in the reverse order. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the data processing device ( 4 ) indirectly or directly with a memory ( 11 ) for storing the original transformation function and / or with a memory ( 12 ) for storing the proprietary and / or participant-specific parameters for external conditions be business management type and / or with a memory ( 5 ) for storing the transformation function configured with the parameters for external conditions, at least one of these memories ( 5 , 11 , 12 ) or two of them or all three via one internal or external network ( 8 ; C) or via a keyboard-shaped input device with proprietary and / or subscriber-specific parameters for external conditions outside the connector device ( 2 ) with operational economic relevance can be loaded. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized records that it is in the be to be transformed business data essentially around operational economic master data and / or business management che transaction data and / or customer master data and / or to bids and / or orders and / or catalogs and / or Invoices and / or delivery notes and / or stocks is. 4. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the input memory ( 3 ) and / or the output memory ( 6 ) are volatile or non-volatile and that the memory ( 5 ) for the transformation function and / or for the subscriber speci fishing, parameters dependent on parameters for external conditions is not volatile. 5. The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the data processing device ( 4 ) is selected from the group comprising vector computers, RISC, SISD, SIMD and MIMD architectures, transputers, bitslice processors, error-free lerant systems, language-oriented architectures, super scalar architectures, massively parallel systems, DSP architectures and VLIW architectures. 6. Device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that it is in the Transformation function is a function related to auto automatic processing of incoming or to be sent business data depending on part subscriber-specific, of parameters for business management Lich relevant external, outside the connector device existing conditions dependent parameters and in Ab dependence on the desired business management Standard functions. 7. Device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that it is in the Characteristics for external, outside the connector device existing conditions with business rele vanz for the configuration of the participant-specific parameters ter and the original transformation function around the Locations of the participants and / or the customers and / or the Suppliers and / or the distances between the Participants and / or customers and / or suppliers and / or the time zones of the participants and / or the time and / or the respective language and / or that in each case reversible measurement system. 8. Device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the Transformation goal around a business Standard if necessary in the form of XML (eXtended Mar kup Language) based standards such as Biztalk, cXML, ebXML, hr-MXL or RosettaNet.   9. Device according to one or more of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the transformi authentication and / or encryption and / or decrypt the incoming or outgoing Data includes. 10. Device according to one or more of the preceding the claims, characterized in that they are one or several acoustic and / or optical operating states katoren includes. 11. Device according to one or more of the preceding the claims, characterized in that the one or the multiple acoustic and / or optical operations level indicators the operating temperature and / or the Power status and / or sending and receiving of data packets and / or the status and / or occurrence Show errors. 12.Procedure for the automatic transformation of structures of business data into a predeterminable business standard to enable business communication between participants with different systems for processing business data, using a data processing system ( 4 ), with the following procedure steps:

• - Electronic storage of an original transformation function on a non-volatile memory ( 3 , 5 );
• - Electronic recording and storage of proprietary and / or subscriber-specific parameters for external conditions with a business relevance existing outside of a connector device;
• - Electronic configuration of the original transformation function using the parameters for external conditions with business relevance in the data processing device ( 4 ) and storage of the configured transformation function in a memory ( 3 , 5 , 6 , 11 , 12 );
• - Electronic recording and electronic storage of business data structures to be sent or received and transformed;
• - Electronic and automatic transformation of the structures of business data to be sent or received in a data processing device ( 4 ) using the electronic data record for the configured transformation function, which has at least one parameter for external conditions existing outside of a connector device business relevance is assigned;
• - Save the transformed structure of business data;
• - Sending the transformed structure of business management data to an internal and / or external network ( 8 ).
• - Receiving and recording the transmitted transformed structure of business data in an internal and / or external network ( 8 ).

13. Use of a device according to one or more of the preceding claims 1 to 10 as a connector between the data line of a first subscriber (A) and the data line of one or more other participants (B) and / or a data switching device, the Connector device depending on external, except conditions existing half of the connector device business relevance for automatic trans Formation of business data structures as well as to enable business communication nication between participants with different systems serves to process business data.