1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to work lists and, more specifically, to personal object work lists.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications are geared towards integrating information relating to a diverse set of business applications into a singular database. One prime example of an ERP solution is “mySAP” or “SAP R/3” offered by SAP.
Modern ERP applications, such as mySAP, allow for users to interact with the singular database via one or more web-based portals that are specifically tailored to the needs of the particular user. While accessing one such portal, a user may generate one or more reports. A user may generate a report using data from the database. For example, a sales representative may be interested in knowing what sales orders are pending for a particular customer. To make this determination, the sales representative may generate a report on all pending sales orders for that particular customer.
Conventionally, the process of generating a report can be complicated and require special skills. For example, the process for generating a report may look and feel different for different reports. It can therefore be difficult and time consuming for a user to learn how to generate each type of report that the user may wish to generate. Moreover, each time the user wishes to generate the same report, the whole process must be redone.
For example, if the sales representative frequent calls from the same customer asking how many sales orders are pending for that customer, the sales representative will have to generate the report, wait for the results, and count the number of results that are returned. This process will have to be repeated each time the customer calls.
Because generation of reports can be complex, time consuming and require specialized skills, organizations must devote substantial resources for training and using ERP systems.
Therefore, a method and system is desired for the fast and simple generation and utilization of database reports in an ERP environment.
A method for creating a custom work list includes executing a query based on search criteria. Results of the query comprising at least one of a business object and a task conforming to the search criteria. The search criteria and said returned results are combined to create said custom work list.
A graphical user interface for creating a custom work lists includes a receiving screen for receiving search criteria. An execution indicator indicates that a query based on said search criteria is executing. A custom work list display screen displays one or more work lists formed from combining the search criteria and search results from the executed query.
A computer system includes a processor and a program storage device readable by the computer system, embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform method steps for creating a custom work list. The method includes executing a query based on search criteria. Results of the query comprising at least one of a business object and a task conforming to the search criteria. The search criteria and said returned results are combined to create said custom work list.
A more complete appreciation of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In describing the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for sake of clarity. However, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner.
Embodiments of the present disclosure use work lists in place of reports. A work list may be a database report relating to one or more business objects that is cached in the database so that once generated, the work list may be easily updated. The work lists of the present disclosure provide many advantages over conventional reports. For example, work lists are enduring. After a work list has been generated, it may persist on the user's account for later reference. The work list may then be updated, either on demand, or periodically. For example, a sales representative may generate a work list pertaining to pending sales orders for a given customer. That work list may then persist on the sales representative's account. Then each day the customer calls to enquire about the number of pending sales orders, the sales representative may simply refer to the generated work list that has been automatically updated the previous evening.
Embodiments of the present disclosure may allow a user to view their collection of generated work lists, for example, through a web-based portal. The user may be provided with an inbox of work lists that each indicate the number of results within the work list. For example, the sales associate may see “Customer's Pending Sales Orders (14)” and know that the customer has 14 pending sales orders with minimal effort. The user may then have the opportunity to explode the desired work list to obtain additional details, for example, the sales objects, in this case sales orders, that comprise the work list. In this way, work list management is both simple and quick.
Moreover, all types of work lists may be generated through a common user interface so that the user encounters a familiar look and feel for each type of work list the user may be interested in generating. In this way, work list generation may be kept as simple as possible.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, users may define work lists that are personally customized (custom work lists).
Further customization may include additional filtering, the removal of one or more columns, creation and/or addition of queries, change of layout, change of column order, change of filtering and/or filter values. The work lists may be fully editable by the user.
After the work list has been generated, the work list may be refreshed and viewed (Step S15). For example, the work list may be automatically refreshed each evening. Further customization (Step S14) may be conducted at any point thereafter, and the customizations will persist when the work list is refreshed or viewed (Step S15). Additionally, the user may thereafter modify the work list query thereby re-executing the work list from the beginning (Step S11).
As described above, work lists may be defined by customizing values for a subset of selection parameters of the respective query. The query results may be updated as desired. Updating the query results is comparable to re-executing the query. This may be advisable when the database has been updated and the query results may have changed. Updating the queries/work lists may also be performed periodically, for example, by the system administrator. For example, the system administrator may update query results at a time when the database server load is likely at a minimum, for example at night. Additionally, the user may independently initiate an update of one or more queries/work lists as desired.
As described above, work lists may include business objects. Business objects are documents build around database entries that serve some particular business purpose. For example, a purchase order may be considered a business object.
Work lists may be displayed via a user interface. For example, a web-based user portal may be used to display the work lists. Personal Object Work List (POWL) is one example of a web-based user portal that may be used to present work lists to a user. POWL allows for the simultaneous display of multiple work lists. For example, multiple work lists based on different business objects may be displayed side-by-side so that the user may easily switch between them. Additionally, an efficient caching mechanism based on cluster tables may be implemented to assure work list switching regardless of the sizes of the corresponding work lists.
The user portal may include a graphical user interface that is highly suited for managing a work list environment. For example, an Advanced Business Application Programming (ABAP) based user interface framework, may be utilized for programming the desired graphical user interfaces.
Where a user wishes to generate a new work list based on a previously existing work list, the user can select an existing work list/query as a template for the forming of a new work list. For example, a “select existing query as template” dropdown menu 22 may be used to select an existing query to be used as a template.
The user may also specify whether the work list being created is an active query or an available query. The user may, for example, specify that the query is active by checking an “active query” check box 42. If the work list is an active query then it may be prominently featured in the user's portal. For example, that work list may be listed in a listing of active work lists presented to the user on sign in. Available queries may be work lists that have been created but have not been specified as active. A user can navigate to a listing of available queries. Here a user may view the available queries and/or activate an available query.
The computer system referred to generally as system 1000 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) 1001, random access memory (RAM) 1004, a printer interface 1010, a display unit 1011, a local area network (LAN) data transmission controller 1005, a LAN interface 1006, a network controller 1003, an internal bus 1002, and one or more input devices 1009, for example, a keyboard, mouse etc. As shown, the system 1000 may be connected to a data storage device, for example, a hard disk, 1008 via a link 1007.
The above specific embodiments are illustrative, and many variations can be introduced on these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims. For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.