Web-based visual representation of a structured data solution

Abstract

Information from a business application system, such as an ERP system, may be published to a business application user-generated web page for display to an end user and for collecting information from an end user to make available for download into the business application system. The user-generated web page may be defined as a web-based visual representation of a structured data solution, which may define data, data presentation, and data binding metadata for enabling a solution scenario, such as vendor enrollment, sourcing, time entry, job listings, vendor-managed inventory, sales lead capture, purchase order/invoicing, service contract renewal, and customer support requests, and the like. Business application users may be enabled to connect with potential and existing customers, partners, and vendors from within the business application system via the web-based visual representation, and additionally, may capture interactions directly into the business application system without IT dependency.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method of generating a web-based structured data solution for communicating data to and from an associated business application; comprising:
 receiving a request for generating a web-based structured data solution with which data may be communicated to a business application from a remote end user;   identifying one or more data types associated with the business application, each of the one or more data types being associated with an end user input data type;   receiving an association of the identified one or more data types with corresponding one or more data fields in a web-based structured data solution template so that data entered into any of the one or more data fields in a displayed form of the web-based structured data solution will be associated with corresponding one or more identified data types associated with the business application; and   generating a web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution for presenting to one or more end users via a web page.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving one or more data entries into one or more data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising passing the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application and storing the one or more data entries in association with one or more of the identified one or more data types associated with the business application. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein passing the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application includes transforming the one or more data entries from a first data format associated with the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to a second data format associated with the business application. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein passing the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application includes passing the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application according to a data binding between the web-based structured data solution and the business application. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying one or more data types associated with the business application includes identifying one or more data types for which data is required in association with the web-based structured data solution. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising generating the web-based structured data solution such that data may be received for each of the identified data types. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising generating the web-based structured data solution at a computing system remote from the business application for allowing one or more end users to access the generated web-based structured data solution via the remote computing system. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving an association of the identified one or more data types with corresponding one or more data fields in a web-based structured data solution template further comprises receiving the association of the one or more data types with corresponding one or more data fields in a web-based structured data solution template so that data entered into any of the one or more data fields may be received by the business application and may be integrated with the business application in association with the one or more identified data types. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein receiving a request for generating a web-based structured data solution with which data may be communicated to a business application from a remote end user includes receiving a request for generating a web-based structured data solution with which data may be communicated to an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system from a remote end user. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising synchronizing the one or more data fields in the displayed form of the web-based structured data solution with the one or more data types associated with the business application, and determining whether any of the received one or more data entries conflicts with one or more of the corresponding one or more identified data types. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising, upon a determination that any of the received one or more data entries conflicts with one or more of the corresponding one or more identified data types, establishing one of the business application or web-based structured data solution as a master data source and automatically resolving any data conflicts between the business application and the web-based structured data solution according to the established master data source. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising providing a notification of any data conflicts between the business application and the web-based structured data solution. 
     
     
         14 . A computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of generating a web-based structured data solution for communicating data to and from an associated business application; comprising:
 receiving a request for generating a web-based structured data solution with which data may be communicated to a business application from a remote end user;   identifying one or more data types associated with the business application, each of the one or more data types being associated with an end user input data type;   receiving an association of the one or more data types with corresponding one or more data fields in a web-based structured data solution template so that data entered into any of the one or more data fields of the web-based structured data may be received by the business application and may be integrated with the business application in association with the one or more identified data types;   generating a web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution for presenting to one or more end users via a web page;   receiving one or more data entries into one or more data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution; and   receiving the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution at the business application and storing the one or more data entries in association with one or more of the identified one or more data types associated with the business application.   
     
     
         15 . The computer readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein passing the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application includes transforming the one or more data entries from a first data format associated with the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to a second data format associated with the business application. 
     
     
         16 . The computer readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein receiving the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution at the business application includes receiving the one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution at the business application according to a data binding between the web-based structured data solution and the business application. 
     
     
         17 . The computer readable medium of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 synchronizing the one or more data fields in the displayed form of the web-based structured data solution with the one or more data types associated with the business application;   determining whether any of the received one or more data entries conflicts with one or more of the corresponding one or more identified data types; and   upon a determination that any of the received one or more data entries conflicts with one or more of the corresponding one or more identified data types, establishing one of the business application or web-based structured data solution as a master data source and automatically resolving any data conflicts between the business application and the web-based structured data solution according to the established master data source.   
     
     
         18 . The computer readable medium of  claim 17 , further comprising providing a notification of any data conflicts between the business application and the web-based structured data solution. 
     
     
         19 . A system for generating a web-based structured data solution for communicating data to and from an associated business application; comprising:
 a distributed cloud computing system operative
 to receive a request for generating a web-based structured data solution with which data may be communicated to a business application from a remote end user; 
 to identify one or more data types associated with the business application, each of the one or more data types being associated with an end user input data type; 
 to receive an association of the identified one or more data types with corresponding one or more data fields in a web-based structured data solution template so that data entered into any of the one or more data fields in a displayed form of the web-based structured data solution will be associated with corresponding one or more identified data types associated with the business application; and 
 to generate a web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution for presenting to one or more end users via a web page. 
   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , the distributed cloud computing system being further operative
 to receive one or more data entries entered into one or more data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution;   to transform the one or more data entries from a first data format associated with the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to a second data format associated with the business application; and   to pass the transformed one or more data entries from the data fields displayed in the web-based presentation of the web-based structured data solution to the business application.