International Business Machines Corporation

Abhideep Singh

Peter Douglas Hirsch

A computer system that includes a storage medium. The storage medium stores a database. The database includes tables. Each table includes g at least one column and at least one row. The tables describe components of a hierarchy in which hierarchical relationships between components of the hierarchy are defined. The tables include a component table and component-specific tables. The component table is a self-referential table that describes the hierarchy. Each row of the component table is specific to a unique component. The components of the hierarchy encompass component types. Each column of component table is configured to be edited by a user through use of a worksheet. Each component-specific table encompasses only components of the hierarchy such that each component has a component type that is a specific component type.

Virtual foldering system for blending process and content in a collaborative environment

A computer system that includes a processor and a storage medium. The storage medium stores a database of tables and a calculation engine. Each table includes columns and rows. The tables describe components of a hierarchy in which hierarchical relationships between components of the hierarchy are defined. The tables include a component table and component-specific tables. The components of the hierarchy encompass component types. Each component-specific table encompasses only components of the hierarchy. The calculation engine includes a popup calculator being displayed to a user via a display interface of the computer system upon the calculation engine being executed by the processor. The popup calculator performs, under interactive control by the user via the display interface, an evaluation of a specified function of set of functions and displays a result of the evaluation to the user via the display interface.

A system and a process for combining document management and issue management with a hierarchical set of process steps in a unified context is described. A virtual foldering system provides a basic container for documents, issues, process steps, and other components. Each process step (or 'task') is a virtual folder, which can contain contents and other process steps, thus resulting in a hierarchical definition of the overall process and content. The hierarchy of components may be described in extended markup language ('XML') and then deployed into a relational database management system (&#x201c;RDBMS&#x201d;), where it is used to define the structure of a process-driven application. Access control and personalization for users are provided through a permissions scheme that is based on user groups, roles, and organizations. Users are only presented with their assigned tasks and issues, as well as other portions of the process they need to be aware of. Associations provide linkage of components across contexts and thus sharing of information among activities and between groups. In addition, a formula-based calculation engine provides simplified access to information for integrated reporting and definition of custom business logic.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Abhideep Singh