Knowledge provider with logical hyperlinks

US6134552A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• SAP AG · DE

Inventors

• Franz-Joseph Fritz · Mannheim, DE
• Norbert Schroeder · Dresden, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 28, 1998
• Grant date: Oct 17, 2000
• Expiry date: Jan 28, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S707/99953
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method is described for the efficient management and storage of documents in a multi-user environment by implementing a three-tiered content model for storage and a context resolution mechanism for retrieval. Source objects may logically reference target objects where the target objects dynamically exist in different versions. In particular, the content model contains three classes in a collection wherein each subsequent class inherits the properties of the previous class. The classes comprise logical objects, physical objects, and components. All physical objects that belong to the same logical object are context specific variants, such as different versions of each other. Physical objects in a collection can be related by different criteria, as well as by user-defined relations. The system provides for versioning of objects, such as variations based on content, format, language, etc., to create variants of objects in the same collection, however variance among physical objects which belong to one logical object is not limited to different versions. Such versioning is controlled through a check-in/-out mechanism to allow use in a multi-user environment. The context re…