Exporting and importing business templates

US8463667B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsoft Corporation · US

Inventors

• Christopher P. Stine · Newcastle, US
• Donna Daem · Bellevue, US
• Srinivasan Parthasarathy · White Plains, US
• Ingibjorg Numadottir · Yarrow Point, US
• Brett M. Davis · Redmond, US
• Jesper Olsen · Kirkland, US
• Guner Akturk · Bellevue, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 11, 2008
• Grant date: Jun 11, 2013
• Expiry date: Feb 1, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/067
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for configuring an instance of a business information application program based on data exported from an instance of the application program is provided. Each instance of the application program has a database storing an organizations' business data. Template providers desiring to provide a template containing configuration and instance data to organizations using the application program may use the application program to set up configuration and instance data for a particular type of organization. Once the database is populated with configuration and instance data, the template provider can use an export function to export the configuration and instance data to a template file. The template file is then provided to an organization that wants to initialize its database based on the template. The organization uses an import function to import configuration and instance data from the template into the organization's database.