Patent ID: 8533234
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method of providing an ability to define a plurality of system independent custom displays of computer-readable data from multiple different target systems each having entity categories that have some attributes that are unique, the method comprising: providing, by a communication processor, a list of identifiers of entity categories available to be queried for information to be collected for a current view of the display whenever requested, each of the entity categories comprising at least one data field with actual values of the respective data fields for any one member of one of the entity categories representing actual properties of the one member that can be measured against user-specified conditions; providing a list of the data fields that exist respectively for each user selection of one of the entity categories to be queried; providing a list of types of conditions that are appropriate respectively for each user selection of one of the data fields; receiving a user-specified value for each user selection of one of the data fields; a condition, corresponding with any one particular user selection of one of the data fields, comprising a user-selected type of condition and a user-specified value for the one particular user selection of one of the data fields; for each user selection of one of the entity categories, permitting an end user of a plurality of users to select any number of the data fields and respectively corresponding conditions; permitting the user to associate any number of sets to define a respective system independent custom display definition and to define custom metadata for viewing the system independent custom display, each one of the sets comprising one particular user selection of one of the entity categories together with user-selected data fields and respectively corresponding conditions for the one particular user selection of one of the entity categories and storing the respective custom display definition including the custom metadata for future access, such that adding to or revising the target systems does not require rewriting code for defining custom displays; and retrieving the stored respective custom display definition and stored custom metadata transparent to the user for accessing the entity categories and dynamically creating the system independent custom display using the retrieved respective custom display definition and the retrieved custom metadata upon request by any user of the plurality of users.