Abstract:
A business intelligence system includes a business activity monitor with a data cache to receive and store enterprise data integrated from a plurality of enterprise applications, the data cache being updated in real-time as the enterprise data changes. A computer coupled with the data cache runs a program that produces a graphical user interface on a display. The graphical user interface provides a user with a real-time report of the enterprise data and a page that allows the user to specify at least one action affecting operation of the enterprise. The page also including a button selection of which causes the computer to send a first message designating one or more selected actions to the BAM. In response, the BAM sends a second message to one or more of the enterprise applications to execute the one or more selected actions in real-time. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of Ser. No. 10/237,559 filed Sep. 6, 2002, which application is assigned to the assignee of the present CIP application. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to information technology in a business enterprise; more specifically, to systems and methods that provide real-time delivery of business intelligence information and a platform for resolving business problems as they arise.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     A paramount concern in a modern enterprise is the ability to quickly access changing information located on disparate systems and platforms within the enterprise. That is, operational managers and executives frequently require real-time visibility into the status of their operations and enterprise processes. In order to properly maintain a comprehensive view of the operations and business processes within an organization, however, information on these systems first needs to be integrated. As an enterprise grows it requires increased flexibility of data sharing throughout its various automated business systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), accounting, inventory control, and other systems. A practice known as enterprise application integration (EAI) enables an organization to share data throughout applications and data sources in an organization. EAI may include database linking, application linking, and data warehousing.  
         [0004]     Nevertheless, there have been numerous shortcomings in the integration and data sharing in information technology (IT) environments. Independent configuration for disparate technologies and industry standards often make integration requirements difficult to meet. Integrating an existing inventory control system to a new ERP software package, for instance, may be difficult due to the fact that both systems contain unique features that are customized to fit the requirements of particular areas within an organization. Moreover, many EAI solutions contain a confusing web of point-to-point connections between different applications, procedure calls, file transfers, and e-mail-type messaging to transmit organizational data. These solutions are thus high-risk because of their complexity. Moreover, the data within the individual systems is often locked up, sometimes in proprietary form, difficult to access, and not correlated with other systems and platforms. This makes it difficult to obtain a consistent, coherent view of all the business data across the enterprise.  
         [0005]     Business intelligence (BI) systems have been developed that combine data gathering, data storage, and knowledge management with analytical tools to present complex and competitive information to planners and decision makers. Many conventional business intelligence systems include modules and programs that provide visual reporting of information regarding the status and operation of business processes in a full-page display panel known as a “dashboard”. By way of example, Syspro™ Company of Costa Mesa, Calif. offers a CRM software product that includes an intuitive dashboard for displaying BI information gathered from various business activity groups (marketing, service, sales, accounting, etc.). A system in which an online connection provider delivers services to sellers via a dashboard report that includes metrics such as item sales, top-line highlights, and an executive summary, is described in U.S. Patent Publication 2005/0197946. Additionally, U.S. Patent Publication 2005/0108655 teaches a computer method for displaying multiple applications at a time on a window browser or dashboard display area. U.S. Patent Publication 2005/0120051 discloses an architecture and system for integrating online transactional processing (OLTP) systems with an analytical processing (OLAP) system. A user interface presentation layer of the architecture is configured for dashboard display of a report run on the OTLP and OLAP data.  
         [0006]     A primary drawback of these prior art systems is that they require separate applications or systems for reporting the BI information on the dashboard screen, and then taking direct action based on the data displayed. For example, an operational manager who first learns of a problem based on information presented in a dashboard report is typically required to switch to a completely different application or system in order to take action aimed at correcting or alleviating the problem.  
         [0007]     What is needed therefore is an enterprise system that enables a viewer of a real-time business activity monitoring dashboard to take immediate action from the dashboard environment without having to employ a separate system or application.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description that follows and from the accompanying drawings, which however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown, but are for explanation and understanding only.  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an enterprise system according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a block diagram of message queue processing using the enterprise link of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 2B  is a block diagram of a HTTP and API data request processing using the enterprise link of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is an example of data stored in tabular form in an active data cache according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an active design process using an active designer according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of utilizing an enterprise link to obtain real-time data from disparate systems in an organization according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is an example of a computer system utilized in conjunction with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is an architectural block diagram of a business intelligence system according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIGS. 8A-8D  illustrate an exemplary process that utilizes a dashboard and graphical user interface for immediate action in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart showing operations of a business intelligence system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]     The present invention provides a business intelligence system and method that allows a viewer of a real-time dashboard display or report to take immediate action directly from the dashboard environment (i.e., on the screen where the data is being displayed). In the following description numerous specific details are set forth, such as the particular configurations, data acquisition methods, and architectural details of specific embodiments in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, persons having ordinary skill in the communication arts will appreciate that these specific details may not be needed to practice the present invention.  
         [0020]     Practitioners in the arts will understand that specific implementations of the systems and component elements described in the present application can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. Computer software or firmware code is typically executed on a programmable data processor that comprises a number of basic subsystems including a processor subsystem, a main memory and an input/output (I/O) subsystem. Data is transferred between main memory (“system memory”) and processor subsystem over a memory bus, and between the processor and I/O subsystems over a system bus. Examples of the system bus may include the conventional lightning data transport (or hyper transport) bus and the conventional peripheral component [computer] interconnect (PCI) bus. Each computer node may also comprise other hardware units/modules coupled to the system bus for performing additional functions. The processor subsystem may comprise one or more processors and a controller device that incorporates a set of functions including a system memory controller, support for one or more system buses and direct memory access (DMA) engines.  
         [0021]     Additionally, to provide the user interface described below, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube or liquid crystal display monitor) for displaying information to the user, and a user input device such as a keyboard and/or a cursor device (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, or a trackball). Input commands may also be applied through the use of known speech recognition tools. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide data and sensory feedback information to the user as well; for example, visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback.  
         [0022]     Referring now to  FIG. 1  there is shown a block diagram of a message-based, event-driven, memory-resident architecture utilized in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Included in  FIG. 1  is an enterprise computing runtime environment  101  that may comprise single-purpose and/or multi-purpose applications designed to perform various functions within an organization (e.g., inventory, finance, accounting, sales force automation, human resources, etc.). The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include a local area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and the Internet.  
         [0023]     In the example of  FIG. 1 , enterprise computing runtime environment  101  is shown including a plurality of software applications such as “back office” applications  102  for enterprise resource planning (ERP), “front-office” applications  103  for customer relationship management (CRM), customized legacy systems  104 , and multi-dimensional/relational database management systems (RDBMS)  105 . Enterprise computing runtime environment  101  may also include various known applications or external systems. Each of these disparate applications/systems may be coupled to one another using a local area network (LAN)  106 , a wide area network (WAN) or any other such networking environments commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, the intranet, and the Internet. Furthermore, the systems may be connected via a wireless network, e.g., a wireless LAN.  
         [0024]     The enterprise systems that comprise enterprise environment  101  generate/store a variety of different data about the organization. For example, ERP system  102  may contain data regarding essential business functions including payroll, manufacturing, general ledger, and human resources, whereas CRM system  103  may contain core information regarding the organization&#39;s customers. As data in these various systems changes (e.g., a sale is made, a new employee is hired, payroll is processed, etc.), one or more message queuing systems  107  may be used to allow these various applications  102 ,  103 ,  104 , etc., to exchange information on the data being stored in their systems. By way of example, in one implementation a Microsoft RTM message Queue Server (MSMQ) is utilized for this purpose. Other message queuing systems may be used as well. In MSMQ, messages are sent to a queue where they stay until removed and/or used by another application.  
         [0025]     Included in the architecture of  FIG. 1  is an enterprise link  110  coupled to enterprise computing runtime environment  101  through a network connection, such as the Internet  111 . As is noted above, other network connections such as a LAN, a WAN, a wireless network, or any other system of connections that allow one or more computers to exchange information may also be utilized. Enterprise link  110  is a data integration engine that integrates, in real-time (i.e., several seconds) the disparate data in the message queues. Enterprise link  110  operates continuously to move, transform and load source data into an active data cache  120 . That is, enterprise link  110  continuously accepts raw data feeds ( 121 ,  122 ,  123 , etc.) from the enterprise systems of environment  101 , and then reformats, synchronizes, and consolidates the data.  
         [0026]     In a traditional model, the data in the message queues would only be processed through the dataflow system when a specified number of records had built up within the message queues (i.e., the data would be transmitted in batch mode). According to an algorithm contained within the data flow system of the present invention, however, individual records are processed through to enterprise link  110  the moment that they appear (i.e., the program actively and continuously checks for messages). In this manner, real-time data flow is transmitted through the raw data feeds  121 ,  122 ,  123  via the message queues. Enterprise link  110  may also obtain raw data from enterprise computing runtime environment  101  in a variety of other ways. The data sources may include HyperText Transport Protocol (“HTTP”) requests, Application Programming Interface (“API”) calls, or Web Services calls. Source data can also be retrieved from transactional systems, data warehouses, operational data stores, database servers, mainframe-based flat files, and Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) sources. In an alternative embodiment, enterprise link  110  may include a web server to process HTTP requests and/or another application or server to process API and/or Web Service calls.  
         [0027]     In addition to the above data sources, enterprise link  110  can draw historical data from conventional data warehouses via relational queries. This capability allows the business activity monitoring architecture of the present invention to generate alerts based on comparisons between real-time data and rolling averages or other historically derived thresholds.  
         [0028]     Regardless of how the enterprise link  110  receives the raw data feeds  121 ,  122 ,  123 , etc., or which source it is received from, enterprise link  110  transmits the integrated data to active data cache (ADC)  120  via a network connection  130 . In one embodiment, ADC  120  is a high-performance, persistent, transacted, memory-based storage system that supports active data and monitoring. This active data, organized in the form in which the end user wishes to see it, is the data  131 ,  132 ,  133 , etc., extracted from the enterprise systems of environment  101  by enterprise link  110 . ADC  120  contains code which may be implemented in software such as Java™, Perl, C++, or other types of programming languages that can be stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a disk) to manage the data  131 ,  132 ,  133 , etc., that is actively changing within enterprise computing runtime environment  101  and to make the data accessible to the end user in real-time. In this way, the data  131 ,  132 ,  133 , etc., in ADC  120  is constantly changing such that it is synchronized in real-time with the data in enterprise runtime computing environment  101 . (It should be understood that in the context of the present application, the term “real-time” refers to the fact that enterprise information is extracted from various sources, integrated, stored, and streamed to a graphical display for viewing by a user within 2-10 seconds from the occurrence of an enterprise event.)  
         [0029]      FIG. 1  also shows the data  131 ,  132 ,  133 , etc., in ADC  120  may be persisted to disk  140  for backup, restore, and recovery purposes.  
         [0030]     The architecture of  FIG. 1  further includes an active designer component  154  that determines what data is stored within, and the process by which the data  131 ,  132 ,  133 , etc., is transmitted to, ADC  120 . Active designer component  154  is shown connected to enterprise computing runtime environment  101  via the Internet  111 , and with ADC  120  via a network connection  139 . In essence, active designer component  154  contains one or more lists of data flow definitions or plans on how to operate on the data that is transmitted to active data cache  120  via enterprise link  110 . In one implementation, active designer component  154  provides a user interface that allows an architect to create data objects, create and schedule data flow definitions, import and create metadata, and maintain the data objects. The code for the data flow definitions may be implemented in software such as JAVA, Perl, C++, C#, or other types of programming languages that can be stored on a computer-readable medium.  
         [0031]     To better understand this aspect of the architecture shown in  FIG. 1 , when sales data arrives at ERP  102 , active designer component  154  contains a set of data flow definitions on how to retrieve, transform, and display this data (i.e., each data flow definition includes executable software code instructing enterprise link  110  to retrieve the salesperson field whenever a sale is made, to describe how many sales that salesperson has made for the day, and then to transmit this data to the ADC  120 ). The mapping process by which the enterprise link  110  is able to express data from multiple sources through various transformations and to transmit the transformed data to specified destinations is described in more detail with reference to  FIG. 2A  below.  
         [0032]      FIG. 2A  is a high-level block diagram of the message queue processing system described above in conjunction with  FIG. 1 . As data changes in the plurality of enterprise systems in environment  101 , raw data is sent to enterprise link  110  in data feeds through message queues  142 . The data that comes through the message queues  142  may come from disparate sources (e.g., ERP system  102 , CRM  103 , legacy systems  104 , etc.). In the embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 2A , active designer component  154  divides the data into transaction channels  155  (i.e., the method by which the data arrives) and transaction formats  156  (i.e., the method by which the data is interpreted). Extensible Markup Language (XML) is then used to specify the format of the records as well as the values to be used in those records. Other types of data formats may be used as well. The data is then interpreted as logical instances of transaction sources  150  and transmitted to a data flow service  160 , which, in one embodiment, is a component part of enterprise link  110 . As noted above, the data may also be transmitted to the enterprise link through HTTP requests and/or API calls and/or Web Services.  FIG. 2B  illustrates a web server  135  in the enterprise link  110  receiving data through HTTP requests  136  and API calls  137 .  
         [0033]     According to the embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 2A , data flow service  160  includes a plurality of data flow plans  162 ,  164 ,  166 , as well as a data repository  170  which contains one or more lists of data flow definitions on how to operate on the data. Once the lists of data flow definitions have been created, they may be stored in a data repository  170 . Note, however, that it is data flow service  160  that actually executes or edits the data flow plans  162 ,  164 ,  166 , etc. One exemplary data flow service that can be utilized is the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,698 entitled “Extensible Database Retrieval and Viewing Architecture. Other types of data flow services may be used as well.  
         [0034]     Data flow plans  162 ,  164 ,  166 , etc., include executable code for accessing, manipulating, and/or outputting data received from the enterprise computing runtime environment  101 . A plan monitoring service  175  is connected to data flow service  160 . Plan monitoring service  175  examines the data flow plan links to datasets  180  that are defined in ADC  120  and causes data flow service  160  to run the plans associated with each dataset. Plan monitoring service  175  may also include a user interface  185  to monitor the data flow service  160  to ensure that all of the data flow plans  162 ,  164 ,  166 , etc., are being executed properly. In one embodiment, user interface  185  allows data flow plans  162 ,  164 ,  166 , etc., to be extensible. That is, new steps can be defined through user interface  185  without having to change the application to support the new steps. User interface  185  can thus create a new set of transaction channels and transaction formats without having to recompile the enterprise runtime computing environment  101 .  
         [0035]     Enterprise link  110  is also able to replicate existing metadata in the enterprise runtime computing environment  101  by importing datasets definitions from the existing enterprise systems into the active designer component through network link  138 . In this manner, whenever an enterprise link is installed in an organization, there is no need to define an entirely new set of metadata conforming to the existing enterprise systems.  
         [0036]      FIG. 3  is an example of data stored in a data set in tabular form in an active data cache according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the example of  FIG. 3 , the enterprise link is used to monitor the business activity state of a casino business in real-time. For example, all of the gaming devices (e.g., slot-type machines, video-poker machines, lottery machines, etc.) in a particular casino may be connected to a database server via a communication interface associated with each gaming device. A tabular form  190  contains a variety of data entry fields and associated labels. For instance, there are data entry fields corresponding to the slot-type machine identification  191 , the identification of the current player operating the slot machine  192  (e.g., as identified by a player card inserted in the slot machine), the amount of time the slot machine is idle  193 , and the payout over time  194 .  
         [0037]     When a data event occurs (such as each time a particular player uses an identified machine), the new data generated by the machine is recorded into the database. This data is then transmitted by the database server to the enterprise link over a network through a message queuing system. Alternatively, the data generated by the slot machine could be sent directly to the message queuing system through some intermediate application monitoring the machine, bypassing the database recording step. Using the enterprise link in the manner described herein, the data associated with the event is then manipulated by the data flow service according to the executing data flow plans previously created by the active designer component. This manipulated data is then transmitted via a network connection to the ADC where it is stored and made accessible to the end-user. This data may be accessed by the end user from anywhere across the enterprise (or even across the globe, if necessary, using an Internet connection).  
         [0038]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an active design process using the active designer component in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary process shown, a user first determines what datasets are to be stored in the ADC (block  201 ), which involves the creation of the data entry fields to be included in the datasets (block  202 ) and designating who may have access to these fields (block  203 ). The user then creates one or more lists of data flow definitions of operations to be performed on the data in response to messages arriving on the message queues (or HTTP, API calls, web services, etc.) (block  204 ) For instance, this may involve keeping a record of every order, of the person who made the order, of the time the order occurred, and then notify every salesperson in the organization about the order (block  205 ). The data in the enterprise runtime computing environment is then interpreted as logical instances of transaction sources (block  206 ) and transmitted to a data flow service in the enterprise link in real-time (block  207 ) where it is translated (block  208 ) and used to create and/or update one or more data sets in the ADC (block  209 ).  
         [0039]      FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the process of utilizing an enterprise link system to obtain real-time data from disparate systems in an organization according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process begins with the occurrence of an event in a system of the organization (block  210 ) which causes data from the event to be entered into an existing enterprise system within the organization (e.g., a CRM system) (block  211 ). The data is transmitted over the Internet to an enterprise link through a message queuing system (block  212 ). A data flow service in the enterprise link then executes one or more data flow plans to operate on the data (block  213 ). After it has been operated on, the data is transmitted to the ADC (block  214 ) where it is accessible to an end user (block  215 ).  
         [0040]      FIG. 6  is shown an example of a computer system on which the present techniques may be implemented according to one embodiment of the present invention. Computer system  300  includes a processor  302  coupled through a bus  301  to a random access memory (RAM)  303 , a read only memory (ROM)  304 , and a mass storage device  305 . Mass storage device  305  can be a disk or tape drive or other device for storing data and instructions. A display device  306  for providing a graphical output of the reported data is shown coupled to processor  302  through bus  301 . A keyboard  307  is coupled to bus  301  for communicating information and command selections to processor  302 . Another type of user input device is cursor control unit  308 , which may be a device such as a mouse or trackball, for communicating direction commands that control cursor movement on display  306 . Also coupled to processor  302  via bus  301  is an input/output (I/O) interface  310 , which can be used to control and transfer data to electronic devices connected to computer  300  (such as other computers, storage devices, peripheral components, and the like). Processor  302  may also be connected to a telephony interface  312  through bus  301 . Practitioners in the art will appreciate that display device  306 , keyboard  307 , and cursor control unit  308  may not be needed after the operating software has been installed in computer system  300 .  
         [0041]     Continuing with the example of  FIG. 6 , a network interface device  311  is shown coupled to bus  301  to provide a physical and logical connection between computer system  300  and the network medium. Depending on the network environment in which computer  300  is used, this connection may comprise a server or a network router connected with another client computer.  
         [0042]      FIG. 7  is an architectural block diagram of a business intelligence system according to utilized in conjunction with one embodiment of the present invention. The system of  FIG. 7  includes a plurality of enterprise applications/systems  101  comprising a computing environment which generates and stores raw (source) data in the manner previously described in connection with  FIGS. 1 &amp; 2 . Enterprise link  110  is a real-time data integration engine that operates to continually retrieve source data from enterprise systems  101 , integrate the disparate raw data, transform the data according to predefined data flow definitions or plans, and load the resulting data into active data cache  402  via connection  130 . Active data cache (ADC)  402  operates and functions in the same manner as previously described; that is, ADC  402  updates the datasets that contain the enterprise data in a defined format. In the architecture of  FIG. 7 , ADC  402  is shown being arranged as a component in a business activity monitor (BAM)  400 . In the embodiment shown, BAM  400  includes event engine  401 , report cache  403 , and report server  404 .  
         [0043]     The business activity monitoring architecture of  FIG. 7  utilizes messaging, data integration, active data caching, analytics monitoring, alerting, and reporting technologies to deliver configurable information to an end user within seconds (e.g., 2-10) of an enterprise event or change in status. Streaming data delivery ensures that real-time reports or data displays are automatically and continually updated as changes occur in the underlying data. Thus, the architecture of  FIG. 7  enables managers and business executives to monitor end-to-end business processes in real-time and to make decisions and take immediate actions that impact overall business performance.  
         [0044]     With continuing reference to  FIG. 7 , report cache  403  is shown coupled with ADC  415  via a network connection  415 , and with report server  404  via a connection  416 . Together, report cache  403  and report server  404  comprise a report engine that accesses data in ADC  401 , formats the data, and then streams it out via network connection  417  (e.g., an Internet protocol network) for a “live” report on a display screen of a real-time dashboard  420 . Dashboard  420  is typically implemented by a software program or application running on a computer (or downloaded from a server) to create a graphical user interface (GUI). Reports may be provided in a variety and combination of view types, including charts, columnar, cross tab, spreadsheets, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), lists, and more.  
         [0045]     When a user of dashboard  420  requests a particular report, the report cache  403  obtains a “snapshot” of the most current data available in ADC  401 . The data snapshot is then sent to dashboard  420  by report server  404 , which continually processes the data as it changes such that those changes are integrated into the live display provided to the end user. The result is up to the second (i.e., real-time) information delivered in a visual presentation to the user.  
         [0046]     In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 7  dashboard  420  comprises a GUI that includes an action page  421  which can be used in the same environment to take a variety of actions in response to changing data, including notifying appropriate users with alerts and/or reports. In other words, a user viewing the dashboard screen may take actions—without leaving the user interface of the dashboard application—to trigger corrective changes at the back-end enterprise systems  101 . This obviates the need to switch between different interfaces, systems, or applications in order to perform various actions in response to the information displayed on the dashboard screen or report. In an alternative embodiment, dashboard  420  itself functions as the action page.  
         [0047]     In a specific implementation, when a user specifies a certain action via action page  421  an XML message is generated and sent to report server  404  via connection  418 . For example, a contact center manager viewing dashboard  420  may decide to reassign a set of cases from agents in one geographic region to agents located in a different region based on current demand and workload conditions. In response to the XML message that identifies the cases for reassignment, report server  404  inserts a data object in ADC  402  via connection  419 . The data object then generates an alert  414  with the reassign cases message included to event engine  401 . An appropriate alert may be generated each time data in the data object changes or when the data exceeds certain parameters/thresholds. It is appreciated that multiple messages may be grouped and sent (e.g., one for each reassign case) as part of a single alert transaction.  
         [0048]     Through the alert mechanism, event engine  401  is able to monitor changing conditions in the data and the system in real-time based upon user-defined rules. For instance, in response to alert  414 , event engine  401  may trigger one or more actions back in the enterprise systems  101  via an external web service call  412 . Event engine may also make changes to the data flow definitions used by enterprise link  110  via connection  413 . (Note that for clarity reasons, the active designer component is not shown in  FIG. 7 .)  
         [0049]     A few seconds after web service call  412  is sent and received by the enterprise systems  101 , the action is implemented and another web service call arrives at ADC  402  (e.g., via enterprise link  110  and connection  130 ) indicating a change in the data; in the above example, that the designated contact center cases have actually been reassigned. Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, real-time (i.e., 2-10 seconds) immediate feedback of a result is delivered to the user based on action taken by the user from the dashboard environment.  
         [0050]     Practitioners in the arts will understand that the action page itself may be filtered, sorted, grouped, etc., based on certain items or data types presented in the dashboard, or depending on particular applications. For example, if an action page is invoked by a user “right-clicking” on a mouse when the cursor is over a section of a pie-chart that shows cases for the city of Vancouver, the resulting action page may be filtered automatically to show only those cases that are currently in the Vancouver contact center.  
         [0051]      FIGS. 8A-8D  are example snapshots of a contact center dashboard  500  implemented as a GUI that includes a toolbar  501  and various data display fields  502 - 506 .  FIG. 8A , for instance, shows call arrival rate &amp; capacity information in data field  502 , calls by region in data field  503 , current versus 30-day average performance index monitors in data field  504 , and cases &amp; capacity by geographic region in data field  505 . Data field  506  lists all received alerts, which, at this particular point in time is empty (no alerts). Note that a reassign button  508  is located just below the caption area of data field  505 . As will be described in more detail below, clicking on (with a mouse or other cursor device) button  508  invokes an action page that may be used to reassign cases from one region to another.  
         [0052]     In  FIG. 8B , the contact center dashboard of  FIG. 8A  is shown a short while later; i.e., at a time When the number of cases in Canada has exceeded the available capacity. For example, data field  505  shows that 137 cases are currently in the Canadian contact center region—37 more than its capacity of 100. In response, data field  506  shows that a message has been sent alerting the appropriate person (e.g., K. Gardener) of this condition.  
         [0053]      FIG. 8C  illustrates dashboard  500  after a user has selected (e.g., checked) the box next to Canada in the region listing of data field  505  and then selected (e.g., clicked) the reassign cases button  508 . These steps produce action page  530 , which is shown overlaying the various dashboard data fields. Action page  530  includes a pull-down menu  531  for choosing another geographic region where the selected cases are to be assigned, a field  533  that lists all of the active cases currently in Canada (by case ID, agent name, region, etc.), a field  534  that lists all of the cases that have actually been reassigned (currently empty), and a reassign cases button  532  that causes the selected cases to be reassigned. In this example, the user simply checks the corresponding boxes of those cases to be reassigned (e.g., to the US-West region) and then clicks on button  532  to effectuate the changes.  
         [0054]      FIG. 8D  shows action page  530  after the user has: (1) selected those cases to be reassigned to the US-West region; (2) clicked on reassign cases button  532 ; (3) after the reassignments have been implemented in the external applications or systems; and (4) after the data has changed, with the changes being reported back to dashboard  420 . As can be seen, the data changes are also reflected in data field  534  of action page  530 , which lists all of the cases that were reassigned as a result of the action taken. It is appreciated that because the architecture of  FIG. 7  operates in real-time to continually process data as it changes, and to integrate those changes into the live display of dashboard  420 , it only takes on the order of 2-10 seconds from the time that a user executes an action via page  530  (e.g., reassign cases) to the time that the data changes appear on dashboard  420 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 9  is a flow diagram showing basic operations of a business activity monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process begins with the occurrence of a change or event within an enterprise application/system (block  601 ), which causes that application/system to generate a notification or message describing that change (block  602 ). The enterprise link receives the notification and invokes the defined process to handle that specific type of notification (block  603 ). After the data has been operated on by the enterprise link, the active data cache updates the datasets, which contain the enterprise data in the form that the end users want it to appear (block  604 ). In one implementation, the active data cache may also notify the BAM event engine and the BAM report engine of the data changes. The event engine may then determine whether any defined rules (e.g., defined by a BAM architect or business user) should be invoked as a result of the changes. If so, the event engine invokes the appropriate actions, such as sending an alert message to one or more users. The report engine updates the active reports that are being displayed to the end users (e.g., via dashboard  420 ) to reflect the changes to the data. Normally, the report engine operates to continually update the active reports until the user closes the displayed report.  
         [0056]     The right-hand side of  FIG. 9  illustrates the steps involved when a user takes immediate action based on real-time data displayed on a dashboard screen. (The dashed arrow denotes that user actions are optional; that is, the system may continue to stream data changes to the end users without any action being taken in response.) In the embodiment of  FIG. 9 , actions are initiated by a user invoking an action page in the dashboard application (block  606 ). Execution of the action causes an XML message to be sent to the report engine (block  607 ), followed by a data object being inserted into the active data cache and an alert being sent to the BAM event engine (block  608 ). The event engine implements the action via web service calls to the appropriate enterprise applications or systems (block  609 ), which triggers a change in the data that causes the steps illustrated in blocks  601 - 605  to be repeated (i.e., a direct data feedback loop to the dashboard display).  
         [0057]     It should be understood that elements of the present invention may also be provided as a computer program product which may include a “machine-readable medium” having stored thereon instructions which may be used to program a computer (e.g., a processor or other electronic device) to perform a sequence of operations. A machine-readable medium” may include any computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. Alternatively, the operations may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnet or optical cards, propagation media or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. For example, elements of the present invention may be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer or telephonic device to a requesting process by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).  
         [0058]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that numerous changes in the disclosed embodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The preceding description, therefore, is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.