Patent ID: 7694143

Claim:
A method of collecting an electronic signature for an electronic record stored in a database, the method comprising: receiving, at a processor of a computer system, information provided by a user via a graphical user interface configured to enable users of the computer system to define operations by one or more database applications as triggering conditions for predetermined events monitored by the computer system and processing that occurs when the predetermined events are triggered, the information defining a predetermined event that, upon occurrence, causes the computer system to intercept a database transaction instantiated by one of the database applications with a database management system of a database and generate from data identified in the database transaction an electronic record that requires an electronic signature; receiving, at the processor of the computer system, information provided by the user via the graphical interface that maps data from underlying database tables associated with execution of one or more operations to be performed by a database application in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event to an electronic record; receiving, at a processor of a computer system, information indicative of an occurrence of a predetermined event, the predetermined event defined to represent a set of operations to be performed by a database application to accomplish a task; automatically creating, using the processor of the computer system, an electronic record from data stored in a plurality of different database tables associated with execution of one or more operations in the set of operations based on a mapping in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event; storing, using the processor of the computer system, an instance of the electronic record in a common repository of electronic records that provides an audit trail that cannot be altered or disabled by users associated with the database; executing, using the processor of the computer system, a rule associated with the electronic record to determine whether an electronic signature is required to connote review and/or approval of the electronic record; and if execution of the rule results in a determination that an electronic signature is required, marking, using the processor of the computer system, the instance of the electronic record as unsigned and initiating a request to collect the required electronic signature.