Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including systems and computer program products, for a services architecture design that provides enterprise services having customer relationship management functionality at the level of an enterprise application. The design includes a set of service operations, process components, and optionally deployment units. Suitable business objects are also described.

Abstract: A method relating to rule-regulated configuration of software includes receiving an unsuccessful configuration that a sender computer system sends to a recipient computer system upon software being unsuccessfully configured in the sender computer system. Validation rules for configuring the software allowed the unsuccessful configuration. The validation rules are modified in the recipient computer system using the using the unsuccessful configuration. The modified validation rules are provided to the sender computer system. Several sender systems may routinely report new configurations to the recipient computer system. The rules may be modified upon creating a variation of the configuration and determining whether it successfully configures the software. The variation may involve using a probabilistic distribution.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for acquiring knowledge from multiple knowledge bases in a knowledge repository. The method includes identifying first and second knowledge bases within the knowledge repository by analyzing a search request received from a client system. The first knowledge base contains knowledge of a first type and the second knowledge base contains knowledge of a second type. The method further includes generating instructions that, when executed, cause first and second requests to be sent to the knowledge repository in sequential fashion to acquire knowledge from the first and second knowledge bases, such that the second request is sent after the first request, and such that the second request includes knowledge of the first type from the first knowledge base acquired in response to the first request.

Abstract: Techniques are provided that are useful in generating a software configuration program that makes the configuration process simpler and more efficient. The techniques are especially useful in configuring a software application that is complex and may involve multiple steps to configure the application properly. The techniques provide both a design-time software tool that is used to design the software configuration program and a run-time software tool that is used to manage and control the execution of the software configuration program.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for acquiring knowledge from multiple knowledge bases in a knowledge repository. The method includes identifying first and second knowledge bases within the knowledge repository by analyzing a search request received from a client system. The first knowledge base contains knowledge of a first type and the second knowledge base contains knowledge of a second type. The method further includes generating instructions that, when executed, cause first and second requests to be sent to the knowledge repository in sequential fashion to acquire knowledge from the first and second knowledge bases, such that the second request is sent after the first request, and such that the second request includes knowledge of the first type from the first knowledge base acquired in response to the first request.

Abstract: A method of organizing a transmission of repository data includes receiving, in a computer system, a request to transmit data from a data repository to a data recipient, the data to be transmitted by executing batch jobs that each identify a data amount to be transmitted to the data recipient. Control parameters are individually assigned to each of the batch jobs. Upon detecting during transmission that a performance parameter of the computer system does not meet a predefined standard, the data amount identified by at least one of the batch jobs is automatically changed in accordance with the control parameter assigned to the at least one of the batch jobs. An optimizer may determine the control parameters by solving a constraint optimization problem. The optimizer may take into account system characteristics such as priorities, transmission constraints or the volume of the data to be transmitted.

Abstract: A method of organizing a transmission of repository data includes receiving, in a computer system, a request to transmit data from a data repository to a data recipient. In response to the request, batch jobs for transmitting the data are performed. Each of the batch jobs identifies a data amount that is to be transmitted to the data recipient. Upon detecting during transmission that a performance parameter of the computer system does not meet a predefined standard, the data amount that is identified by at least one of the batch jobs is automatically changed. Changing the data amount may include splitting the batch job into at least two batch jobs, or merging the batch job with another batch job. A predictive model may be created for determining a control parameter that can be assigned to the batch jobs. The control parameter may help the system assume an optimal organization state.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for acquiring knowledge from multiple knowledge bases in a knowledge repository. The method includes identifying first and second knowledge bases within the knowledge repository by analyzing a search request received from a client system. The first knowledge base contains knowledge of a first type and the second knowledge base contains knowledge of a second type. The method further includes generating instructions that, when executed, cause first and second requests to be sent to the knowledge repository in sequential fashion to acquire knowledge from the first and second knowledge bases, such that the second request is sent after the first request, and such that the second request includes knowledge of the first type from the first knowledge base acquired in response to the first request.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method included in performing a computer-implemented search of electronically stored content. The method includes receiving from one of multiple software applications an input indicating a user request that a computer-implemented search be performed to identify content that, firstly, is stored in a specified one of multiple knowledge bases, and secondly, satisfies user-specified conditions. The method further includes determining which one of multiple search engines has been preconfigured to be used for searches involving the one software application from which the search request input was received and the selected one knowledge base, and initiating the requested search to be executed by the determined search engine.

Abstract: A method relating to configuration of software includes receiving a request sent from a sender computer system to a recipient computer system. The sender computer system including software that has an unsuccessful configuration. The sender computer system is requesting the recipient computer system to provide a new configuration for the software. In the recipient computer system and upon receiving the request, there is identified a previously recorded unsuccessful configuration that was successfully replaced by a successful configuration. The previously recorded unsuccessful configuration is identified using the unsuccessful configuration. The successful configuration is provided from the recipient computer system to the sender computer system. Another method includes receiving several configurations from several sender computer systems. The configurations are stored in the recipient computer system. The stored configurations may be used as a configuration case base for making recommendations.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for analyzing the validity of a proposed change to an electronic entity. The method includes receiving the proposed changes to an electronic entity from an external device, and calculating a validity index based on a set of definable rules. The inputs to the calculation include quantified values that represent either contextual information about the proposed change or information about a user proposing the change, or some combination thereof. After the calculation of the validity index, the method includes deciding, based on the calculated validity index, whether to proceed further in applying the proposed change to the electronic entity.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for modifying a knowledge base on a client device. The method includes receiving input from a user of the client device specifying a first proposed modification to the knowledge base, modifying the knowledge base as specified by the first proposed modification, and subsequently receiving electronic information from a host server specifying a second proposed modification to the knowledge base. The method further includes comparing the second proposed modification to the first proposed modification previously made to the knowledge base and, upon comparison, determining whether to modify the knowledge base as specified by the second proposed modification.

Abstract: A method of designing a knowledge repository includes receiving, in a computer system, a first input to form a configuration template for a knowledge repository. The configuration template describes a class of knowledge entities to be included in the knowledge repository. There is received a second input identifying a document template to be used in displaying instances of the class of knowledge entities. The document template is selected from a predefined group of document templates. The document template is associated with the configuration template in the computer system. The thus designed knowledge repository may be provided with knowledge entities accordingly. Moreover, the created knowledge repository may be used to retrieve specific knowledge.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows a user to view proposed modifications to a knowledge entity. The method includes displaying to the user a first representation of a first proposed modification to the knowledge entity, and displaying to the user a second representation of a second proposed modification to the knowledge entity, wherein the second representation is positioned in relation to the first representation to indicate whether a conflict exists between the first and second proposed modifications to the knowledge entity. If there is a visual indication of the conflict, the method further includes displaying a modified representation of the knowledge entity by applying either the first or the second proposed modification according to a user-adjustable decision criterion.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to display representations of modifications to a knowledge entity that is stored in a knowledge base. The method includes displaying in a first GUI area a representation of a first modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity, displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a first version of a second modification that was previously applied to the knowledge entity, and receiving user input specifying a change to the first version of the second modification. The method further includes displaying in the first GUI area a representation of a second version of the second modification that is based upon the specified change, and applying the second version of the second modification to the knowledge entity.

Abstract: A knowledge system includes one or more repositories with information for one or more topics, problems, and solutions to problems. A method to gather information for a virtual community of experts to address a problem area includes identifying the problem area, and searching for a virtual community within a master knowledge repository that is relevant to the problem area. The master knowledge repository includes information for one or more virtual communities. If the relevant virtual community is not found, the method includes creating information for the virtual community that is relevant to the problem area by associating information for one or more experts of the problem area to the virtual community, and creating a profile for each of the experts based on the associated information.

Abstract: A system and techniques are disclosed to provide a multi-agent software environment. The system provides several service modules that may be used by software programs to accomplish specific tasks. In one illustrative example, a first program module includes instructions to call core service software modules. The exemplary system further includes a second program module including instructions to call one of multiple intelligent service software modules. In some examples, an intelligent service software module includes program instructions that when executed perform an intelligent service function that includes execution of an intelligent engine. In some examples, the intelligent engine is callable by at least two of the intelligent service software modules.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method that includes receiving a first identification of one of several knowledge bases of electronically stored content, receiving a second identification of one of several executable software applications for which user-initiated knowledge base content searching services will be provided for the identified one of the knowledge bases, and receiving a third identification of one of several different search engines to be used in performing index searches when a request for a search is received from the identified software application and the request is directed to the identified one of the several knowledge bases. Received identifications are stored for later access to determine which of the several search engines is to execute a request to perform an index search that is received from the identified one of the several software applications and which index search request is directed to the identified one of the several knowledge bases.

Abstract: Various implementations provide techniques for resolving a conflict in a distributed computing environment. One implementation provides for receiving first and second alteration requests that specify first and second proposed alterations, respectively, to information stored in a database, where the first and second proposed alterations are inconsistent with one another. The first and second alteration requests are analyzed, and a conflict including an inconsistency between the first and second proposed alterations is identified. A request to alter the database that specifies either the first proposed alteration or the second proposed alteration is generated.

Abstract: One implementation provides a method included in performing an action on a searchable index of content that is electronically stored in a knowledge base. The method includes receiving an input indicating a request that a computer-implemented process be performed that acts upon a specified index of content that is searchable using a predefined one of multiple search engines, wherein the content resides within a specified one of multiple electronic knowledge bases. The method further includes performing a computer-implemented process that composes, using the received request, a request to perform the computer-implemented process, wherein the request has a format that is compatible with the predefined one search engine. The composed request is submitted to the predefined one search engine for execution.