Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a single database of seller catalog data. Custom browse hierarchies can be generated for each of the custom catalogs. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the product SKUs contained in the database are returned. A primary hierarchy is maintained that can have a scope coextensive with the primary database. Custom browse hierarchies can be pruned to render their scope approximately coextensive with each subset. The custom catalog subsets and the custom browse hierarchies are generated periodically through a virtual publication process.

Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a single database of seller catalog data. Custom browse hierarchies can be generated for each of the custom catalogs. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the product SKUs contained in the database are returned. A primary hierarchy is maintained that can have a scope coextensive with the primary database. Custom browse hierarchies can be pruned to render their scope approximately coextensive with each subset. The custom catalog subsets and the custom browse hierarchies are generated periodically through a virtual publication process.

Abstract: A search history application retrieves and displays a user's remotely stored search history. The search history is sent to the application in the form of a content feed. An email checking application receives a list of new emails as a content feed and displays the list of new emails. New emails for multiple accounts may be displayed concurrently in distinct instances of the email checking application. A blog posting application allows a user to select any of a plurality of blogs under the user's account and post to that blog.

Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a single database of seller catalog data. Custom browse hierarchies can be generated for each of the custom catalogs. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the product SKUs contained in the database are returned. A primary hierarchy is maintained that can have a scope coextensive with the primary database. Custom browse hierarchies can be pruned to render their scope approximately coextensive with each subset. The custom catalog subsets and the custom browse hierarchies are generated periodically through a virtual publication process.

Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a single database of seller catalog data. Custom browse hierarchies can be generated for each of the custom catalogs. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the product SKUs contained in the database are returned. A primary hierarchy is maintained that can have a scope coextensive with the primary database. Custom browse hierarchies can be pruned to render their scope approximately coextensive with each subset. The custom catalog subsets and the custom browse hierarchies are generated periodically through a virtual publication process.

Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a single database of seller catalog data. Custom browse hierarchies can be generated for each of the custom catalogs. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the product SKUs contained in the database are returned. A primary hierarchy is maintained that can have a scope coextensive with the primary database. Custom browse hierarchies can be pruned to render their scope approximately coextensive with each subset. The custom catalog subsets and the custom browse hierarchies are generated periodically through a virtual publication process.

Abstract: Provided is a system and method for calculating a time duration for a process or portion of a process. A timing interval based upon a single business process view can function regardless of multiple execution process paths. The claimed subject matter separates the business process definition from the execution process definition such that tracking points, which do not depend upon any particular execution process definition, may be inserted into the business process. Also provided is a timing interval calculation based upon two or more tracking points corresponding to a start point of the timing interval and/or two or more tracking points corresponding to an ending point of the timing interval. A user can arbitrarily select timing point within a process and employ those timing points to collect data and populate reports in a manner that is zero-code, i.e. does not require the user to write computer code.

Abstract: Among other things, receiving a description of an amount of resources from an initiating party; receiving a set of proposals from the initiating party, each proposal having a cost that is less than or equal to the amount of resources, the set having a total cost that is greater than the amount of resources; displaying a selected proposal from the set of proposals to a target party; receiving an acceptance of the selected proposal from the target party; and reducing the amount of resources by an amount equal to the cost of the selected proposal. Also, identifying a budget, identifying a group of proposals, each proposal having a cost and an associated target party; routing a proposal in the group to the proposal's associated target party; in response to an acceptance of the proposal, reducing the budget by an amount equal to the cost of the proposal.

Abstract: Provided is a system and method for retrieving data from a database such that a query can be implemented simply and without regard to the actual structure of the database. The claimed method provides virtual tables, or “tracking groups,” that correspond to a business process and then, via a custom driver, coverts queries to those virtual tables into queries to a standard, normalized database. In one embodiment, a database query is parsed into a syntax tree and, then, converted into a first converted query that conforms with conjunctive normal form and a second converted query that conforms with disjunctive normal form. The forms are compared and the form with the least number of sub-queries is selected. A modified query is constructed from the parsed database query based upon the selected query, wherein the modified query includes a pivot to access normalized data in a non-normalized format.

Abstract: An arbitrary number of custom catalogs for an arbitrary number of customers can be published from a centrally maintained database of seller catalog data. The custom catalogs are subsets of the catalog database, and are generated in accordance with a set of rules that defines the scope of the content of the custom catalog. The rule sets define a series of sequential searches by which a subset of the item SKUs contained in the database are returned. For extranet buyers, the subsets for each rule set are maintained in a subset table. Whenever a user authorized by a particular buyer wishes to browse the unique catalog subset assigned to that buyer, any queries regarding the catalog will result first in a search of the full catalog database, and the results from the full search are pared down to only those items the SKUs for which have entries in the subset table associated with the buyer's assigned subset.

Abstract: Provided is a business method for continuous process improvement that separates the business implementation of a business from the technical implementation of the business. The functional process is defined in terms of tracking points, each tracking point associated with a tracking structure. Tracking points are comprised of tracking fields, each of which correspond to a specific business metric. Tracking points are mapped to points in the execution process such that a change in the execution process does not necessitate a change in the tracking structure. One metric provided is a timing interval, defined using two or more tracking points. Also provided are novel methods of database access in order to both simplify the creation of data reports and to speed up the execution of data reports. Also provided are definitions of and changes to functional processes, execution processes and timing intervals are accomplished in a “zero-code” environment.

Abstract: Provided is a system and method for separating a reporting and execution definitions in a business process management system such that a change in the execution definition does not affect the reporting definition. Reporting and execution definitions are separated by defining tracking definitions and points that define the data collection requirements of the process. Tracking definitions define tracked fields, which are used to collect data for reports. Tracking points are associated with tracking definitions and provide values for fields defined by the tracking definition, expressed in terms of the variables or fields of the execution, or technical, structure of the process. Tracking definitions and tracking points are mapped to appropriate locations in the process definition. Tracking points can be moved within the technical flow to fit new executions structures. Expressions providing values for tracked fields can be recoded, if necessary, to employ new variables or fields from the technical implementation.

Abstract: Provided is a system and method for calculating a time duration for a process or portion of a process. A timing interval based upon a single business process view can function regardless of multiple execution process paths. The claimed subject matter separates the business process definition form the execution process definition such that tracking points, which do not depend upon any particular execution process definition, may be inserted into the business process. Also provided is a timing interval calculation based upon two or more tracking points corresponding to a start point of the timing interval and/or two or more tracking points corresponding to an ending point of the timing interval. A user can arbitrarily select timing point within a process and employ those timing points to collect data and populate reports in a manner that is zero-code, i.e. does not require the user to write computer code.

Abstract: A logical and constraint-based hierarchical approach provides a highly flexible and expressive way in which to browse items stored in a database. The logical and constraint-based approach permits a user to create an arbitrary number of hierarchical representations of the items in a database. The approach permits items to be logically grouped on one level and grouped based on attribute/value constraints on the next. The hierarchical representation consists of nodes that are related to one another in a tree-like structure starting with a root node. Each node has a unique label, preferably indicative of the items in the database that it represents. Each node has a list of the labels of the nodes that are its children. Each node can only be the child of one parent node. Nodes may optionally express constraints based on attributes and their values that serve to define the scope of database items that fall under the node in the hierarchy.

Abstract: A maintenance tool is used to import and centrally maintain the data and metadata representing catalog items in a catalog database. The maintenance tool is further used to create and maintain constraint-based rule sets defining custom catalogs that are subsets of the items in the database, constraint-based pricing profiles that define custom pricing schemes to be applied by the items in the database, and a primary browse hierarchy that represents the items in the database. The maintenance tool is used to create and maintain accounts for organizations and to assign to each organization a custom catalog and a pricing profile. The maintenance tool republishes the data on a periodic basis to update the custom catalogs and pricing profiles based on additions and modifications to the database, the rule sets, and the pricing profiles, and to generate new custom browse hierarchies from the primary hierarchy.