Modeling of employee performance result data

1. A method in a computer system comprising:

defining, using a processor of the computer system, an employee performance result class, wherein the computer system is an integration server,

the employee performance result class represents an employee performance result, and

the employee performance result class is configured to

identify a set of relationships of the employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result,

allow employee performance result data in a source format to be transformed into employee performance result data in a common format, using a first transformation, and

allow the employee performance result data in the common format to be transformed into employee performance result data in at least one target format, using a second transformation,

the first transformation and the second transformation are different from one another, and

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class;

defining, using the processor, a business process,wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems, and

the plurality of business systems are coupled to the integration server; and

transforming, using the processor, employee performance result data from a source business application into employee performance result data for a target business application, wherein the source business application is configured to use the source format, the target business application is configured to use the target format, the transforming uses the common format, and the transforming comprises

creating an employee performance object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

invoking function of the employee result object in accordance with the business process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the employee performance result class comprises a custom data element for defining one or more custom data fields for the employee performance result class.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the one or more custom data fields of the employee performance result class are specific to an application.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

instantiating the employee performance result class; and

initializing data elements of the instantiated employee performance result class.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

transforming data received from a source business application into the common format of the employee performance result class;

transforming the data from the common format into a target format of the target business application; and

sending the data in the target format to the target business application.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a definition of the employee performance result class is represented as an XML schema.

8. A method for data transformation in a computer system, the method comprising:

receiving, using a processor of the computer system, employee performance result data from a source application;

defining, using the processor, a business process, wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the source application is one of the plurality of business applications, and

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems; and

transforming, using the processor, the employee performance result data from

the source application into a common format, wherein

the source application is configured to use a source format,

the common format is provided by an employee performance result class,

the transforming comprises,

creating an employee performance result object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process, and

the employee performance result class is configured to identify a set of relationships of an employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the employee performance result class comprises a custom data element for defining one or more custom data fields for the employee performance result class.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions to cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

defining an employee performance result class, wherein

the employee performance result class represents an employee performance result, and

the employee performance result class is configured to

identify a set of relationships of the employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result,

allow employee performance result data in a source format to be transformed into employee performance result data in a common format, using a first transformation, and

allow the employee performance result data in the common format to be transformed into employee performance result data in at least one target format, using a second transformation,

the first transformation and the second transformation are different from one another, and

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class;

defining. using the processor, a business process, wherein

the business processor is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems, and

the plurality of business systems are coupled to the integration server; and

transforming, using the processor, employee performance result data from a source business application into employee performance result data for a target business application, wherein

the source business application is configured to use the source format,

the target business application is configured to use the target format,

the transforming uses the common format, and

the transforming comprises

creating an employee performance result object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the employee performance result class comprises a custom data element for defining one or more custom data fields for the employee performance result class.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein a definition of the employee performance result class is represented as an XML schema.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having executable instructions to cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

receiving employee performance result data from a source application;

defining, using the processor, a business process, wherein

the business process is configured to he used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the source application is one of the plurality of business applications, and

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems; and

transforming, using the processor, the employee performance result data from

the source application into a common format, wherein

the source application is configured to use a source format,

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class,

the transforming uses a first mapping,

the transforming comprises,

creating an employee performance result object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process, and

the employee performance result class is configured to identify a set of relationships of an employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the employee performance result class comprises, a custom data element for defining one or more custom data fields for the employee performance result class.

18. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor, wherein

a plurality of instructions are encoded in the computer-readable storage medium, and

the instructions are configured to cause the processor to define an employee performance result class,

wherein

the employee performance result class represents an employee performance result,

the employee performance result class is configured to

identify a set of relationships of the employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result,

allow employee performance result data in a source format to be transformed into employee performance result data in a common format, using a first transformation, and

allow the employee performance result data in the common format to be transformed into employee performance result data in at least one target format using a second transformation

the first transformation and the second transformation are different from one another, and

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class,

define a business process, wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications.,

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems, and

the plurality of business systems are coupled to the integration server, and

transform employee performance result data from a source business application into employee performance result data for a target business application, wherein

the source business application is configured to use the source format,

the target business application is configured to use the target format,

transforming the employee performance result data uses the common format, and

the transforming comprises

creating an employee performance result object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

20. A system comprising:

processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor, wherein

a plurality of instructions are encoded in the computer-readable storage medium, and

the instructions are configured to cause the processor to receive employee performance result data from a source application,

define a business process, wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the source application is one of the plurality of business applications, and

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems, and

transform the employee performance result data from the source application into a common format, wherein

the source application is configured to use a source format,

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class,

transforming the employee performance result data uses a first mapping,

the transforming comprises,

 creating an employee performance result object by instantiating the employee performance result class, and

 invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process, and

the employee performance result class is configured to identify a set of relationships of an employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the plurality of entities related to the employee performance result comprises entities selected from a group consisting of a related employee, related reviews, and a related time period.

22. An apparatus for representing a class definition, the apparatus comprising:

means for defining an employee performance result class wherein

the employee performance result class represents an employee performance result,

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class,

the employee performance result class is configured to

identify a set of relationships of the employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result,

allow employee performance result data in a source format to be transformed into employee performance result data in a common format, using a first transformation, and

allow the employee performance result data in the common format to be transformed into employee performance result data in at least one target format, using a second transformation, and

the first transformation and the second transformation are different from one another;

means for defining a business process , wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems, and

the plurality of business systems are coupled to the integration server; and

means for transforming employee performance result data from a source business application into employee performance result data for a target business application, wherein

the source business application is configured to use the source format,

the target business application is configured to use the target format,

the means for transforming uses the common format, and

the means for transforming comprises

means for creating an employee performance result object comprising means for instantiating the employee performance result class, and

means for invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process.

23. An apparatus for data transformation, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving employee performance result data from a source application;

means for defining a business process, wherein

the business process is configured to be used in controlling a plurality of business applications,

the source application is one of the plurality of business applications, and

the plurality of business applications are maintained on a plurality of business systems; and

means for transforming the employee performance result data from the source application into a common format, wherein

the source application is configured to use a source format,

the common format is provided by the employee performance result class,

the means for transforming comprises,

means for creating an employee performance result object comprising means for instantiating the employee performance result class, and

means for invoking a function of the employee performance result object in accordance with the business process, and

the employee performance result class is configured to identify a set of relationships of an employee performance result with a plurality of entities related to the employee performance result.

24. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transforming the common format into the target format.