Granted Patent B2

US 12,299,732 · App. 18/138,670 · Granted May 13, 2025

Inventors: Charles A. Ballaro (Apex, NC); Alexey Lef (Chennai, IN)

Assignee: SciQuest, Inc.

G06Q30/0635G06F16/122G06F16/9035G06Q10/0875

Abstract

Claims (84)

1. A method for centralized data management, comprising:

at a server system for hosting data processing for a plurality of user groups associated with a purchasing organization, wherein the server system includes:

one or more processors;

memory storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

storing at least a user group database, a rules database, and an information database in a storage device of the server system;

providing the user group database and the rules database to the plurality of user groups associated with the purchasing organization;

consolidating information of catalog items provided by a plurality of supplier organizations in the information database, the plurality of supplier organizations distinct from the purchasing organization;

receiving a user inquiry associated with a user access account of a first user group from a super user account of the first user group;

in response to the user inquiry:

querying the user group database to extract user information of the user access account including user attributes of department, position, and role of the first user of the user access account in the first user group;

querying the rules database to extract a data management rule associated with the first user group; and

executing database management program codes to, in accordance with the data management rule, automatically assigning the user access account with a default level of access to the information database based on the user attributes of the user access account;

obtaining an access control input provided by the super user account of the first user group;

executing the database management program codes to, in accordance with the access control input, replace the default level with a custom level of access for the user access account, the custom level of access including an access to additional information that is provided by a third-party database, wherein the third-party database is hosted by an alternative server that is communicatively coupled to the computer system via one or more communication networks, and the alternative server is associated with a third-party supplier organization distinct from the plurality of supplier organizations and the purchasing organization;

receiving, via a user input device, a user request for information from the user access account; and

executing program codes of a search engine to, in response to the user request:

determine that the user access account is granted the custom level of access;

based on the custom level of access, access the additional information provided by the third-party database to identify a data item in the third-party database; and

transmit the data item to the user access account.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

communicatively coupling one or more servers to each other and to the plurality of user groups, wherein the one or more servers host the user group database, the rules database, and the information database, the information database storing data that is provided by and accessible to the plurality of user groups, the user group database storing the user information of the user access account.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, for the first user group:

assigning the super user account;

creating a plurality of user access accounts according to the user information of a plurality of users in the first user group; and

storing, in the user group database, user data related to the super user account and the plurality of user access accounts.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data management rule associated with the first user group is determined by the super user account.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

customizing a view of the information database and additional information for the user access account according to the data management rule.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a data processing request associated with the data item from the user access account; and

processing the data item in response to the data processing request.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

in accordance with the data management rule, determining an approval instruction for the data processing request associated with the data item.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein processing the data item includes associating a sequence of instructions with the data processing request in accordance with the data management rule.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

in accordance with the data management rule, disabling the user access account from approving the data processing request when the data item exceeds a data processing limit.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the data item is associated with a subset of the plurality of user groups, and in accordance with the data management rule, user groups in the subset are prioritized to be involved in processing the data processing request.

11. A computer system that hosts data processing for a plurality of user groups associated with a purchasing organization, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs stored in the memory, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

storing using at least a user group database, a rules database, and an information database in a storage device of the computer system;

providing the user group database and the rules database to the plurality of user groups associated with the purchasing organization;

consolidating information of catalog items provided by a plurality of supplier organizations in the information database, the plurality of supplier organizations distinct from the purchasing organization;

receiving a user inquiry associated with a user access account of a first user group from a super user account of the first user group;

in response to the user inquiry:

querying the user group database to extract user information of the user access account including user attributes of department, position, and role of the first user of the user access account in the first user group;

querying the rules database to extract a data management rule associated with the first user group; and

executing database management program codes to, in accordance with the data management rule, automatically assigning the user access account with a default level of access to the information database based on the user attributes of the user access account;

obtaining an access control input provided by a super user account of the first user group;

executing the database management program codes to, in accordance with the access control input, replace the default level with a custom level of access for the user access account, the custom level of access including an access to additional information that is provided by a third-party database, wherein the third-party database is hosted by an alternative server that is communicatively coupled to the computer system via one or more communication networks, and the alternative server is associated with a third-party supplier organization distinct from the plurality of supplier organizations and the purchasing organization;

receiving, via a user input device, a user request for information from the user access account; and

executing program codes of a search engine to, in response to the user request:

determine that the user access account is granted the custom level of access;

based on the custom level of access, access the additional information provided by the third-party database to identify a data item, in the third-party database; and

transmit the data item to the user access account.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the user information of the first user of the user access account includes information of the first user group to which the first user belongs and information of a role of the first user in the first user group, and the data management rule is customized for the user access account according to the information of the role or the information of the first user group.

13. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the user information of the first user of the user access account includes information of the first user group to which the first user belongs and information of a role of the first user in the first user group, and the data management rule is customized for the user access account according to the information of the role or the information of the first user group.

14. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the data management rule includes an approval ability and a data processing limit of user accounts associated with the first user group.

15. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein:

the plurality of user groups includes a first subset of user groups of a first type and a second subset of user groups of a second type;

the first subset of user groups includes the first user group associated with the user access account; and

data stored in the information database is provided by the second subset of user groups in the plurality of user groups.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for centralize data management, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

at a server system for hosting data processing for a plurality of user groups associated with a purchasing organization:

storing at least a user group database, a rules database, and an information database in a storage device of the server system;

providing the user group database and the rules database to the plurality of user groups associated with the purchasing organization;

consolidating information of catalog items provided by a plurality of supplier organizations in the information database, the plurality of supplier organizations distinct from the purchasing organization;

receiving a user inquiry associated with a user access account of a first user group from a super user account of the first user group;

in response to the user inquiry:

querying the user group database to extract user information of the user access account including user attributes of department, position, and role of the first user of the user access account in the first user group;

querying the rules database to extract a data management rule associated with the first user group; and

executing database management program codes to, in accordance with the data management rule, automatically assigning the user access account with a default level of access to the information database based on the user attributes of the user access account;

obtaining an access control input provided by a super user account of the first user group;

executing the database management program codes to, in accordance with the access control input, replace the default level with a custom level of access for the user access account, the custom level of access including an access to additional information that is provided by a third-party database, wherein the third-party database is hosted by an alternative server that is communicatively coupled to the computer system via one or more communication networks, and the alternative server is associated with a third-party supplier organization distinct from the plurality of supplier organizations and the purchasing organization;

receiving, via a user input device, a user request for information from the user access account; and

executing program codes of a search engine to, in response to the user request:

determine that the user access account is granted the custom level of access;

based on the custom level of access, access the additional information provided by the third-party database to identify a data item, in the third-party database; and

transmit the data item to the user access account.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the data management rule includes an approval ability and a data processing limit of user accounts associated with the first user group.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein data provided by the plurality of user groups is stored in the information database according to common data formats.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the server system corresponds to a location that is independent from the plurality of user groups or associated with one of the plurality of the user groups.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the data management rule includes an approval ability and a data processing limit of user accounts associated with the first user group.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (197)