Automated procurement system with multi-system data access

Claim 1

A method performed by a computer system implementing an automated procurement system including a mainframe computer, a global database, a local database and a server computer, comprising the computer performed steps of: storing global data in said global database of said mainframe computer, said mainframe computer being programmed with mainframe transfer software; storing local data in said local database of said server computer, said server computer being programmed with server transfer software so that said server computer is in communication with said mainframe computer; controlling by said server computer a workstation for interactive input and output with a buyer, said workstation being programmed with a buyer interface, and said workstation being in communication with said server computer; accessing said buyer interface to permit said buyer to process procurement documents; determining by said server computer whether process data corresponding to said process of said procurement documents is located in said global data in said global database or in said local data in said local database; controlling by said computer system a manager system to approve said procurement documents after said procurement documents are processed; and providing, by said mainframe transfer software and said server transfer software, said process data to said buyer so that a location of said process data is determined without interaction of said buyer; and wherein the method further comprises the step of supplying said global data from said global database for use by said buyer for decision-making; and wherein said global data includes supplier rankings including criteria data to rank each supplier with respect to other suppliers, and the method further comprises the steps of determining by the computer system said supplier rankings, displaying said supplier rankings on said workstation, and receiving input from said buyer responsive to said supplier rankings.

Claim 2

A method performed by a computer system implementing an automated procurement system including a mainframe computer, a global database, a local database and a server computer, comprising the computer performed steps of: storing global data in said global database of said mainframe computer, said mainframe computer being programmed with mainframe transfer software; storing local data in said local database of said server computer, said server computer being programmed with server transfer software so that said server computer is in communication with said mainframe computer; controlling by said server computer a workstation for interactive input and output with a buyer, said workstation being programmed with a buyer interface, and said workstation being in communication with said server computer; accessing said buyer interface to permit said buyer to process procurement documents; determining by said server computer whether process data corresponding to said process of said procurement documents is located in said global data in said global database or in said local data in said local database; controlling by said computer system a manager system to approve said procurement documents after said procurement documents are processed; and providing, by said mainframe transfer software and said server transfer software, said process data to said buyer so that a location of said process data is determined without interaction of said buyer; and wherein the method further comprises the step of supplying said global data from said global database for use by said buyer for decision-making; and wherein said global data includes supplier rankings including criteria data to rank each supplier with respect to other suppliers, and the method further comprises the steps of determining by the computer system said supplier rankings, displaying said supplier rankings on said workstation, and receiving input from said buyer responsive to said supplier rankings.

Claim 3

A method performed by a computer system for automated procurement, using an interactive workstation having a local database and a buyer interface, in communication with a mainframe having a global database, comprising the computer performed steps of: displaying a plurality of documents used for procurement on said workstation, said documents including queries for data to be supplied by a buyer; selecting a document on said workstation from said documents; determining by said workstation whether support data is needed for processing said selected document and supporting said selected document is located in said global database; retrieving by said workstation said support data from said global database if needed to support said selected document in accordance with said determining step; displaying said support data on said interactive workstation if needed to support said selected document in accordance with said determining step; ranking by said computer system suppliers to rank each supplier with respect to other suppliers in response to a request for said support data; receiving input data from said buyer in response to displaying said support data for processing said document, by using said buyer interface; and updating and maintaining said support data so that said support data in said local database is the same as said support data in said global database by said computer system.

Claim 4

A method performed by a computer system for automated procurement, using an interactive workstation having a local database and a buyer interface, in communication with a mainframe having a global database, comprising the computer performed steps of: displaying a plurality of documents used for procurement on said workstation, said documents including queries for data to be supplied by a buyer; selecting a document on said workstation from said documents; determining by said workstation whether support data is needed for processing said selected document and supporting said selected document is located in said global database; retrieving by said workstation said support data from said global database if needed to support said selected document in accordance with said determining step; displaying said support data on said interactive workstation if needed to support said selected document in accordance with said determining step; ranking by said computer system suppliers to rank each supplier with respect to other suppliers in response to a request for said support data; receiving input data from said buyer in response to displaying said support data for processing said document, by using said buyer interface; and updating and maintaining said support data so that said support data in said local database is the same as said support data in said global database by said computer system.