Service mapping method of enterprise application modeling and development for multi-tier service environments

• US 20030182461A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Stelting, Stephen A., Sierra, Katherine J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,968,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method for modeling an enterprise application to be performed over multiple tiers in a distributed computer system. The method includes generating a model, such as a sequence diagram, of the enterprise application showing the tiers with standard responsibilities assigned to a client tier, a Web tier, a business logic tier, and an enterprise information system tier. The standard functions are assigned by identifying protocol services and mapping these to the tiers. Business functions for the application are identified with use cases. The basic business services are then mapped to the enterprise application model. This model is then further modified, such as by subdividing the tiers into subtiers, and mapping the detailed business services to the appropriate tiers. The method continues with identifying of architectural goals or capabilities and modifying of the enterprise application model to map or implement the architectural services associated with each goal to the tiers.

Claims

1. A method for modeling an enterprise application to be performed over multiple tiers in a distributed computer system, comprising:

generating a model of the enterprise application including a plurality of tiers having assigned standard functions;

providing a set of business functions for the enterprise application;

assigning the business functions to the tiers based on the assigned standard functions; and

modifying the model of the enterprise application to include the business functions at the assigned tiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tiers include a client tier, a Web tier, a business logic tier, and an enterprise information tier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the model generating includes identifying protocol services for the enterprise application, mapping the protocol services to the tiers, and providing the assigned standard functions based on the assigned protocol services.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the protocol services define communication methods between the tiers.

5. The method of claim 1, further including dividing at least one of the business functions into two or more detailed business functions and wherein the modifying includes adding the detailed business functions to the model.

6. The method of claim 5, further including dividing one of the tiers into at least two subtiers and wherein the adding of the detailed business functions includes mapping at least one of the detailed business functions to one of the subtiers.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one tier is a Web tier and the subtiers include a model Web tier, a view Web tier, and a controller Web tier.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the one tier is a business logic tier and the subtiers are created based on business entities in the enterprise application.

9. The method of claim 1, further including providing a set of architectural capabilities for the enterprise application and modifying at least a portion of the model to map architectural services to the tiers based on the architectural capabilities.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the tiers include an object-oriented business logic tier and a non-object-oriented enterprise information system tier and further including using a matrix tool to map the business logic tier to the enterprise information system tier, wherein the matrix tool maps object classes of the business logic tier to one or more of insert, update, delete, and select actions of the enterprise information system tier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes creating a sequence diagram for the tiers.

12. An enterprise application development method for a multi-tier, object-oriented computer system, comprising:

identifying protocol services for an enterprise application;

identifying business services for the enterprise application;

modeling the computer system in a sequence diagram with two or more tiers;

mapping the protocol services to the sequence diagram; and

mapping the business services to the sequence diagram.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the protocol services comprise communication protocols used to communicate between the tiers.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the tiers include a Web tier and wherein the mapping includes dividing the Web tier into model, view, and controller Web tiers and mapping the business services to the model, view, and controller Web tiers.

15. The method of claim 12, further including identifying architectural services for the enterprise application and after the business services mapping, mapping the architectural services to the sequence diagram.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the architectural services mapping includes establishing an additional object in the sequence diagram and mapping business services and protocol services to the additional object.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the tiers include a client tier, a Web tier, a business logic tier, and an enterprise information system tier.

18. The method of claim 17, further including for the enterprise information system tier populating a matrix matching objects to relational functions of the enterprise information system tier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the relational functions include insert, update, delete, and select.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the relational functions include a security indicator for the objects.

21. A computer program for service mapping an enterprise application in a multi-tier distributed computing environment, comprising:

first computer code devices configured to cause a computer to generate a model of the enterprise application including a plurality of tiers having assigned standard functions;

second computer code devices configured to cause a computer to provide a set of business functions for the enterprise application;

third computer code devices configured to cause a computer to assign the business functions to the tiers based on the assigned standard functions; and

fourth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to modify the model of the enterprise application to include the business functions at the assigned tiers.

22. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the model generating by the first computer code devices includes identifying protocol services for the enterprise application, mapping the protocol services to the tiers, and providing the assigned standard functions based on the assigned protocol services.

23. The computer program of claim 22, wherein the protocol services define communication methods between the tiers.

24. The computer program of claim 21, further including fifth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to divide at least one of the business functions into two or more detailed business functions and wherein the modifying by the fourth computer code devices includes adding the detailed business functions to the model.

25. The computer program of claim 24, wherein the fifth computer code devices is further configured to divide one of the tiers into at least two subtiers and wherein the adding of the detailed business functions by the fourth computer code devices includes mapping at least one of the detailed business functions to one of the subtiers.

26. The computer program of claim 25, wherein the one tier is a business logic tier and the subtiers are created based on business entities in the enterprise application.

27. The computer program of claim 21, further including fifth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to provide a set of architectural capabilities for the enterprise application and to modify at least a portion of the model to map architectural services to the tiers based on the architectural capabilities.

28. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the tiers include an object-oriented business logic tier and a non-object-oriented enterprise information system tier and further including fifth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to map the business logic tier to the enterprise information system tier including mapping object classes of the business logic tier to one or more of insert, update, delete, and select actions of the enterprise information system tier.

29. The computer program of claim 21, wherein the generating by the first computer code devices includes creating a sequence diagram for the tiers.

30. The computer program of claim 21, further including fifth computer code devices configured to cause a computer to generate a computer program configured to cause a computer to provide the enterprise application, the generating being based on the modified model of the enterprise application.