Content-based routing system and method

• US 20030217176A1
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beunings, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,428,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/547 Messaging middleware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Systems and methods for routing messages between applications in a network are disclosed. Messages are routed from a sending application to one or more receiving applications according to one or more routing rules. Each routing rule is used for determining the one or more receiving applications, and is associated with at least one routing object. The routing object is configured to associate the routing rule to the message based on content of the message. The routing objects are stored in a repository of design-time descriptions of the applications. The routing rules are stored in a directory of runtime descriptions of applications in the runtime landscape, and are accessed by a runtime engine for executing the routing.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message from a sending application to one or more receiving applications in a network, comprising:

receiving a message from the sending application; and

routing the message to one or more receiving applications according to one or more routing rules for determining the one or more receiving applications, wherein each routing rule is associated with a routing object, and wherein the routing object is configured to associate the routing rule to the message based on content of the message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the message to the one or more receiving applications according to the one or more routing rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the message further includes:

receiving an interface description for the sending application with the message;

resolving an interface description for the one or more receiving applications according to the one or more routing rules;

defining a communication channel according to interface descriptions for the sending application and the one or more receiving applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more routing rules are grouped according to at least one business scenario.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one business scenario defines required interactions of all software components in a system landscape including the sending application and the one or more receiving applications.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one business scenario is stored in a directory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the directory is accessible by a runtime engine configured for routing the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing rules are stored in a directory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the directory is accessible by a runtime engine configured for routing the message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing objects are stored in a repository and wherein the routing rules are stored in a directory, wherein the repository is accessible by the directory, and wherein the directory is accessible by a runtime engine configured for routing the message.

11. A method of determining receivers of a message from a sending application, comprising:

storing a plurality of routing rules in a directory, wherein the routing rules include one or more routing objects for determining a receiver of the message;

providing an application programming interface (API) to the directory; and

determining, via the API and prior to construction of the message by the sending application, whether there are any receivers specified for the message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, if there are receivers specified for the message, designating one or more receivers of the message according to the one or more routing objects.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, if there are no receivers specified for the message, suspending construction of the message by the sending application.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

constructing the message; and

sending the message to the one or more receivers that have been designated.

15. A system for routing messages between applications in a network, comprising:

a repository for storing a plurality of routing objects, wherein each routing object is configured to determine one or more receiving applications of a message based on message content;

a directory for storing one or more routing rules, wherein each routing rule is associated with one or more routing objects; and

a runtime engine, configured to access at least one routing rule from the directory to route the message according to the one or more associated routing objects.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the runtime engine further includes a logical routing service for determining one or more logical receivers based on the at least one routing rule accessed from the directory, and wherein the one or more receiving applications are associated with the one or more logical receivers.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the directory is configured for storing one or more business processes, and wherein each business process describes predefined collaboration among the applications in the network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the runtime engine further includes a business process engine for routing messages based at least in part on at least one business process accessed from the directory.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the directory is configured for storing one or more mappings, and wherein each mapping describes predefined mappings from a sending application to one or more receiving applications in a runtime network landscape.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the runtime engine further includes a mapping service for routing messages based at least in part on at least one mapping accessed from the directory.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the runtime engine further includes:

a logical routing service for determining one or more logical receivers based at least in part on the at least one routing rule accessed from the directory, wherein the one or more receiving applications are associated with the one or more logical receivers;

a business process engine for routing messages based at least in part on at least one business process accessed from the directory, wherein each business process describes predefined collaboration among the applications in the network; and

a mapping service for routing messages based at least in part on at least one mapping accessed from the directory;

wherein each mapping describes predefined mappings from a sending application to one or more receiving applications in a runtime network landscape.