Apparatus and method for integrating variable subsidiary information with main office information in an enterprise system

• US 20040010496A1
• Filed: 06/04/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Mueller-Punge, Bjoern, Wang, Hua, Riemann, Steffen, Wolf, Werner, Behrendt, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,987 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

The present invention pertains to an enterprise-wide enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and in particular, to methods and systems for interfacing the enterprise-wide ERP system with ERP systems at subsidiary organizations. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method includes connecting to an enterprise data management system through a data base server, a web service and a data interface application programming interface (API) in a remote data system and through a data mapping component and an intermediate documents (IDOC) adapter in a data exchange interface using simple object address protocol (SOAP) messages and extensible markup language (XML) messages.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

connecting to an enterprise data management system through a data base server, a web service and a data interface application programming interface (API) in a remote data system and through a data mapping component and an intermediate documents (IDOC) adapter in a data exchange interface using simple object address protocol (SOAP) messages and extensible markup language (XML) messages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein connecting through said data mapping component comprises:

connecting to said enterprise data management system through said web service to an exchange infrastructure (XI) system, which includes an extensible stylesheet language transformations (XSLT) mapping system to convert said XML messages into other XML messages, in said data exchange interface, and said web service to transmit and receive said SOAP messages to and from said XI, respectively.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein connecting through said data mapping component further comprises:

connecting to said enterprise data management system through said XI system to said IDOC adapter to transmit and receive said XML messages and other XML messages to and from said enterprise data management system.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

connecting an application program to said web service and said data interface API through said database server at said remote data system, said application program to transmit and receive said communications from said enterprise data management system.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a communication to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface from an application program connected to said remote data system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein sending said communication comprises:

sending a data request to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface wherein said data request is in a format that is different than how the data is formatted in said enterprise data management system.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving a response to said data request through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system in said format of said data request.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said remote data system is located at a related corporate organization to said enterprise data management system.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said remote data system is located at an unrelated corporate organization to said enterprise data management system.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

receiving a response at said application program to said communication through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein sending said communication comprises:

sending a request for data to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface from said application program.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a response to said request for data at said application program through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system.

13. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of executable instructions to perform a method comprising:

connecting to an enterprise data management system through a data base server, a web service and a data interface application programming interface (API) in a remote data system and through a data mapping component and an intermediate documents (IDOC) adapter in a data exchange interface using simple object address protocol (SOAP) and extensible markup language (XML) messages.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 wherein connecting to said data mapping component comprises:

connecting to said enterprise data management system through said web service to an exchange infrastructure (XI) system, which includes an extensible stylesheet language transformations (XSLT) mapping system to convert said XML messages into other XML messages, in said data exchange interface, and said web service to transmit and receive said SOAP messages to and from said XI, respectively.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14 wherein connecting through said data mapping component further comprises:

connecting to said enterprise data management system through said XI system to said IDOC adapter to transmit and receive said XML messages and other XML messages to and from said enterprise data management system.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising:

connecting an application program to said web service and said data interface API through a database server at said remote site, said application program to transmit and receive said communications from said enterprise data management system.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 further comprising:

sending a communication to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface from an application program connected to said remote data system.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein sending said communication comprises:

sending a data request to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface wherein said data request is in a format that is different than how the data is formatted in said enterprise data management system.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving a response to said data request through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system in said data request format.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

receiving a response at said application program to said communication through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 17 wherein sending said communication comprises:

sending a request for data to said enterprise data management system through said remote data system and said data exchange interface from said application program.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising:

receiving a response to said request for data at said application program through said data exchange interface and said remote data system from said enterprise data management system.

23. A method comprising:

connecting to an enterprise portal through a data base server and a web service in a remote data system from an application program external to said remote data system; and

requesting information from an enterprise data management system connected to said enterprise portal using a predetermined query format in a web page on said enterprise portal.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein connecting to said enterprise portal comprises:

connecting said external application program to said data base server, which is connected to said web service, and both said data base server and said web service are connected to said enterprise portal.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

receiving a response to said predetermined query format in a predetermined response format associated with said predetermined query format.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein receiving said response comprises:

accessing said predetermined response format at said enterprise portal through said remote data system.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein said predetermined query format comprises:

a program in a web page at said enterprise portal, said program to retrieve specific data from at least one source in an enterprise data management system and display said specific data in said web page.

28. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of executable instructions to perform a method comprising:

connecting to an enterprise portal through a data base server and a web service in a remote data system from an application program external to said remote data system; and

requesting information from an enterprise data management system connected to said enterprise portal using a predetermined query format in a web page on said enterprise portal.

29. The machine-readable medium of claim 28 wherein connecting to said enterprise portal comprises:

connecting said external application program to said data base server, which is connected to said web service, and both said data base server and said web service are connected to said enterprise portal.

30. The machine-readable medium of claim 28 further comprising:

receiving a response to said predetermined query format in a predetermined response format associated with said predetermined query format.

31. The machine-readable medium of claim 30 wherein sending said communication comprises:

accessing said predetermined response format at said enterprise portal through said remote data system.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said predetermined query format comprises:

a program in a web page at said enterprise portal, said program to retrieve specific data from at least one source in an enterprise data management system and display said specific data in said web page.

33. A method comprising:

connecting to a data warehouse through a data base server and a data base program in a remote data system from an application program external to said remote data system.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein connecting to said data warehouse comprises:

connecting said external application program to said data base server, which is connected to said data base program, and both said data base server and said data base program are connected to said enterprise portal.

35. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

sending a communication to said data warehouse through said remote data system from said external application program.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein sending said communication comprises:

sending a data request to said data warehouse through said remote data system.

37. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

connecting said external application program to said data base server, where said data base server is a structured query language (SQL) server.

38. The method of claim 33 further comprising:

connecting said external application program to said data base server, where said data base server is a structured query language (SQL) server.