System landscape definition using system objects hierarchy

• US 20040122830A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Shalev, Guy, Brutman, David, Schwartz, Ilan, Steiner, Eylon
• Application Number:
  US10/610,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation

Abstract

Interfaces to systems are defined by system files, which inherit attributes of one or more templates in a hierarchy. An access system might provide access and presentation of data to users wherein data is at least in part extracted from a plurality of external applications. The access system comprises storage for a plurality of system templates, storage for a plurality of system definitions, wherein a system definition includes properties and attributes usable to access an external application from a plurality of external applications to obtain data and wherein at least one system definition has at least one of properties or attributes that are inherited from a system template referenced from the plurality of system templates, and storage for a plurality of system connectors, wherein a system connector provides an interface to one of the plurality of external applications. The system connectors might be referenced by a system definition using an alias.

Claims

1. An access system that provides access and presentation of data to users wherein data is at least in part extracted from a plurality of external applications, the access system comprising:

storage for a plurality of system templates;

storage for a plurality of system definitions, wherein a system definition includes properties and attributes usable to access an external application from a plurality of external applications to obtain data and wherein at least one system definition has at least one of properties or attributes that are inherited from a system template referenced from the plurality of system templates; and

storage for a plurality of system connectors, wherein a system connector provides an interface to one of the plurality of external applications.

2. The access system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of system connectors is referenced by a system definition using an alias.

3. The access system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of system templates is arranged as a hierarchy of system templates and at least one lower order system template inherits from at least one higher order system template.

4. The access system of claim 1, wherein the system template is a manually-created system template.

5. The access system of claim 1, wherein the system template is an automatically created system template created from underlying information about the external application.

6. The access system of claim 1, wherein the access system is a client-server system.

7. The access system of claim 1, wherein the access system is a one-tier integrated system with external connectors.

8. The access system of claim 1, wherein the access system comprises a portal system.

9. The access system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of external applications includes at least one database.

10. The access system of claim 1, wherein the storage for the plurality of system definitions has administrative controls to limit reading, writing or modifying of system definitions.

11. The access system of claim 10, w-,herein the administrative controls of lower order system templates are inherited from administrative controls of higher order system templates.

12. The access system of claim 1, wherein attributes include meta-attributes.

13. The access system of claim 12, wherein the meta-attributes include meta-attributes specifying scope, requirements and attribute type.

14. A portal system comprising:

a display system to present a user display;

a portal database including definitions of portal snippets that form user displays;

for each portal snippet that refers to data obtained from an external application, a reference to a system object that in turn refers to a system connection interfacing to the external application, wherein the system object is specified by a system description that includes at least one reference inherited from a system template;

logic that obtains the data as needed from external applications using system objects for each portal snippet that refers to data obtained from an external application.

15. The portal system of claim 14, wherein the system templates form a template hierarchy with lower order system templates inheriting at least one of an attribute, a reference and a property of a higher order system template.

16. The portal system of claim 14 Minton, wherein the system template is arranged as a set of one or more declarations.

17. The portal system of claim 16, wherein the set of one or mote declarations is arranged in XML format.