Systems and methods for modeling and generating reusable application component frameworks, and automated assembly of service-oriented applications from existing applications

• US 20050144226A1
• Filed: 11/09/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Churchill Contract Services Limited (Churchill Contract Services Group Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Purewal, Steven
• Application Number:
  US10/985,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144226A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/36 Software reuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management

Abstract

Embodiments of systems and methods model and generate open reusable, business components for Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs) from existing client/server applications. Applications are decomposed into business component frameworks with separate user interface, business logic, and event management layers to enable service-oriented development of new enterprise applications. Such layers are re-assembled through an open standards-based, Native Application Services (NAS) to render similar or near identical transactional functionality within a new application on an open platform, without breaking former production code, and without requiring a change in an end-user'"'"'s business processes and/or user experience. In addition, the same separated layers may form re-usable business components at any desired level of granularity for re-use in external composite applications through industry-standard interfaces, regardless of usage, context, or complexity in the former Client/Server application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

decomposing an existing source application into one or more open standards-based business components in one or more frameworks; and

reassembling said components into an open standards-based application for service oriented architectures utilizing said frameworks.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said decomposing further comprises parsing said existing application to derive a platform-independent logical model to describe said exist application'"'"'s functionality and implementation.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said existing application'"'"'s functionality and implementation includes at least one of business domain, application functionality characteristics, and implementation platform.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said reassembling further comprises rendering a similar appearance and behavior for said open-standards-based application as provided by said existing application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said similar appearance and behavior for said open-standards-based application provides a same end-user'"'"'s business processes and user experience as said existing application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said reassembling provides a production code for said open-standards-based application similar to a production code of said existing application.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said similar code for said open-standards-based application enables reuse of developer skills associated with said existing application.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more frameworks comprise a plurality of frameworks.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said plurality of frameworks comprise at least a business service component framework and a system services component framework.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reusing said business components in an external application.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said business components are used at a desired level of granularity in said external application.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface-implemented client/server application.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein each framework comprises one or more of presentation, business logic, and event management capabilities.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining said open standards-based application using business components.

15. A method comprising:

decomposing an existing application into one or more open standards-based business components in one or more frameworks; and

using said business components in an external service oriented architectures according to said one or more frameworks.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said decomposing further comprises parsing said existing application to derive a platform-independent logical model to describe said exist application'"'"'s functionality and implementation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said existing application'"'"'s functionality and implementation includes at least one of business domain, application functionality characteristics, and implementation platform.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said business components are reusable.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said business components are used at a desired level of granularity in said external application.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein each framework comprises one or more of presentation, business logic, and event management.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein said one or more frameworks comprise a plurality of frameworks.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said plurality of frameworks comprise at least a business service component framework and a system services component framework.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

reassembling said component using open standards-based native application services in to an open standards-based application.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said reassembling further comprises rendering a similar appearance and behavior for said open-standards-based application as provided by said existing application.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said similar appearance and behavior for said open-standards-based application provides a same end-user'"'"'s business processes and user experience as said existing application.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein said reassembling provides a production code for said open-standards-based application similar to a production code of said existing application.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said similar code for said open-standards-based application enables reuse of developer skills associated with said existing application.

28. The method of claim 23 further comprising:

maintaining said open standards-based application using business components.

29. The method of claim 15 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface-implemented client/server application.

30. A system comprising:

an application parser for decomposing an existing application into a logical source application model and producing application system model artifacts;

a framework generator, using said logical source application model to generate open, reusable business service component and system service component frameworks, the frameworks providing context-based and non-context-based business service components;

an application builder generating services-oriented application code to deliver an open, standards-based version of said existing application using said frameworks; and

a server providing run-time processing for said open-standards version of said existing application.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said open, component-based services-oriented application code is input to said server to provide said open-standards version of said existing application in a manner that is similar in appearance and behavior to said existing application.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein said framework generator also maps functionality of said existing application to appropriate business service components and partitions to appropriate tiers in an open, standards-based application server on a computer network.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein said server uses said frameworks to interpret user actions and interactions, and to implement user-triggered operations and associated internal system response operations.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein said application builder comprises:

an application manager that interprets business service components created by said application builder to maintain said the open standards-based version of said exist application.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the maintenance of claim 32 comprises binding appropriate business service components and system service components to fulfill said open-standards version of said existing application business processes through functionality in a manner consistent with said existing application.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein the binding appropriate business services components and system service components is carried out by compiling and packaging a set of classes, constituents of both the system and business service components, for deployment as a single execution file on an open application server.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein said compilation, and packaging by said application builder integrates loosely coupled business service components using design patterns to produce the presentation tier as view classes in Model View Controller architecture, and to produce the business services tier as model classes.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein said view and model classes are connected by said application builder through application-specific event logic that is linked with a controller in said system service component framework.

39. The system of claim 30 wherein said application builder further comprises a services generator that generates business services from a services-oriented application code at a grain of abstraction present in said existing application, in a protocol-independent and location-agnostic manner.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein the generated business services are implemented within a new composite application.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the generated business services are implemented within a composite application using an application programming interface.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein the implementation provides at least one of access, interoperability, and usage of business services for consumption by external applications through open standards.

43. The system of claim 39 wherein said services generator, through said application builder utilize services-oriented code for composite applications provides an application programming interface to present business services as at least one of context-based business services, non-context-based business services, context-based business components, and non-context-based business components, suitable for use by external applications as business process services.

44. The system of claim 30 wherein said application manager includes declarative programming methods and emulates existing source application development metaphors, abstractions, and nomenclature to maintain application-specific functionality.

45. The method of claim 30 wherein said server provides run-time processing for one or more of new, component-based, composite, open standards-based applications.

46. The system of claim 30 wherein said server is comprised of a native application services server and a composite application services application programming interface.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein said run-time processing for an open-standards version of the original existing application is provided by said native application service server.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein run-time processing for one or more of new, component-based, composite applications is provided through said composite application services application programming interface.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein said composite application services application programming interface exposes a business service present in said existing application.

50. The system of claim 46 wherein said composite application services application programming interface provides one or more application programming interfaces to said native application services server for open access through open standards.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein said open standards comprise at least one of XML, Web Services, Java, and Java 2 Enterprise Edition.

52. The system of claim 51 wherein said application programming interfaces may be provided to application-specific services at one or more of:

one or more levels of granularity;

functional partitioning at logical levels of use; and

interest to an external application;

formerly not accessible in the existing application.

53. The system of claim 30 wherein said business components generated by said application framework generator are loosely-coupled.

54. The system of claim 30 wherein said business components generated by said application framework generator conform to industry-standard Model View Controller-based de-coupled architectures.

55. The system of claim 30 wherein said business components generated by said application framework generator have separate user interface view, business logic model, and user-event and system-event controller handlers.

56. The system of claim 30 wherein said application framework generator maps structure of said existing application to appropriate tiers in a Model View Controller-based de-coupled architecture of said open-standards version of said existing application.

57. The system of claim 30 wherein said application manager interprets said components to resemble programming syntax and semantics of said existing application.

58. The system of claim 30 wherein said application manager provides graphical productivity tools similar to said existing application'"'"'s development tools.

59. The system of claim 30 wherein said application manager provides graphical productivity tools similar to an integrated development environment of said existing application.

60. The system of claim 30 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface client/server application.

61. The system of claim 30 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface-based client/server runtime engine application.

62. The system of claim 30 wherein said existing application is a database application and said business functions are partitioned along a plurality of objects and their associated scoping levels in said existing application'"'"'s object hierarchy.

63. The system of claim 62 wherein said scoping levels comprise at least one of form, block, and item levels.

64. The system of claim 30 wherein a programming architecture of said open standards is Java.

65. The system of claim 30 wherein a programming architecture of said open standards is XML-based.

66. A system comprising:

an application parser for decomposing an existing application into a logical source application model and producing application system model artifacts;

a framework generator, using said logical source application model to generate open, reusable business service component and system service component frameworks, the frameworks providing context-based and non-context-based business service components;

a services generator generating services-oriented application code and assembling services-oriented application code utilizing said frameworks; and

an open, standards-based composite application services application programming interface capable of externally exposing and externally publishing a business service process.

67. The system of claim 66 wherein said services generator further comprises a services generator that generates business services from a services-oriented application code at any-grain of abstraction in the existing source application, in a protocol-independent and location-agnostic manner.

68. The system of claim 66 wherein a native application server executes said business service process for a new composite services-oriented application.

69. The system of claim 68 wherein said native application server provides runtime processing for an open-standards version of the original existing application.

70. The system of claim 66 wherein said framework generator also maps functionality of said existing application to appropriate business service components and partitions to appropriate tiers in an open standards-based application server.

71. The system of claim 66 wherein said application programming interface uses said open, standards-based application framework to interpret and implement events triggered by the composite application.

72. The system of claim 66 wherein Model View Controller architecture view and model classes are connected by said services generator through application-specific event logic that is linked with a controller in said system service component framework.

73. The system of claim 66 wherein said composite application services application programming interface exposes a business service present in said existing application.

74. The system of claim 66 wherein said composite application services application programming interface provides one or more application programming interfaces for open access through open standards.

75. The system of claim 74 wherein said open standards comprise at least one of XML, Web Services, Java, and Java 2 Enterprise Edition.

76. The system of claim 74 wherein said application programming interfaces may be provided to application-specific services at one or more of:

one or more levels of granularity;

functional partitioning at logical levels of use; and

interest to an external application;

formerly not accessible in the existing application.

77. The system of claim 66 wherein said business components generated by said framework generator are loosely-coupled.

78. The system of claim 66 wherein said business components generated by said framework generator conform to industry-standard Model View Controller-based de-coupled architectures.

79. The system of claim 66 wherein said business components generated by said application framework generator have separate user interface view, business logic model, and user-event and system-event controller handlers.

80. The system of claim 66 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface client/server application.

81. The system of claim 66 wherein said existing application is a graphical user interface-based client/server runtime engine application.

82. The system of claim 66 wherein a programming architecture of said open standards is Java.

83. The system of claim 66 wherein a programming architecture of said open standards is XML-based.