Method for tracking transport requests and computer system with trackable transport requests

• US 20060112189A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Demuth, Michael, Stegmuller, Herbert, Schulz, Volker
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A method for tracking transport requests in a system landscape comprising a central control system and a plurality of logical systems interconnected by logical transport paths, a transport request defining a software service for a system in the landscape, is described. The method includes feeding a transport request into a logical system of the plurality of logical systems; providing a data supplier in the logical system for supplying, to the central system, data supplier information containing information about the transport request; providing a data collector in the central system for obtaining the data supplier information and accordingly updating status data; and providing a tracking service in the central system, the tracking service allowing to analyze the status data.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving a status in a logical system in a system landscape comprising a central control system and a plurality of the logical systems interconnected by logical paths, the method including:

providing a software service for customization, adaptation, program or data update of a system;

providing a data supplier in the logical system for supplying, to the central system, data supplier information containing information about the status;

providing a data collector in the central system for obtaining the data supplier information and accordingly updating status data;

using a transport request consisting of structured data comprising an identifier, general information regarding the service, and service data for providing the software service for a system;

feeding the transport request into an import buffer of at least one of the logical systems;

providing data accessed by the data supplier from at least a part of the transport request;

using the accessed data as part of the status; and

providing a tracking service in the central system for tracking the transport request, the tracking service allowing to analyze the status data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking service provides at least one of the group comprised of a request analysis, a status analysis, a sequence analysis, a project analysis, and report generation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport request is fed into an input buffer of the system and imported from the input buffer into the system upon approval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the central system approves import of a transport request into the system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport request is imported into the system and fed into a system connected to the system via a logical transport path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data supplier maintains an up to date record of the state of all systems.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data collector periodically accesses the data suppliers for updated information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data suppliers contact the data collector upon change of the information.

16. A computer program product comprising on a storage medium a computer code that upon execution on a computer system performs the method according to claim 1.

9. A computer system comprising:

a central control system;

a plurality of logical systems;

logical transport paths that interconnect the logical systems to form a software system landscape, the logical transport paths allowing a transport request to be fed into a first system of the plurality of logical systems, a transport request defining a software service for a system in the landscape;

a data supplier in the system for supplying, to the central system, data supplier information containing information about the transport request;

a data collector in the central control system for obtaining the data supplier information and accordingly updating status data; and

a tracking service in the central system, the tracking service allowing analysis of the status data.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the tracking service comprises a provider to provide at least one of the group comprised of a request analysis, a status analysis, a sequence analysis, a project analysis, and report generation.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises an input buffer to receive the transport request and a receiver to receive approval for importing the transport request from the input buffer into the system.

12. The computer system of one of the claim 9, wherein the central system comprises an approver to approve import the transport request into the system.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the data supplier comprises an up to date record of the state of all systems.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the data collector is designed to periodically access the data suppliers for updated information.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the data suppliers are designed to contact the data collector upon change of the information.